Short Growing Season Places

Icu4dzs

Super Self-Sufficient
Joined
May 7, 2010
Messages
1,388
Reaction score
59
Points
208
Hello all,
I recently started reading this BB because I found it through the Backyard Chicken BB. I have to say it has been far better than most of the BB's I have read because folks appear to stick to the issues of self sufficiency rather than politics, current events, etc. and for that I am so grateful.

I left the city and the service in Dec of 2006, hopefully never to return to either. My concern is that I live in the northeast corner of beautiful South Dakota high on the Coteau (around 1800 MSL) The towns on either side of the coteau are at 1200 MSL. The weather here is intermittenly warm but more often than not, colder than one would expect, hence a rather short growing season.

My life long goal (started in 1970's after coming home from the war in RVN) was to "win the Mother Earth Self-sufficiency contest, that unfortunately no longer exists as such. (Having been trained as a Green Beret in the 1970s made me much more aware of things than I had previously been and as a result it changed my thinking forever.)Fortunately, you all are here working on a similar goal if what I am reading here is right.

Now that I am "just an old hippie...trying real hard to survive" I have managed to acquire a not only wide but unique skill set (in addition to the "stuff" they taught me in the service) that includes Wood, Metal, Electrical, Agricultural, Musical and Medical skills that have managed to provide me with a rather adequate lifestyle. I came here with just my clothes, my tools, my banjo,fiddle and guitar; my HD motorcycle and a small (30 hp) tractor. (all on one small flat bed trailer)

My main profession (as evidenced by my screen name) affords me adequate resources to be able to do what I need but does NOT afford me the free time to do much of it.

As a result, my garden goes in later each year (admittedly it has been colder here each year for longer than expected and for that matter, wetter. I've never lived anywhere in the world where a farmer curses the rain until I got here)

With all that as a backdrop, I am looking for ideas from other folks who have a short growing season like I have here. I've looked at Barrelponics and things of that sort which are rather self-sustaining but require warmer climates. Each of the techniques I read about on these BB's generally come from folks who are way south of the 46th parallel. Up here, farming is the way of life, but the growing season is good for corn, soybeans and sometimes wheat. Occasional other crops are raised including the mainstay (beef) but vegetable farming is not prevalent.

What I'd like to know is stuff that other folks who are up this far do for their approach to the self-sufficient way of life. I've started my solar/wind powered system...(not cheap I'll tell you) and I have a beautiful farm...plenty of space for garden, fruit trees, pasture, etc but the severe winds (up to 45 kts at times) seem to limit what I can do. I tried upside down tomato and peppers but the wind blew them to pieces in several days.

The good news is that I love it here. I've been here for nearly 4 years and have never been happier in my whole life. I've no desire to ever leave (at least not the way I feel now).

If any of you are actually up in the same latitude and are "getting along with this temperature and wind" I'd love to hear what new techniques you are using to deal with the necessities of life that are limited by long winter, colder temperatures high winds and above normal rain fall.

Life up on the high prairie is the best. This is the America I grew up believing in. It just seems a little more challenging for now. Once I really retire (I retired once already and found that up here it is difficult to sit by not work in my profession because of the shortage of my skill set).

Love to hear what you can tell me you've done where you are with the short growing season.
Trim
 

hwillm1977

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
Messages
896
Reaction score
0
Points
108
Location
New Brunswick, Canada
I'm not at the same latitude, and I don't have to deal with the wind you do, but we do have a relatively short growing season... zone 4/5ish...

Our last frost is June 7th, and the first frost is around the first of September... giving us roughly 90 days frost-free.

The is my first real year with a garden, so I'm keeping fingers crossed I can actually harvest tomatoes and peppers before frost kills them off.

I really like Elliot Coleman's book 'The Four Season Harvest'... he's in Northern Maine and grows enough food for his family year round using cold frames and hardy plants. Eventually I'd like to implement a lot of what he does, but for now I'm plugging away at what I can.
 

ohiofarmgirl

Sipping Bacon Martinis
Joined
Aug 18, 2009
Messages
5,488
Reaction score
0
Points
189
Ed Hume has a seed collection that is good for short growing seasons... you might want to check it out.

you can also find out some info about planting a windbreak.. they can be effective. we didnt realize out all our trees cut down the wind until we had to hike over to the neighbors (totally cleared lot) in a snowstorm. i'm a believer now

welcome to SS!
 

valmom

Crafter
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,515
Reaction score
16
Points
173
Location
Vermont
Not anywhere near your problems, but we DO have a short growing season. I am looking at what the old New England farmers grew- they have a better chance than many other things that you find in the food store. Apples are good. Asparagus, strawberries with the proper frost precautions, blueberries. Winter squashes- butternut, acorn and such. Summer squash and zucchini. Tomatoes. I plant peppers but they never work. Potatoes. Garlic and onions. Kale- I LOVE kale. I still have to get my hazelnut bushes I have wanted for years, but they should do well. Beans did well last year (pinto beans for drying).

