Thoughts on winter permaculture projects.

As we get into the winter months I’m curious as to off-season permie projects. I usually do a bunch of mulching with shredded leaves and watching my cover crops grow. What do you do?

I am doing the followings:
Building soil:
 Mulching garden with woodchips and leaves o0
 Collecting leaves for leaf mulch
 Building compost piles in future gardening site. The center part remains warm and moist when I cover the pile up with leaves and cardboard.  
 Making char out of invasive vines and bushes. Mix in with compost to become biochar.

Controlling invasives
 Japanese Honeysuckles, bush honeysuckles, multiflora Roses, poison ivy etc. It is more pleasant to work when weather is cool and not ticks bothering me.

Planting trees seeds of bur oak, pin oak, hazelnuts, black walnuts and pears

  I placed the burn spots for char making where I wanted to grow trees.  The sites were so clearly marked so i am not going to miss the seedlings. I planted several seeds in each spot,  covered with woodchips and hopefully new seedlings will come up next spring.

Making seed balls with wildflowers. I am still waiting for the weather to cool down more so the seeds won't germinate too early.

I also marked area with wild daylilies nearby for later transplanting, probably in feb/march. That is a pretty big patch over 200 sq ft and the plants are overcrowded. They will benefit from the thinning, a win-win situation.

So these are basically what kept me busy right now. I'd love to read about what other permies are up to for inspirations.

Naturally, I'm struck by the contrast in activities that are possible elsewhere vs. here. My ground is frozen, composters likewise, and essentially all soil activity is dormant. A foot of snow, so far, makes access a bit more interesting.

And yet, as the coldest months approach, I have been setting up tasks to stay physically active and set up next year's growing.

- The Slow Compost Pile. This is where all the dry, tough and fibrous stuff, like sunflower stalks, dry bean vines, etc. end up. This year, they were placed in a shallow soil pit, neatly lined up. I can now spend half an hour with a sharpened spade chopping this material into compost friendly sizes, speeding up what is normally a multi-year process. Chopping involves using full bodyweight, for those interested; an excellent workout.

- The Lumberjack Stacks: This is where otherwise useless green wood from trees that must come down, and scrub brush, will go, for the next year. I have noticed that small birds are crazy over these piles; I assume they are massive insect nurseries. Go get 'em, bird buddies. The year after, these piles go onto ...

- The Biochar Burn Pile: Generally, these are stacked in line so I can run a chainsaw through them vertically. This makes handling much more efficient. I'm currently using a steel barrel with cutouts, so I can have a bonfire, warm an outdoor work area, burn up this pile, and constantly pack the coals to exclude oxygen. This setup greatly reduces the amount of smoke I eat. Great winter activity.

- Peruse seed catalogues. The Vesey's catalogue came in the mail today. I guess wwe will read closely for ideas. And dream of May.

This thread reminds me of what it seemed everyone was doing at Bootcamp last year when they had so much snow: shelf making! Getting organized and sharpening your tools seems like something most people can do no matter how cold and snowy it may be.

My winter gardening activities usually consist of:

-- Tapping maples for sap (if it's cold enough)

-- Organizing my seeds (and ordering MORE seeds!)

-- Mulching my gardens with duck bedding and kitchen scraps (I often take the bucket of compost out and dump it either where I'm building a new garden bed, or on top of something like my potatoes or raspberries, and then dump a big bucket of duck bedding on top of that...kind of like Ruth Stout composting, but lazier)

-- Building new garden beds (mostly with duck bedding)

-- Hacking back blackberries/salmonberries/etc. They're much easier to manage in the winter months when the leaves have fallen off!

-- Processing the trees the wind knocked over into firewood or garden edgings.

    Tree pruning is coming up for me.  Aside from the usual seed searching and veg garden planning . . . my main winter efforts have been in collecting stone for yard infrastructure.  I am blessed to work at a marble quarry/shop with copious geometric leftovers to gather.

Ive made a 4' tall sun dial, as my fav thing so far with the stone.

My main winter project here is making compost with my chickens.  Everything is frozen hard except for the leaves I packed into the chicken greenhouse/run.  The girls poop on it all winter and I add coffee shop coffee grounds to it twice a week.  Every day or two I dig a hole in the pile to turn it and mix in dry leaves.  It's cooking hard right now despite -15F last night.  By spring I'll have a cubic yard or two of mostly composted fall leaves.  Other than that I'm just doing inside stuff and wasting time on permies.  It's a good time of year to relax and recover before spring arrives.

