As our world wraps itself in a winter wonderland, we revel in the season’s shift, and our steadfast farmers rejoice after a celebratory fall harvest. While we savor the fruits of their labor, they capitalize on quieter months to perfect and protect their produce. During the winter in Western Colorado, our farmers maintain their equipment, plan for the growing season and ensure their land remains fertile.

As winter approaches, farmers adjust their irrigation practices. Kaibab Sauvage, co-owner and wine grower of Savage Spectrum, uses Colorado River water for his Palisade vineyard but faces water supply interruptions from late October to April. During the weeks leading up to this, he reduces irrigation “to tell the vines to start shutting down, because winter is coming.”

Hotchkiss farmer and co-owner of Osito Farms Organic Orchard & Vineyard, Tiffany Savarese, attests to this. She approaches the end of the irrigation season with one final, sizable watering operation “before they [the crops] ‘go to sleep’ for the winter.” Sauvage explains this is imperative to prevent the roots from drying up.

Once the crops enter dormancy, our farmers transition to shorter work days, addressing tasks postponed during the growing season. Sauvage says he “crams a year’s work into eight months, so wintertime is time to recharge.” He invests this season in cleaning equipment, installing bird nets to safeguard the foliage and maintaining infrastructure and scaffolding to ensure efficient vine management. This preparation sets the stage for another productive cycle.

Savarese says her “winter to-do list is long, but it’s nothing like the insanity of harvest season.” She notes, once her trees harden and reach full dormancy, there is a period of rest, coinciding with the holiday season.

“We [she and her husband, the other coowner of Osito] are so very tired from not just the growing season, but harvesting, sorting, packing, hauling and selling the fruit,” Savarese shares. “This is the time we hibernate and rest. We usually try to schedule a few visits to see friends and family and maybe even remember our hobbies.”

Connie Williams, partner and farmer at Williams Orchard in Cedaredge, maintains her pace throughout the winter, despite reduced sunlight. In contrast to 16-hour harvest days, she works eight to 10 hours in the winter.

“We follow the sunshine,” Williams emphasizes. “If the sun is out, then we use it.”

Williams and Savarese articulate the winter pruning process. After the new year, farmers bundle up to remove nonessential parts of their crop that are not additive for growth and to prevent diseases.

Winter’s chill brings snow, a boon for soil moisture and Sauvage’s composting. However, sub-freezing temperatures can be detrimental.

Arguably, the most crucial task for fruit growers unfolds after sunset. Orchards and vineyards employ wind machines — propanepowered windmills atop 50-foot poles — to circulate warm air and shield crops from freezing temperatures.

“When there is a temperature inversion, meaning the temperature at ground level is colder than the temperature at 50 feet above ground, the wind machines can warm the air around the fruit by up to five degrees by stirring the air layers and bringing that warmer air closer to the ground,” Savarese details.

Williams describes this processes as “heating the outdoors.” If the wind machine falls short of raising temperatures, she resorts to lighting fires to expedite the process.

“We have to warm the crop for the bud to bloom,” Williams stresses. “That is our livelihood. We could lose everything in one night.”

Amidst the challenges, these resilient individuals stand as unwavering stewards of the land. Their work symbolizes a connection to the earth and a commitment to nourishing our communities.

“There is nothing more honorable than growing food for other people,” Williams says.

Even in winter’s stillness, life and growth persist.

Originally published in the Winter 2023-24 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Winter On The Farm: Seasonal Practices From Local Land Steward