We’ve begun planning for our new garden! Tim and I have been reading up on high-elevation gardening, to be aware of where to put the garden, how to lay it out, and what to be prepared for. We want to have a pretty good idea of the big picture soon, as I want to plant what I can before winter sets in, namely onions, garlic and asparagus.
Our first thought was to put the garden on the south side of the house in full sun. That’s what all the books & websites will tell you, right? So, this is where it WAS going to be, beds terraced down on the left side, as well as some in front.
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| As you can see, plenty of sun on the south side of this house! |
However, after observing what the summer conditions have been like the past two summers, and reading of some of the challenges faced by other Colorado Rocky Mountain gardeners, we have decided to place the garden to the east of the house, with some trees around to provide afternoon shade. The sun is so intense here that things will bake in the sun if allowed full exposure. Also, when the winds pick up it dries out the soil quickly, so at the east it will be a bit protected from the brunt of the wind.
Here’s where the garden will go. These photos were taken this afternoon, so there won’t be as much shade in the summer as there is now, when the sun is higher in the sky. The garden will get full morning sun and filtered light in the late afternoon.
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| This photo looks to the East. |
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| This looks to the West. |
This garden won’t be nearly as large as the Wellington garden, but it will be ample, less than half the size. We’ll grow a lot of cool season vegetables, and as many short-season varieties as we feel we can, including some tomatoes. We’ll have to be especially careful to cover the tomatoes nightly, as they’ll need all the warmth they can get. We will be making hoop covers to guard against frost as well as shade/hail covers to guard against the intense sun and occasional hail. Of course, we will have a 7-8 foot fence surrounding the entire garden, lest the deer get into an all-you-can-eat buffet.
I’ve been gathering weather statistics from our weather station the past two summers.
The lowest “low” in July-August was 34 F.
The highest “low” was 51 F.
The lowest “high” was 52 F.
The highest “high” was 92 F.
The average temperature for the summer months has been around 59-64. So, as you can see, many of the plants will require frequent covering!
It’s fun to get into gardening mode again. We have lots of designing and planning to do, and the work will be rewarding.