Our winters are fairly mild so it's the best time to get work done outside. I tend to have indoor and outdoor lists and adjust to the days weather. Lately I have been working on paths with decomposed granite outside. And some remodeling and painting inside. Next is finishing the ground squirrel proof area of the vegetable garden for outside and improving a little room under the house for a root cellar for inside.

I'm afflicted by a wandering mind, so its hard to focus on any one thing.
When the furnace failed, I had to make way for the new one so my unusable basement work space got a huge cleanup.
In the process I stole time to build a miter saw cart.
Before that the miter saw lived under a awning on top of the chicken coop!
The girls never complained about the noise , but I felt bad and the conditions were not ideal.
I hope to it in the new warmer location to continue making portable cold frames.

I also want to make space in the basement for a seed starting station, mostly for creating soil mixes and filling winter sowing bottles.
An indoor seed starting area is also a possibility.


Cold weather paused my rocket stove work.
Freezing temperatures make  wet cutting firebrick or casting refractory  difficult.
Again, cleaning out he basement could help.

The rocket stove is being built in the greenhouse.
Until recently most of my tools lived in the greenhouse,  and some still do.
Keeping your tools in the space you are building is useful, up to a point,and that point has come.
Another reason to make the basement work space usable.

In the process of cleaning up,  I rediscovered a great space filled with tools and materials I had somewhat forgotten.
I hope I won't abandon or abuse this space come spring,but for now, reworking it is good use of my time

What I envisioned my winter permaculture projects being vastly differs from reality.  I was plagued with back issues and hubby knee issues last fall which landed both of us in therapy.  My back is much stronger but his knee is going to require surgery which right now is a waiting game.  So nearly all the fall and winter projects were put on hold.  

What I have accomplished so far is pulling an old cattle panel from an overgrown patch of raspberries.  It will very cut into two pieces and be used in the raised beds as a trellis.  We managed to chop up chestnut burrs, leaves and garden waste into a compost pile.  Adding kitchen waste in layers to the large pots I grow tomatoes in as I had excellent results doing this last year.  Decided the chicken house would make an awesome garden shed as it needs a bit of work to make it ready for chickens if and when the coyote population is under control.  Hauled in enough wood chips to cover over half the garden paths since hubby isn't able to run our chipper to create our own (and I can't start the damn thing).  I have seedlings started on a homemade light stand versus the greenhouse I hoped to have up and running by now.  Seed orders are all in and picked up a few forgotten things locally.  I think I'm only lacking seed potatoes.  

So while I didn't accomplish what I had hoped to I'm really surprised at what I have done.

The ground here is now frozen solid.  Late fall is time for new compost/ mulch to beds.  Had my son make me a stellar cold frame which grew lettuce well until last week...our 'greenhouse' which is unheated is still growing greens and kale (although I should have started them sooner).  Seed porn catalogs have already been ingested and seeds ordered.  Started some black pansies, purple peppers and lemongrass thus far on heat mats, under domes and lights in the basement.  As soon as this real cold snap passes I will go strew poppy seeds.

In the hills area of Sydney NSW Australia climate change is making itself more known. I have been watching my garden to see how everything is adapting, temps here varying from 107.6F/42C to 23F/5C. I have a green house which I will be growing temperate vegies in over winter, cherry tomatoes, eggplants, chillies and capsicums, did well last year through winter. It is becoming noticeable hotter each summer with less chill/cold in winter and some plants have trouble with the rapid change so I either need the covers or greenhouse depending on season.

I have a mini rocket stove which I have used in the greenhouse when any temps fall below 35.6F/2C and it seems to work really well. Outside, I use row frost covers on brassicas and leaf vegies so am pretty ok with food, the climate not being so bad as some I've noticed here.

What I also do like to do is get my seeds cleaned from autumn, and all seeds sorted and ready for the coming year. Finishing off late pruning, cutting up larger pieces smaller for a winter cover and compost heap.

Winter is when I catch up on clothing repairs, sewing, knitting, tool sharpening and care, catching up on podcasts - permie of course - and lots of reading. I also find a bit more time to socialise and have catch-ups, winter BBQ lunches go down well here :-)

Michelle Heath wrote:What I envisioned my winter permaculture projects being vastly differs from reality.  I was plagued with back issues and hubby knee issues last fall which landed both of us in therapy.  My back is much stronger but his knee is going to require surgery which right now is a waiting game.  So nearly all the fall and winter projects were put on hold.  

