With gardeners getting their winter gardens established, I thought today I’d share how to protect your plants from flooding and high winds.
I’ll also share some history about growing up on Granny’s farm and why my dream was to be just like her when I grew up and how at 50 I was able to make my lifelong dream a reality.
First, the hints on protecting plants from harsh weather conditions.
1. If flooding becomes a problem in a area where you have planted your winter garden, all you need to do is dig drainage ditches alongside your garden. They do not have to be very deep and they should start before the planted area and end a little ways after it with the end running off to a direction away from the garden, preferably on to a rocky or cement type area to avoid erosion.
2. High winds have been a real issue for me here on my mountain. They come roaring through the valley and up to my place like a freight train. Since I have only been here for five years, the more than 20 trees I’ve planted are not big enough to easily weather the gusts. After doing some research on this, I have found works for me. I learned that the most effective wind breaks are not solid walls but a fence or line of trees that lets some air pass through. Low pressure develops on the sheltered side of a wind break and actually sucks air coming over the barrier downward, creating swirling turbulence in the area you want to protect. By letting air through a wind break, the low pressure is reduced and the wind you are blocking stays up where it can blow over your garden instead of dropping down into it. So consider planting your winter garden around a group of trees or a hedge to effectively block the wind. Remember there will be little to no need for watering, which may give you options of planting in areas you may have not thought about before.
If you have any questions about other winter garden concerns, please email me and I will try and answer them for you.
How I became a farmer
Since about the age of 2 I spent every free minute I could with my grandmother on her small farm in Willits. She had a little over 10 acres in what the locals called the valley. It was a very flat area that had a lot of horses and livestock on it. My grandmother was always called Granny from the time I was born and before. She was a tough lady born Oma, Okla. Some of you older readers will recognize the name but most of the younger ones have probably never heard of it.
She was the oldest of 16 brothers and sisters and she grew up on a farm in Oklahoma where she told me she would get a new pair of shoes once a year along with a new coat. Being the oldest she never had to wear hand-me-downs and she said that was all she could think of that was good about being the oldest. Whatever hardships she endured while growing up they turned my granny into a tough but very sweet lady who loved life and always found the good in any situation.
She never wasted anything and as you have read in my other columns, she found a use for just about everything after it had served its original purpose.
She taught me so many things — not just about farming. But what she taught me all I knew about farming until I started my trial and error learning after I bought our place. I have dozens of fun times and stories I look forward to sharing with you in future columns.
Donna Stiles is owner of Donna’s Dam Seeds in Shasta Lake. She can be reached at donnasdamseeds@att.net.
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