Winter Gardening with Caleb Warnock: Feed Your Family Year Round!

 Feed Your Family Year Round on The Homestead Honey Hour!

     A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a YouTube video of a fellow giving a tour of his snowy, Utah garden in February.   Astonishingly, it was filled with green, growing edibles.   Double-take.  I live in gardening zone five.   During the winter, my garden lays dormant, sadly vacant and abandoned until the planting madness of spring begins.   This is just how it is for gardeners in the North.  So, what was this dark magic being showcased on YouTube?  Who was this wizard coaxing green shoots, leaves, and plants to live and GROW amidst the snow?!?   I had to investigate.   Soon, I was rabidly perusing this man’s blog, intrigued by his unusual (in modern times anyway) gardening techniques as well as being thoroughly entertained with his writing style and approach to life.   I was hooked.   Just a few clicks later, I had ordered two of his books, “The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency” and “Backyard Winter Gardening”.

     And that is how I “met” Caleb Warnock – award winning journalist, teacher, avid gardener, preserver of lost skills and ancient heirlooms – a homesteading renaissance man.   

     His methods are nothing new.   In fact, his are ancient techniques researched and resurrected, along with the almost forgotten heirloom varieties of vegetables he grows.  These plants are especially suited to grow and be harvested during the coldest months.  Some are rare; some are old favorites you probably are already familiar with.    Our forefathers were dependent on these seeds and the ability to grow them in cold conditions, to feed their families during the long winters.    Nowadays, with the advent of the grocery store and much of our produce imported and transported thousands of miles so as to be available year round, these old skills and accompanying vegetable varieties have fallen by the wayside.   Until now, that is.   As is often said:  What is old is new again.  

       We all know it’s getting harder and harder to fill our grocery carts without emptying our wallets, not to mention trying to dodge the toxic “farming” methods of big agriculture in the process.   What Mr. Warnock teaches as an alternative to relying on the grocery store is not only fascinating, but extremely valuable and timely to those who strive to be more self-sufficient AND healthy.

      So, join me, Renée, (aka “Michigansnowpony” on YouTube) this Thursday, June 20^th on the Homestead Honey Hour where it will be my pleasure to host Mr. Warnock as my special guest.   We’ll be talking about how to garden year round without benefit (or reliance) on artificial light or heat sources, the varieties of vegetables to choose for such conditions, cold frame and hotbed construction, when to use a cold frame versus a hotbed, and everything else you need to know to keep your family eating fresh year round – no matter where you live – – Just like our ancestors did.After all, soon it will be time to plan and get the winter garden started!
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Mr. Warnock’s blog:  http://calebwarnock.blogspot.com/
Mr. Warnock’s YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbtYTB1zTUafWU3tHJ_8Hvg?feature=watch