What I have accomplished so far is pulling an old cattle panel from an overgrown patch of raspberries.  It will very cut into two pieces and be used in the raised beds as a trellis.  We managed to chop up chestnut burrs, leaves and garden waste into a compost pile.  Adding kitchen waste in layers to the large pots I grow tomatoes in as I had excellent results doing this last year.  Decided the chicken house would make an awesome garden shed as it needs a bit of work to make it ready for chickens if and when the coyote population is under control.  Hauled in enough wood chips to cover over half the garden paths since hubby isn't able to run our chipper to create our own (and I can't start the damn thing).  I have seedlings started on a homemade light stand versus the greenhouse I hoped to have up and running by now.  Seed orders are all in and picked up a few forgotten things locally.  I think I'm only lacking seed potatoes.  

So while I didn't accomplish what I had hoped to I'm really surprised at what I have done.

Well.  This has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with this thread, but if you are not allergic to shellfish, I would highly recommend taking some Perna (with or without deer antler) for those knees and back.  Even if surgery is required, they help with regeneration.  And I can't tell you how many people have actually gotten off the surgery lists.  

Mild winter here, so I'm adding taking cuttings, multiplying mushrooms, crop planning, willow structures.

Since we don't experience snow here, I was busy with prunning and now digging some new beds where I plan to bury the logs. It's a 4 hours a week hobby, so not much more that I can do.

Scott, great thread idea!

I like to do a lot of things indoors.

I love to make sprouts to eat.
I like to read seed catalogs and do a lot of planning.
I also make ferments like sauerkraut and pickles:

https://permies.com/wiki/10/105983/pep-food-prep-preservation/Salt-brine-ferment-pickle-PEP

Winter is a great time to make bread:

https://permies.com/wiki/40/102815/pep-food-prep-preservation/loaves-bread-PEP-BB-food

I love soup so winter is when I like to have soup:

https://permies.com/wiki/40/102827/pep-food-prep-preservation/cook-soup-stew-pottage-chowder

This picture sums up most of my winter projects.  This is the current state of affairs as I sit here and watch a cold drizzle fall...

Most of the wood for the hugel style bed came from two trees which were in the back corner where the wood chips are spread.  Soil is currently in the driveway waiting to be moved in so the bed can be completed.  There are also more wood chips in the front that need to brought back into the corner.  The current plan is for this corner is to become a serviceberry/paw paw guild.  Completing the planning and sourcing for this may be my rainy day activity today.  Any thoughts on that guild are appreciated. That also means that azalea will need to be moved.  It will go over to the other side of the yard where I am working on a hedge style mass planting.  There is no fence over there so that is a big hole for the deer to wander through. You can also see a couple of small brush piles from winter pruning that still need to be chipped. That post to the far left is a part of an undersized trellis holding up some blackberries.  That needs to be rebuilt, and I plan to expand the blackberry bed a bit.

Peas, mustard and bok choy are already sprouting under the row cover.  Some lettuce, radish and parsley were sown under there last week, too. The rest of that older bed needs to be topped up with some fresh soil.  Kale, cabbage and collards are living in the attic under lights and will be needing their outdoor home soon.

Feels like a lot to do and not much winter left to do it in!

I am wanting to make walking/hiking sticks out of my sunflower stalks. Does anyone have advice on what to use to treat these stalks with? What about tips for the bottom?

I also plan on using the really large stalks for building a small structure for gourds to hang from.

Bob Formhals wrote:I am wanting to make walking/hiking sticks out of my sunflower stalks. Does anyone have advice on what to use to treat these stalks with? What about tips for the bottom?

I don't know if a sunflower stalk would be very comfortable to hold because of the fine spiny prickly hairs. The holdfast and root ball are tough materials -- if you could shape them a little with a saw they might serve as a durable tip.

Once the Christmas decorations come down and the house is back to normal (later this week), I have a fun winter project to do, cold-stratifying seeds. A lot of native species up here need freeze-thaw cycles to break dormancy and germinate. So my project, or this phase of it, is to bring in all the milk jugs, ice cream buckets, and other clear containers people have been saving for me, cut them in half, mix up the brick of coconut coir with water and perlite in a big tub, and get the seeds started in those containers, label them, tape them back together - and then get them all back outside, of course.

