Cold Climate
Cold Climate Table of Contents
Enough with the self-pity! Gardening in a cold climate isn’t more difficult than growing in other climates, as long as you grow plants suited to the climate and the soil. I’d rather put up with a long, cold winter than a long, hot humid summer. Now if you want to make it harder on yourself, try growing plants that need more heat, a longer growing season, sandy soil if you’ve got clay, or need acid soil when you’ve got alkaline. Some people like a challenge. Some people just want someone to point the way. Which are you?
That’s what I thought.
In the end, this may be the most important thing about frost: Frost slows us down. In spring, it tempers our eagerness. In fall, it brings closure and rest. In our gotta-go world--where every nanosecond seems to count--slowness can be a great gift. So rather than see Jack Frost as an adversary, you could choose to greet him as a friend.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I used to live in Alaska, its hard to grow a lot of things there. We only have a few months for anything to grow. We always had a nice blackberry patch in our backyard though.
Wishing there was a way to be able to search by hardiness zones. It’s frustrating to fine beautiful plants only to discover they will not grow in Zone-3.
Northscaping does have a hardiness zone search here. Also, try the Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series Plant Selection Service. Both were listed on my Cold Climate Gardening Online Information page. I will ask around to see if I can find more.
my friend krsten is doing dahils and if you know info about them plece give me some and info about endless summers report is do tomorrw
Twitter: @arwadoo
The global warming is not a myth. March which used to be cool and even with occasional snow , has now decided to be as hot as june ,Temperature reached to 30 degrees with abnormal 15 degrees rise.The spring flowers had the shortest life esipecially prunes peaches and plums . Sternbergias and the narcissus had the shortest life .Exceptionally the tulips continue to enjoy the heat.Apple flowers are under attach by beetles unusually.Earths climate is rapidly changing.The highdensity orchid needs watering now, when normally it was end of May irrigation used to be Povided.Now we feel climate in zone 1 2 3 will usher into 4 5 6 if the trend remains like the present one.
Great site and awsome picture – I’m going to try and get some new pictures frommy garden this weekend as it’s hard getting all year blooms in WI.
Feel free to checkout my gardening How-To blog.
http://www.bulbblog.com
gardening in high altitudes is not easy. because of that, I built a big hothouse, my home y at 10.300 feet (live ina mountain near Bogotá in Colombia)
Twitter: @margaretroach
I have always been interested in the work collecting tomatoes in Siberia that High Altitude Gardens has done…maybe worth a look? They were in the Rockies at 6,000 ft for years, now in N. Arizona I think.
We all talk about “Northern Climate” gardening but when you get to Zone 1 – you have mt amazement and congrads about whatever success you have. I have a sibling from Whitehorse – who loves her gardening and growing plants in home until the seedlings are killed off by a long term power failure.
You go for it Girls – you are amazing.
Friend from alberta
Does anyone know of a site that focuses on very cold climates? I’m in the Yukon (next to Alaska) and we’re Zone 1. Thanks in advance.
Kathy –
I just read your wonderful piece in the May 2008 issue of Horticulture/northeast regional edition. Beautiful!
Wordsworth notwithstanding, it brought tears to my eyes.
I hope you and yours are all okay!
Pam
Kathy -
Trying to email you at kathy@coldclimategardening.com, but my email just got rejected saying that the host or domain name could not be found. Please forward me your current email address. Thanks alot
Danielle Ernest – Proven Winners ColorChoice meet at GWA in OK
im trying to grow fruit seeds from seed for selling. I live in Oregon and want to know how to keep these seedlings alive. i have a green house ten feet tall so i can keep them in there untill they are about four years old. my problem is i want to know some growers secrets. thank you XD.
(go OSU)
Finding what will grow is certainly the most fun part of gardening! If we knew it would come up perfect every time, what fun would it be?
I found your listing on Blotanical – you’re in Chenango Forks. I’m from Binghamton, the east side. Although I’ve been in Buffalo since coming here to college in 1980. I’m president of our Garden Walk.
My family has a cottage on a small lake out your way, outside of Greene, near Page Brook & Quinneville.
I have family scattered all around you (don’t be afraid) from Ballyhack Road to Whitney Point. I went to Chenango Valley High School myself.
As I was starting my own gardening blog, Elizabeth from Garden Rant pointed me in your direction as a good blog to read.
I totally enjoy my zone 4 garden and have over 1 1/2 acres of raised beds. I have over 40 different trees and enjoy each season with a combination of color, shape, and hardscape to compliment the type of weather we have. I love the snow covered mornings of December and the autumn contrasts of the changing leaf color.
Coming from Scotland i can understade the cold climate problems
our summers are not much better than our winters.
Charles
http://www.everythingforthegarden.co.uk
Lovely blog, kind of gives one an idea of how beautiful your gardens must be. Toni
We have just planted our Veg’s & Herbs in our homemade earthboxes and would like to prepare a room inside for our earthboxes before winter comes. Need suggestions on lighting, warmth…etc. Thanks
I live at 8800 ft. in the rocky mountains ( yes, we have had snow recently also) and want to garden. I did not get 1 tomato last summer because nights are cold.–although my flowers and herb pots did well. This year I have cut out 2 areas to do about a 300sqr.ft. garden.
Where can I get a comprehensive list of vegetables that thrive in the colder climate? At least then all I’d have to worry about is beating off the elk!
Anne from Evergreen
Twitter: @austropicals
Oh wow Anne, I can’t imagine what that would be like, living there! It sounds absolutely beautiful, but that’s probably because I live in the tropics and often wish for snow on our hot days