What about a windbreak if the wind is a factor? Where does your wind come from? As long as it isn't south, you could probably work with planting a windbreak. They are a wonderful thing for the snow, too.
 

valmom

Crafter
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,515
Reaction score
16
Points
173
Location
Vermont
Oh, and :welcome

I don't always see the new introductory posts!
 

Wildsky

Femivore
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
1,744
Reaction score
2
Points
124
Location
Nebraska Sandhills
:frow Hey there, I'm not too far from you, might be warmer here though!

I'm in zone 4, kinda close to zone 5 though!

I just purchsed an aerophonics system, not exactly self sufficient, but I do what I can... I plan to use it in the house during the winter months, I am not sure yet how well it will work or cost to run it either. :lol: I have also purchased a light, as sun around these parts in winter is hard to find!


I'm on my way this year to getting my veggie garden going, between hubby and I we put up 3 raised beds so far, I chose raised beds, because last year all I seemed to "harvest" was weeds, and the gophers took all my carrots!
We have a windbreak of trees (3 or so thick) around the west, east and north sides of our 3 acres. Works really well, we do still get some snow drifting in but its much better with the tree's.

Perhaps you could put up a greenhouse? I'd love one but for now a little out of the budget. You can heat a small greenhouse and lengthen your growing season by a few months at least.
 

Icu4dzs

Super Self-Sufficient
Joined
May 7, 2010
Messages
1,388
Reaction score
59
Points
208
Tell me more about this aerophonics system. I am not so strapped that I can't consider a good system if it will do what I need.

Thanks for all the wonderful replies. This is definitely a great BB.
Many of your suggestions are already in place. Particular attention is being paid to perennials vs annuals. I put in some elderberries the other day. Have blueberry's to plant, strawberries and put in a 36 foot row of raspberries and one of asparagus. I have one friend who is very knowlegable on the subject of botany/horticulture and has been giving me some guidance on the subject of perennials.

Since I am clearly "Zone 4/5" challenged, I will have to do some more study. Folks here seem to be happier farming corn, wheat, beans and up a little farther north things like lentils.

When I got here 3.3 years ago, I was broke so I went to the grain elevator and had him fill my p/u truck with wheat. I figured I might get tired of whole wheat bread, sprouts and wheat grass juice but I won't starve. He put nearly a ton of it in my truck and I spent two days putting it into boxes, trash bags, and anything else I could get it into. My bread making skills have stabilized and now that I am working, things are a bit more relaxed.

I have had some very good meals which were completely from my farm (including the steaks) and I am getting the idea.

thanks so much for the feedback. I can see we think alike here.
Best
Trim
 

MorelCabin

Quilting Extraordinaire
Joined
Jul 19, 2008
Messages
3,163
Reaction score
3
Points
168
Location
Northern Ontario Canada
Zone3/4 here...some of the things I do is a hobby greenhouse to start seedlings (seeds get started in the house) Raised gardens are helpful because the soil warms up faster that way...I put those blue recycle garbage bags over my tomato cages in the garden when I first put them in to protect against frost...You can start your cucumbers this way as well. It is kind of a cheap instant greenhouse.
If you want to grow grapes you can put them against a brick south facing wall of some kind...it really helps give them the heat they need to give you back a good crop.
Blueberries grow wild in my backyard :D

One secret is to try and grow fruit trees for the zone below you...they are guarranteed to produce where you are.
 

Wildsky

Femivore
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
1,744
Reaction score
2
Points
124
Location
Nebraska Sandhills
Icu4dzs said:
Tell me more about this aerophonics system. I am not so strapped that I can't consider a good system if it will do what I need.
Its similar to Hydroponics, like you get the ebb and flow, and the drip system, the aero system sets to spray nutrient water on the roots at intervals.

Mine is the Rainforest 66, I bought a different lid inset system as well to grow more, the 66 has only 6 net pots, there are two others, that can hold 18 and 36 net pots each (getting smaller and smaller) I purchased the one for 18 net pots.

I haven't even plugged the thing in yet, I'm still sprouting my seeds in rockwool - they'll be ready to go into the system this coming week.

If you're handy you can build a system, I mostly went for the Rainforest because it will look decent in the house - not a weird set of pots linked by tubing or anything odd ball looking.
 

hwillm1977

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
Messages
896
Reaction score
0
Points
108
Location
New Brunswick, Canada
I made a small scale aeroponics system with fish tank bubblers and pump, and a small rubbermaid tote with 1 inch holes drilled in the top for the pots... all I've used it for is rooting perennials when I want to propagate them. It cost about $10 to build... there's tons of how to videos on youtube :) It's really not that ugly, but it sits in a closet 90% of the time anyway.

Here's a great cheap greenhouse to build...

http://www.albertahomegardening.com/how-to-build-an-inexpensive-hoop-style-greenhouse/

The differences I was going to use (haven't actually built it yet) was to put the rebar and PVC on the inside of the frame so I could use LONG battens to hold the plastic on the outside. You might need higher quality plastic to avoid tearing in your winds though.
 
Top