I collected about 80 species of native seeds. Some are edible/medicinal and some are "just" wildflowers or grasses. Those that can be direct-sown in spring will be stored until then, but about 3/4 need the cold. Since I also received additional seeds through swapping, I actually do have about 80 species to start. If I don't have enough containers, some will accept artificial stratification on a moist paper towel in a plastic bag in the fridge or my unheated porch.

Sunflower stalk walking stick!  Who would ever...um...sorry for doubting:
https://www.lumberjocks.com/projects/28787

I've begun cranking out the fiber processing projects. There's a pile of 25 or so pounds of alpaca seconds(the stuff that's not good enough to spin into yarn) to pick, card, and turn into felted things. When the alpaca is done, there's a Shetland sheep fleece, then 5 Nigora coats.

Beyond that, I'm making shampoo/body bars, ointments, salves, lotion bars, and trying my hand at conditioner bars, again.

Then, there's pulling the late summer & fall produce out of the freezer, to can or dehydrate it.

Then, there's reorganizing the garage workshop, so I can get to...

my pie safe, that is sitting in the garage, waiting to be refurbished, and turned into a China cabinet; and that murphy-style cutting/ crafting table to build, paint, and hang in the craft room...

Then, the craft room to organize, so all the fiber processing stuff can be moved in, and the room can fulfill its destiny, lol.

I'm tired just thinking about all that! Maybe... maybe I'll pick and choose, and do what I can, in between hibernating!

Carla, that's amazing. I mean, even if you only got through a couple of those things, that's amazing!

Marisa Lee wrote:Carla, that's amazing. I mean, even if you only got through a couple of those things, that's amazing!

Thanks! The fiber and list of herbal stuff to make is absolutely a must, and most - if not all of it needs to be done this month. Especially the herbal stuff, because I've run myself out of everything. The fiber is mostly for a contract, so...

The pie safe & cutting table are pretty high priority too, but will have to wait until after the fiber.

Amy Gardener wrote:Sunflower stalk walking stick!  Who would ever...um...sorry for doubting ...

That was my first reaction too. I don't know how they'd last in the great outdoors either.

But then I got to thinking about places where people might use and appreciate a single-use walking stick that's sustainable, disposable, non-weaponish and compostable. Think of events: historical sites, fairs and exhibitions, music festivals, Disneyland (kidding) ...?

Kids would like them even more. Most urban kids haven't been exposed to the wonders of the simple walking stick, and you should see their eyes light up when given one. You see, with a walking stick in hand (plus hat, water bottle and snack bag), a tiresome slog is transformed into an expotition.

Absolutely Douglas: so many possibilities with sunflower stalks that I never imagined! Bob Formhals and you (and Pooh’s expotitions) really enlarged my vision of what is possible and I am really grateful for that. I was shocked by the way the skillful designer replaced the soft core of the stick with a ski pole, an old golf club and another with a dowel. The Danish oil sounds like it finished up the sanded sunflower stalk nicely and made it soft and durable. The deer antler handle is beautiful! I really am so impressed with people’s ingenuity and what is possible on a cold winter day. Permies can be so inspiring!

I love reading about what people do at different times of the year in different parts of the world. Varying climates make things so interesting. It's like travel garden tours from my permies window!

Winter is pruning time for me. I've been working on it for about 6 years now and still working... but might actually catch up this year thanks to the 4 meter extending silky saw.

The canopy trees that need to be topped or heavily pruned back are: J. magnolia, 3 Podocarpus macrophyllus, two persimmons, a chestnut, and then the ones that I've already got back to a manageable state but just need their yearly pruning are two J. maples, a crepe myrtle, a J. white oak, and a Ch. redbud.

I also need to cut down a palm tree that's trying to wrestle the power lines, and turn a stand of bananas into mulch.

If I have time I'm also hoping to create a yard/meadow space in my garden for the kids!

Lots of labor, but all labor of love.

Marisa Lee wrote:Once the Christmas decorations come down and the house is back to normal (later this week), I have a fun winter project to do, cold-stratifying seeds. A lot of native species up here need freeze-thaw cycles to break dormancy and germinate. So my project, or this phase of it, is to bring in all the milk jugs, ice cream buckets, and other clear containers people have been saving for me, cut them in half, mix up the brick of coconut coir with water and perlite in a big tub, and get the seeds started in those containers, label them, tape them back together - and then get them all back outside, of course.

