We are 180m above the sea at Aberystwyth; when weather forecasts say "snow on high ground" I sometimes forget we're essentially on high ground so do get a fair amount of the white stuff at times.
Then I started to think about other things. The article talked about gardens being open to the elements because of their situation. Our garden is slightly protected in part by trees and a roadside wall running parallel to the growing area in the far corner. Where the chicken and duck enclosures are we have a number of trees to the left which means they get shade in the summer. Having said all of this we still had issues with wind damage to the poly house last year....
but I don't think sowing and growing here is that much of a challenge.
I've drawn a map, of sorts, to explain things but the top picture of the poly house might be a help for you to get your bearings too; you might have to enlarge the photo below a little.
And another thing, the position of the sun is always a MAJOR factor considered by gardeners and in that respect I think we're very lucky. If you look at the map you should hopefully be able to see the sun rises just behind to the left and it sets in the far right corner. This means the sun travels all down the long side of the poly house during the day, along the long side of the main veg patch and over the greenhouse.
It seems a good time for me to write this kind of post just now, what with the sowing and growing season just about to begin, as it makes it seem as if I'm starting to grow my own for the first time - bit weird really. It also makes me think there is no reason that I shouldn't succeed in all my endeavours to grow our own fruit and veg. We have a fantastic space here in a pretty much perfect position. If I put my everything into it then our harvest this year should be bountiful!
One final thing to say - Bring On Spring!!!
Off to listen to Gardeners' Question Time on Radio 4 now - how apt!
Bye.
Sending best wishes for a good growing season.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteWe are 1,045 meters above sea level. We are in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. We often have to make adjustments to recipes, especially baking, because of the altitude. Consequently we have cold weather and snow for a good 6 months of the year!! We are lucky though because we get Chinook winds during the winter which can make things warm up considerably for a few days.
ReplyDeleteThat is really interesting Janice. Thank you for sharing how your life is. Makes my 180m sound a bit feeble.x
DeleteWe decided not to have a veg patch when we moved here, but with the uncertainty of, dare I say the dreaded word? Perhaps not (it begins with B) We are planning to grow salad crops, plus what we grew last year, pots, beans, and a lot of tomatoes, (outside) So I am starting my tom seeds this coming weekend
ReplyDeleteHope those leeks do well for you.
Hi Chris I am thinking that the dreaded B word is even more of a reason for people to set about doing even a little growing of their own. I'm going to be putting a few non perishables in store from next week, just in case. I'm not a prepper, just a planner! Good luck with your sowing and growing.
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