Even on a small backyard homestead like my own, the warm weather months fly by in a flurry of work and play. For many, winter is a time to rest up – particularly if, like me, you are working full time outside of the home and yard.

Everyone needs quality time with their couch, but there are a few tasks that you can do this winter to increase your changes of success over the summer months. Here are ten ways that I use the cold weather months to optimize homestead productivity and increase ecosystem health in the coming year.

1. Protect and Enhance Soil Health

Soil health is one of the most important determinants of homesteading success. I am using permaculture principles such as complementary planting and crop rotation to keep my soil healthy and productive. In the winter we have time to evaluate the soil and plan ways to improve it over the long term. My strategies include:

• Mulching and composting: Add a thick layer of mulch to prevent erosion, maintain moisture, and insulate the soil. If you haven’t already, start composting kitchen scraps and yard waste to enrich the soil for the growing season. You don’t need a fancy system to begin with – a pile of vegetation in a back corner will turn to compost without any help
• Augmenting with animal dung: This can add nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. It also is a source of organic matter which is the building block of plant life. Age animal dung that will be used in garden by letting it cure in a pile for several months before adding to your beds 
• Planting cover crops: Cold-hardy cover crops such as clover and winter rye fix nitrogen, prevent soil erosion, and improve soil fertility for spring planting.

2. Plan and Organize Your Garden Layout

Changing your garden layout is almost impossible when you already have plants in the ground, but more easily accomplished outside of growing season. Here are a few ways to improve your layout over the colder seasons. 

• Evaluate your garden design: Use the winter months to evaluate last year’s garden and plan for the future. Consider crop rotations and polycultures based on permaculture principles. We have just been growing food in little plots and patches so I am in the process of building permanent beds and really thinking about how to design my yard over the long term
• Improve water efficiency: Investigate rainwater harvesting and other systems to optimize water use and conserve resources throughout the summer
• Install and maintain infrastructure: A sunny day in the winter is the perfect time to pick up sticks and weave them into a wattle border for a flower bed, or to place new gravel in a walkway

3. Plan New Crops

Permaculture is a perpetual work in progress. Planning will increase your yield and also help you grow a more varied diet for your household. 

• Aim for variety: Maximize space with a mix of ground plants, bushes, trees. Increase your food independence by choosing a variety of storage methods as well – canning, drying, freezing, pickling, fermenting, etc. Last, think about your pollinators and make sure there are plenty of bright flowers to bring all the bees to the yard
• Choose heirloom varieties: Heirloom varieties don’t just taste better: they allow you to save and start your own seeds. This will make your food production more sustainable regardless of the state of the economy

4. Evaluate Livestock Housing

Unless you are vegan, raising animals is part of self-sustenance and brings a lot of rewards. Even a few backyard chickens will turn your kitchen scraps into eggs and fertilizer. If you have more space, goats and other milk animals can help keep the weeds under control while providing more milk than a family can drink. Seriously so much milk. We personally don’t butcher livestock and eat mostly vegetarian, but our chickens add a lot to our lives.

• Shelter prep: Ensure that animal shelters (chicken coops, goat barns, etc.) are weatherproof, insulated, and have proper ventilation to prevent moisture buildup and cold stress. Similarly, think ahead to summer and how any improvements can be modified when the sunshine and hot weather start
• Reflect and research the benefits and challenges of adding to your flocks or beginning to raise a new type of animal

5. Maintain and Prepare Garden Tools

Our tools get a lot of wear and tear! A long, dark winter night is the perfect time to sharpen them and fix any issues from the summer past, preferably while curled up with a podcast or a new book.

• Tool Care and Organization: Clean, sharpen, and repair garden tools during the winter to ensure they are ready for use in the spring
• Permaculture Tools: Consider investing in tools that align with permaculture principles, like hand tools for minimal soil disruption or other tools for maintaining perennial systems
• Think outside the big box: Look at thrift stores and yard sales to start building up your garden shed. Some tools can even be made yourself

6. Maintain and Repair Irrigation Systems

Drought is a continuous issue in Northern California where I live, and climate change only promises to add to the challenge.

• Winterize irrigation: if you live in an area with deep freezes, protect pipes from freezing by draining and insulating irrigation lines. Regardless of your climate, this is also a great time to check for leaks.
• Build rainwater systems: Clean gutters, downspouts, and rain barrels to ensure proper water collection during spring and summer rains.

7. Focus on Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

Getting off the electric grid is more difficult than getting off the grocery store grid. Making small steps toward energy independence every year will incrementally lower your electric bill and keep your homestead moving in the right direction. 

• Passive solar design: Make improvements to your home’s passive solar setup to capture heat during winter, reducing energy costs.
• Renewable energy maintenance: Ensure solar panels, wind turbines, or other renewable energy systems are functioning properly and prepared for peak energy demands in summer. If you do not have these already, winter is the ideal time to research greener sources of power

8. Plant and Maintain Perennial Crops

Perennial plants are the key to growing your own food with as little effort as possible. Outside of collecting the nuts every year, I only have to do some minor pruning annually on my walnut trees. I am adding more bushes and trees every year. This keeps my warm weather workload manageable, allowing me to grow my own food while still working a full time job. 

• Winter care for perennials: Mulch and protect perennial plants like fruit trees, berries, and herbs from frost damage. Prune them for shape and health if necessary. Some things can be planted this time of year, depending on your habitat, reducing chores in the busy spring time
• Plan for diversity: Use this time to plan for additional perennials that can provide food, habitat, and ecosystem services in future seasons. Perennials tend to produce food with less energy and water than other plants so I have been adding more every year

9. Get a head start on homemaking projects 

I think wistfully of crafting during the busy summers, but lose steam in the winter when I have more time. These are a few things I’m doing to get ahead before the sun comes out:

• Canning beans which we have plenty of even in the cold weather – this leads to less need to boil them endlessly on hot summer days 
• Filling my cupboards with homemade mixes, granola, and other foods that we might not have as much time to prepare in the coming months
• Freezing bread and cookie dough for the coming summer as the pantry and freezer gradually empty out
• Embroidering and crocheting gifts for next year
• Trying new styles of fermentation to get more probiotics in our diet and preserve food in new ways
• Evaluating our wardrobes and deciding what can be dyed or mended. I am finally getting through my mending pile!
• Soapmaking
• Candlemaking 

10. Educate Yourself and Connect with the Permaculture Community

I am lucky to live in a community with so many back to the land families who have figured out how to sustain oneself in our climate. I have also found communities online who can offer direction, support, and reading recommendations to help me continue moving forward. 

• Learning and skill building: Use the winter months for reading permaculture books, taking online courses, or attending workshops to deepen your knowledge of sustainable practices.
• Networking and sharing information: Connect with local homesteaders, permaculture groups, or online communities to exchange tips, advice, and resources for a successful growing season.

Winter is a great time to take it easy but there are plenty of small tasks you can do to get a good start on the growing season. Thinking long-term and taking proactive steps now will help you create a thriving, resilient permaculture system. Start implementing these tasks today, or at least this month, to ensure that your household will flourish throughout the year with minimal effort and maximum sustainability.