TY for sharing this great method of cold-stratifying seeds. My freezer is jammed right now and some seed packets could fit in there but certainly not seeds packed in growth media. I'll be saving milk jugs these couple months. As far as freeze worthy labels what works best?

Scott Stiller wrote:As we get into the winter months I’m curious as to off-season permie projects. I usually do a bunch of mulching with shredded leaves and watching my cover crops grow. What do you do?

Mostly, seed sorting, dreaming of the future garden [Yes, cabin fever starts early here!]. Some old seeds I will discard in the woods to be eaten by critters, or perhaps grow unexpectedly. The seeds that need cold stratification have been placed in outside containers before the first real cold snap/ snowfall.
Winter is also a great time indoors, in the shop,  to build wren houses, clean and fix broken tools. When there is a nice day, I go in the orchard to prune dormant trees.
I still have chickens to tend to, so removing their poop and disposing of it around trees outside happens once a week.
By the way, I can keep their litter quite clean much longer: When I built their roost, I paid attention to have a shelf under it that I lined up with a sheet of thick plastic. I used 2 X 4 for them to roost on, but I inclined them slightly: Because it is more comfortable for their toes to hook over the high end of the roost, the droppings line up in one long pile along the low side of the roost. The slant is less than 45 degrees [maybe 25-25] so it is subtle, but it is there, and they act accordingly. I fashioned a long squeegee [like you use for high windows, kept the metal, which is slightly curved and got rid of the rubber. This way, I can reach under the roosting bars and pull the droppings into a homer pail, put the homer pail on the sled and feed my trees for a good spring growth. I sprinkle the shelves with a little DPM and they are good to go!

I love this topic. We have mild winters so that allows for much more pleasant outdoor work, which I appreciate, after Ontario winters.

Winter is when I start growing microgreens. I just grow them in a window sill without any supplemental heat or light. They grow leggy which is actually good for a microgreen, as you get more material. I've experimented with a few but sunflower is our favourite, which is convenient because it's the easiest to grow ourselves. Even when there's a couple feet of snow on the ground we have fresh greens.

It's also when I get more serious about my yoga practice. Previous back issues have taught me that if I don't do at least mild exercise regularly, my body suffers. I take advantage of my extra time and spend it caring for my meat house.

Kitchen wise, I've made all my koji based ferments. I order a bunch online all at once and make a lot. This year it was gallons of squash miso and some shio Koji as my girlfriend has to watch her salt intake. And some delicious koji-fermented oat milk a la Kirsten Shockey. I'll also make lots of tempeh in my fermentation chamber (a nice homemade one which was a Christmas gift from said girlfriend). We also processed all the apples into juice & sauce, and am just waiting for the medlars to finish bletting before making medlar butter. The ones that are ready now will go on our Christmas cheese board. I also made loads of kimchi and Christmas cookies for gifts this year. And am knitting a mushroom-dyed scarf for her.

We got a plague of pantry moths and had to dispose of a lot of our bulk food. Cue a massive deep clean of the kitchen which we only finished yesterday as it was a huge job. Other projects on my list are winter pruning, doing some tool maintenance, putting up wires for our apples we want to espalier, and some grafting.

Between Christmas and New year is when I go through my seed box and see what I need, and what I'll trade/give away. It's also when I start the garden plan, which I never follow but love to make regardless. About a month ago I saw a Facebook marketplace ad for free poplar logs. We spent a few days inoculating them with oyster mushroom spawn. I'll also winter sow some seeds in gallon milk jugs to make my hectic spring a bit easier. And finally, if I get around to it, I want to experiment with candle making. But not before we do lots of relaxing with hot tea and the big crossword.

I appreciate the slower pace of winter.  Unlike the constant demands of the busy Spring-Summer... vegetables crying to be watered or picked, piles of fruits and veggies pleading to be put to good use, and so many other busy things.  
In Winter I still have plenty of normal chores, but not so insistent as the warm months.
I like to ponder, and plan, and sketch out possibilities for new plantings and warm-weather projects.  I feel guilty (sort of) doing that in the summer, but in winter it feels right.
Especially, when it occasionally snows here, I like when everything is blanketed... like a blank canvas for my dreams.  New shrubs and trees of possibility are easily envisioned. The rank growth of the warm season makes it more difficult to overlay my imagination onto the landscape.
Lately I have been carving little wooden gnomes for gifts.  That's fun.
Back to work. :)

In winter I love to dig trenches for footings for new structures. The soil is soft from rain, so I can dig a nice trench in one day, versus 3 weeks in summer using vibration hammer and a grinder with a diamond cup :)
I will keep cutting my eucalyptus weeds and will add more risers to existing irrigation (more digging) so I can plant rows between existing rows.
I will also prepare cold frames so in February I can start planting seeds.

