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Garden Gate:  Changing growing altitudes and seasons  |
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl
898 Posts
Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 09:34:20 AM
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We are moving early this spring (early enough before planting time, I'm sure) to the mountains. Right now I'm bordering zone 4b-5a in the Great Lakes.... We are moving from 900 ft elevation to elevation of 2,500-3,000 ft. I also noticed that late September a lot of people still had tomatoes ripening on the vine whereas my tomato season was done an entire month earlier! I am looking ahead online for any resources I can find but I am coming up empty. I know once we move I will be able to make contacts to help but there must be somewhere I can find help to prepare myself in advance what to expect for gardening where we are moving too.
My question is this: Are there any tips from farmgirl sisters that live in altitudes of 2,500-3,000 near MT or ID? This is a big change for me and I'm trying to get all the information I can so I can plan ahead and try to have a good garden this year as it is vital for our growing family to eat well and eat organic! Any help would be highly appreciated! Is there some kind of county extension to contact out west? The county extension offices we have throughout or state are so handy and helpful but I haven't found anything like that out West so far, unless it is because I am looking in all the wrong places..
Tips and advice and books and any other suggestions would be highly appreciated!
Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee. ~Author Unknown
http://countryrenaissance.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowersAndHoney |
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 09:47:47 AM
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We live at 2400 feet in Northeast Washington--near Canada and near Idaho. You need hoop house (not ones you walk into) with removeable covering. Our cabin is at 3400 feet and the snow there lasts an extra six weeks. There is a magazine called Zone 4 dealing in Living(gardening) in the high county west. It should prove helpful. I remember staying at a B & B near the Canadian border and she mentioned they can get a frost every month of the year! Good luck and enjoy your new adventure! We moved from Minnesota and we love it here. We dabble in gardening but it takes a lot of time so we joined a small CSA and let them do the work and we go hiking, foraging etc. Oh and a big change is we get very dry summers so you have to water, water, water.
Collect Moments Not Things |
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Melina
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Melina
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 10:02:27 AM
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One tip I have is to get a copy of Zone 4 magazine and then buy a subscription. It covers the entire region, all the way down to Colorado Springs. It's amazing what you can do with a 90 day growing season.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi |
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westfork woman
True Blue Farmgirl
554 Posts
Kennie Lyn
Emmett
Idaho
USA
554 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 12:54:04 PM
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We are a 4000 ft, we have a much longer growing season than in the valley. Will you be on a hill, or is the country around that altitude? That make a huge difference, since cold settles down hill. The frost just slides by us. Idaho has a good extension service from the University of Idaho in Moscow.
Greetings from the morning side of the hill. |
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 1:18:08 PM
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Kennie Ann, you are much farther south than Krystal will be. Maybe that Western Garden book would be helpful. It seems to breakdown the zones into more micro-climates. Another good thing is to check out what your neighbors are growing/doing. Everyone I talked to here told me to do the hoop thingies. You can get a killing frost and then the weather can turn beautiful for awhile.
Collect Moments Not Things |
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westfork woman
True Blue Farmgirl
554 Posts
Kennie Lyn
Emmett
Idaho
USA
554 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2013 : 4:20:50 PM
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I think altitude is more important than latitude, but 2500 to 3000 isn't all that high, but everyplace is different. The Western Garden book is very good, but be sure and check with the local extension office, and start slow. Get to know the area. Look at other peoples garden, and if there is a local garden club, or ladies club ask their help.
Greetings from the morning side of the hill. |
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl
898 Posts
Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2013 : 07:56:15 AM
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My library here had the Western Garden book through inter-library loan so I checked it out!!! I love it and it is so encouraging to know that things really won't be that much different for me! I'm going to make myself some cold frames and hoop houses out and depending on the property (if its rocky, or something like that) I will just use raised beds. Thanks for the tips! I'm going to try to find that magazine yet too! Maybe B&N has it or maybe even my TSC :) Thanks!
Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee. ~Author Unknown
http://countryrenaissance.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowersAndHoney |
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westfork woman
True Blue Farmgirl
554 Posts
Kennie Lyn
Emmett
Idaho
USA
554 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2013 : 1:54:34 PM
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I think you will be surprised at how well things grow out here. Lot's of the problems that are caused by high humidity are no problem here. Tomatoes do really well with hot days, cool night, and low humidity. My step mother in law was from Portland Oregon, and was shocked at how well gardens did here. Higher altitude, summers of sunny days, and low humidity are blessings for the gardener.
Greetings from the morning side of the hill. |
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Garden Gate: Changing growing altitudes and seasons |
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Changing growing altitudes and seasons
