Done square foot - ready to move up a level. Suggestions?

I have a huge amount of space in my yard. That might be my problem. I would like to have a winter garden here in North Carolina. I have typically grown onions, good olde southern collards, kale etc. I have done the Square Foot. Now I am ready to move up a level. Any suggestions?

Hi Kay,

I don't know if you have any local byelaws preventing you doing specific things, but Elliot Coleman has some great books documenting his own methods for growing year round (in Maine):
http://www.fourseasonfarm.com

Thanks Aranya. For now, we can do pretty much what we want. We live in a rural farming community that uses Round up ready crops. There are few changes on the horizon but it is slow coming. I would like my little farm to be an example to the community. Already, I have planted 30 acres of native grasses last year and the wildlife has exploded. Thank you for the site. I will check it out. Looking forward to devouring your book.

In Bill Mollisons pamphlet he shows a layout of different zones. You might have a look at it and see if these designs would work for you. http://www.permaculture.org/nm/images/uploads/Permaculture_Techniques.pdf

winter polycultures are fun and easy in NC. No bugs or diseases to cause problems from Nov-Mar. A single layer of floating row cover or a single layer hoop house works very well to keep just about any cold hardy crops alive and growing through most of the winter. I lived in Durham (piedmont area of NC), so your specific location may be a bit different.

Nice combinations of salad greens that we liked included common ingredients such as lettuces and spinach, as well as arugula, sorrel, chard and asian greens (mizuna, tatsoi, etc...). If you start now, you can still get a batch of carrots/beets/turnips/daikons to hold over through the winter, too.

Don't forget the "weeds" - chickweed and miner's lettuce will be getting started growing soon and will help round out the polyculture with a bit of encouragement.

Love your pictures Jeanine. You go girl! How inspiring. Kay Bee, I live in the middle of the Northern Coastal Plain/Pedmont region of NC. Thank so much for greens list. I love arugula.