I think after Christmas I might clean my house. Aside from that, planning and reading, mental problem solving. I start seeds inside, and save seeds from squashes as I use them.

I do most of my deep cleaning and organizing in the winter months when I'm indoors anyway.   Change water filters.  Do any caulking that needs doing.  

Reparing and sorting old clothes.   And lots more reading.

This winter I'm spending more time relaxing in front of the wood stove, and more importantly, not feeling guilty about not being "productive" every minute of the day.  I'm starting to listen more to the rhythms of the year and enjoying life more.

But, staying somewhat active is important too, so I continue my yoga, some weight lifting, qigong, and walks in the snow. This month I made frankincense/myrrh salve, used the spent resin/oil along with some sugar to make a face scrub, made face lotion, foundation cream, and body lotion with magnesium oil.

Cleaning the last of the dried seeds and putting them in their jars is on the list for next week. Then it's on to deep cleaning, sorting stored grains/legumes, and generally tidying up things that have given way to life entropy this year. I'm very thankful for the excess wood my husband put away this autumn since winter came early and cold.

Cristobal Cristo wrote:In winter I love to dig trenches for footings for new structures. The soil is soft from rain, so I can dig a nice trench in one day, versus 3 weeks in summer using vibration hammer and a grinder with a diamond cup :)
I will keep cutting my eucalyptus weeds and will add more risers to existing irrigation (more digging) so I can plant rows between existing rows.
I will also prepare cold frames so in February I can start planting seeds.

This might make for some thoughts on winter permaculture projects:

Being in the really cold climate group, I do some pruning.  We have lots of broken trees right now from the bad freezing storms we were getting, so I work a little on cleaning up.  Some of those will be firewood, some biochar, some of it goes into my my small pseudo-dams that I am making at spots in our valleys to slow and sink water.  I'm hoping that enough of these small dams and time will create some springs on my land in the next few years.  It isn't easy to work on the dams this time of year, but I make some progress.  Add on quite a few hours keeping the 1/4 mile driveway clear, tending to animals that need frozen water made into liquid water, keeping everyone fed and happy, and I still get quite a few hours outside working.

Most of my real work gets done inside this time of year.  Last winter I spent time framing the walls of my new chicken coop in my shop to be moved outside and put together when the weather got nicer.  I work on organizing my little shop in the basement, catch up on some reading, and generally enjoy the slower pace of life in the winter.  I still find time to walk the dogs in the woods, but it's leisurely walking.  Our family makes our Christmas gifts.  This year I drew my nephew's name, so I made him a secret puzzle box.  My woodworking skills are more suited to framing than finish work, so this was a slow meticulous project for me.  I've never made anything that needed tolerances of less than a millimeter to work, so it was a fun and, for me, challenging experience that I enjoyed very much.  I made it from cherry and walnut wood.  It isn't perfect and I left saw burn marks on the wood.  I could have sanded them off, but I thought they were pretty so I left them.  I try to use winter as a time to learn something new and try something I haven't done before.

I thought I would add a couple pictures of other Christmas gifts my family made.  Maybe someone else would like to try them.

The first is a basket my sister made by using thread and pine needles.  She made the cover for the basket the same way.

The second is one my brother made from wood, clay and stones he polished.

The third is one my father made.  He hammered each petal from a piece of copper tubing.

These pictures of from last years Christmas.  I didn't get a lot of pictures this year.

I thought about this as I was taking care of animals this morning.  Winter is the time I identify systems that need to be more robust, resilient, or just more convenient.  I have several that I hope to improve this year.

As I mentioned in another thread, we were without power for just over a day this winter.  No more than an inconvenience, it still pointed out a shortcoming.  I need to have water available for the next time this happens.  I have 32 chickens, 11 cats, 3 dogs, and 2 humans that all need water.  I have 55 gal plastic food grade barrels that I bought from a brewery.  Of course, when I needed them, they were sitting empty because I hadn't gotten around to filling them yet.  I just bought a little hand pump that fits the bung on the barrel.  I still need to fill a couple of them to keep in the basement.

