Harsh climate gardening

[hemlock]

Hello,
Just finished digging and framing in my garden today. I'll have to get some soil brought in this spring (raised garden) to finish it off. Does any one have any advice for growing veggies in a pretty harsh climate? I am right on the north Atlantic, and the wind blows hard and cold, not to mention rotten "soil" (read:granite and moss with a bit of dirt and clay thrown in). I'm going to fill in my frame with about one foot of soil, and below that I've scraped down to mostly clay. The natural soil is quite acidic.
If anyone has any experience or tips for growing stuff in a less than ideal environment, I'd love to hear them. Thanks.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Have a friendly dairy farmer nearby?

 

[hemlock]

Have a friendly dairy farmer nearby?

No, unfortunately. There is almost no agriculture around here.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Check out the cover crop and compost sections here:

http://blogs.cornell.edu/horticulture/

We started with glacial till and didn't really get anywhere until we added a lot of organic material.

Incidentally, before our county launched a large scale compost program, a lot of our compost came from the local deli. You'd be amazed how much prime compost material they throw in the garbage that they are happy to set aside for you.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Check out the cover crop and compost sections here:

http://blogs.cornell.edu/horticulture/

We started with glacial till and didn't really get anywhere until we added a lot of organic material.

Incidentally, before our county launched a large scale compost program, a lot of our compost came from the local deli. You'd be amazed how much prime compost material they throw in the garbage that they are happy to set aside for you.

+1

Add as much compost as you can get your hands on.

We were lucky next door there were 3 horses, a pony, a goat, and a donkey when we started our garden. We had all of the composted manure you would ever need.

Most of the pile got trucked away (we are talking several truck loads) and we made use of many cubic yards of it putting in both vegetable and flower gardens.

We did the raised beds with a 50/50 mix of manure to loam and have added more compost for the last 4 years. We have four bins and do trench composting as well.

If you are going to attempt any root crops like carrots and parsnips you need the soil loose down at least 12 to 18".

 

[laynes69]

Acidic soils will require lime or woodash to raise the PH. If you use it, be careful not to add too much. If the climate can be cold, I would consider row covers for cold nights, or chances of frost. I've also seen a clear plastic material used by the Amish here that's a vented plastic that creates a mini greenhouse effect to protect the plants and get an early start. I can't think of what they are off the top of my head, but some row crops can be used in raised beds and incorporated by hand to build soil structure or compost.

 

[Ehouse]

Get some old storm windows for cold frames and put some loose hay or or other insulating material around the raised beds to keep the ground warmer underneath.

Ehouse

 

[begreen]

Grow or build wind protection around the garden. Dramatically improve the tilth of the soil with compost and organic fertilizer. (You'll probably have to get that bagged.) Use a row cover system to extend the season. Or put up a nice greenhouse and grow inside of it.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I'd be driving up the PEI ferry and finding out what they do to make their 'taters grow so well. Nothing can beat local experience.

Matt

 

[ChipTam]

Hello Hemlock. I hear ya and we're all pulling for you! Lots of lime and bagged compost (crab waste mostly) helps. Sadly, there are no farms around us in Newfoundland for additional organic compost. Over time, the large rocks in your garden will be replaced by smaller ones with a little bit of soil in between. That said, root crops and lettuce of all sorts do well. A neighbor has been experimenting with asparagus although the jury is still out. My wife has discovered a long list of alpine flowers which are very pretty and do well in the cold rocky soil. For tomatoes and anything really delicate, you'll need a greenhouse but I've seen some pretty primitive ones that do the trick. If you watched the last episode of "Land and Sea" on CBC on Sunday there was a gardener outside of St. John's who was growing some amazing stuff given the climate. Good luck.

ChipTam