My chickens have hoop houses built from cattle panels so they can get out of the coop in winter.  They don't like walking in snow.  I like the hoop houses and they work really well.  They stand up to any amount of snow that accumulates.  Alas, my lady thinks they are ugly, so I'm working out plans for a better covered run.  I have a lot of scavenged glass, so I just need to frame something up and I can make a pseudo-greenhouse run kind of thing.  I want it to be mobile and without a floor, so I haven't figured out the bracing yet to keep it square if I need to move it.  I'll get there though.

I want to build a small enclosed area around the human entrance to the chicken coop.  On very windy, nasty winter days, when I open the door, a cold blast of wind enters the coop.  I want to stop that, as well as having a small area where I can set things down.
 
My driveway is a bit of a nightmare in winter sometimes.  It's very steep, 1/4 mile long, and just ice much of the winter.  I need a good way to spread sand with my tractor or I need to figure a way to store a large amount of wood ash to spread on it.

I have two large dog kennels.  Once the snow and ice starts, it is difficult to keep the area the door swings across clear, and I find myself shoveling and chipping ice just to get enough room for the doors to swing open.  I have a couple possible solutions to this.  At my previous place I just poured a small cement slab.  That is probably the easiest and it's much easier to clear snow and ice from a cement slab than from the ground.  Another solution is a Dutch door that separates a foot or so above the ground.  That way I could leave the bottom foot closed, open the top part of the door, and the dogs can just step over.  I haven't fully worked this one out yet.

The dogs also need a covered area much like the ones for the chickens.  I had tarp roofs over part of the kennels but they didn't hold up of course.  I don't like it that rain or sleet forces them to stay in their dog houses much of the day.  If it's very bad I bring them into the house or the garage, but they much prefer being outside.  That is especially true of the LGD.  She gets way too warm in the house and she really likes to be able to see what is going on.  Outside is far better for her, so I need a solution to that.

I need a better, and more convenient, way to store firewood.  Right now it is under my shop overhang.  During a bad storm, snow and sleet blow under and cover my wood.  A good, well ventilated woodshed is in order.  I will probably build two.  One near the walk out basement door of the house to make fetching wood in bad weather easier, and a much larger one elsewhere for longer term storage.  I dislike moving wood and extra time, but I'm not sure I want a huge woodshed in the yard.  Another one that is yet to have all the details worked out.

I have others I haven't put down here, but, if I haven't bored people to death with the length of this post yet, you can see what I'm getting at.  In winter, things get harder.  I'm constantly looking at ways I can do things, large and small, to make life more convenient.  As I get older, working smarter becomes more important.  Winter is a great time to step back, look around, and see what I can do to make life a little easier.

Trace Oswald wrote:I thought about this as I was taking care of animals this morning.  Winter is the time I identify systems that need to be more robust, resilient, or just more convenient.  I have several that I hope to improve this year.
My chickens have hoop houses built from cattle panels so they can get out of the coop in winter.  They don't like walking in snow.  I like the hoop houses and they work really well.  They stand up to any amount of snow that accumulates.  Alas, my lady thinks they are ugly, so I'm working out plans for a better covered run.  I have a lot of scavenged glass, so I just need to frame something up and I can make a pseudo-greenhouse run kind of thing.  I want it to be mobile and without a floor, so I haven't figured out the bracing yet to keep it square if I need to move it.  I'll get there though.
I want to build a small enclosed area around the human entrance to the chicken coop.  On very windy, nasty winter days, when I open the door, a cold blast of wind enters the coop.  I want to stop that, as well as having a small area where I can set things down.
 As I get older, working smarter becomes more important.  Winter is a great time to step back, look around, and see what I can do to make life a little easier.

I too have a hoop house for my girls to get out of the coop while I'm cleaning it at least. I love it! As far as the 'ugliness' of a hoop house, that is a complaint without a hint of a solution. You might want to ask your mate what would be 'pretty' enough and please could she help? A portable screen is the way I'd go, perhaps with pretty paintings on it? If your mate had to invest some sweat in the project that might change minds about the ugliness? ;-)
On using scavenged glass to cover a hoop house, this might be hard because of the curvature of hoops. However, they sell corrugated 4X8 sheets that will have some flexibility in one direction at Menards. Depending on the curvature, that might work. I didn't select if for my hoop house because I feared that joining many pieces was fraught with the potential for leaks.
Here is an example but these panels are only 2'X8': https://www.amazon.com/Polycarbonate-Shatterproof-All-Weather-Greenhouse-Covering/dp/B08KNMHWHS/ref=asc_df_B08KNMHWHS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475718218050&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13477412953439200157&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019203&hvtargid=pla-1021728452572&th=1

If you want to make it mobile glass doesn't travel well, even with a well squared building. Adding also the no floor idea, which is great, that may make the glass harder to keep safe, depending how even the ground is. And then, there is always this pesky hail to contend with. It might depend on the kind of glass you have too. If it is all reinforced glass, which is much heavier, it might withstand being moved, but the regular one pane, not so much perhaps? Another problem with glass is how curious are your chickens? Would they be interested in picking at broken glass? That would be my number one reservation. Dying from ingesting broken glass is a slow, horrible death. The plastic I placed over my hoop house is from Agri-fab.  It looks like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Nursery-Greenhouse-Garden-Finish-Approx/dp/B0788XDZ2P/ref=asc_df_B0788XDZ2P/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=532910780357&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2299823789305533623&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019203&hvtargid=pla-1433376640034&psc=1
Because it is also woven, it is quite strong, with grommets. The kind I got has a 7 year warranty.

I too would like to build an entry way to the coop. Not only it would stop the nasty draft generated upon opening the coop but it is also an extra barrier against rodents ; [you could put very efficient mouse traps in them to at least *reduce* rodent infiltration]. It would add a great area to store their grains/ feed in homer buckets and the litter I have to buy once in a while. A sick chicken or a brooding chicken could also be made safe there, so there are quite a few advantages to a spacious entry way. Uniting it properly to the existing coop will be a challenge.
About keeping the coop clean longer, I have developed a system, [copied from several ideas on the internet], to catch more specifically the poop they make while roosting. My girls [all Sapphire gems] are quite agile and given a chance, they will poop in the hoop house rather than the coop, which is warmer and where they also lay eggs. So I leave the trap door open at all times. When closed, the hoop house is rodent proof too. My girls do not like going into thick snow, but they will go out if I flatten the snow [easier than removal!] Basically, I trampled it, then tossed some kitchen scraps/ scratch feed. They finished the trampling for me. It would have been nice to have a roller but I just walked all over. They will also peck at the snow. I make sure to have clean water at all times, but even so, they will peck at snow.
So, going back to the roosting area to collect pure poop. I built them a roost with shelves under them. I covered those shelves with a removable sheet of stiff plastic. They come in sheets of 4X8 and can be cut with sturdy scissors. This spring, I will remove them and pressure wash them clean. Also, the roosts, made with 2X4s have a slight incline so the girls are more comfortable sitting in one direction. They all face the high side of the 2X4s, like so:  
\ poop /
Once a week, I go with a trowel and couple of homer pails and collect one or 2 buckets of pure poop while the rest of the pine chips remain pretty clean. I installed those chips in September and as of today December 5th, they are still nice and dry. As a matter of fact, I may have to remove them because of the dust, not because of the ammonia. These Sapphire gems seem to make more dander than other breeds I've had.
They dust themselves in the hoop house. I keep putting lots of D.E. powder to limit lice and other insects. They love it in there!

Trace Oswald wrote:I need a better, and more convenient, way to store firewood.  Right now it is under my shop overhang.  During a bad storm, snow and sleet blow under and cover my wood.  A good, well ventilated woodshed is in order.  I will probably build two.  One near the walk out basement door of the house to make fetching wood in bad weather easier, and a much larger one elsewhere for longer term storage.  I dislike moving wood and extra time, but I'm not sure I want a huge woodshed in the yard.  Another one that is yet to have all the details worked out.

Amen brother!  My current system works at our age but in 30 years I may have to do it differently.  I have 3 years of wood 100 yards from the house in a sunny open area to dry.  No shed, just holzhausen piles in the open with metal roofing on them.  That's also where I split it.  In the fall we disassemble one pile and move it to the back yard in a trailer with the garden tractor.  Two face cords go in a decent rack by the back door, the rest goes under a lean-to on the barn 40 yards away.  We have to go out every 3-4 weeks in the winter and haul wood to the back of the house by hand in a sled.  It takes about an hour with two of us working.  

The only way I could make this more efficient is if all the winter wood could go by the back door.  But that wouldn't be as pretty so that will have to wait until our age changes the "pretty vs functional" balance.  Or if I had a tractor with forks and I stored wood in IBC tote cages and kept a travel-able path around the back yard.  Not likely...