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What grows really well up here? Or doesn't?
For us noobs who need the help so we're not wasting money on seeds or small plants... what grows well here for you? Or has failed miserably? :)
Done well for me (containers):
tomatoes
summer squash (needed more room to spread out but did well as can be expected)
herbs: mint (shade!!), thai basil, oregano, thyme
plums: neglected and terribly pruned tree in my new yard is still producing well
grapes: neglected and terribly pruned vine in new yard is still doing well
apples: crabapples and other varieties certainly do well here and with little effort
Did alright, not sure if it was container or area that was the problem:
bell peppers, never really got all that big but DID produce. Aphids loved them too
green beans, some pole variety... needed more room maybe
Didn't do much of anything at all:
cucumbers. I had one teeny sad thing not even baby pickle sized and it was hard as a rock
I'm blanking on any others I tried... I got some pinto beans to grow here, garbanzos did not germinate at all... Add to the list! :)
Done well for me (containers):
tomatoes
summer squash (needed more room to spread out but did well as can be expected)
herbs: mint (shade!!), thai basil, oregano, thyme
plums: neglected and terribly pruned tree in my new yard is still producing well
grapes: neglected and terribly pruned vine in new yard is still doing well
apples: crabapples and other varieties certainly do well here and with little effort
Did alright, not sure if it was container or area that was the problem:
bell peppers, never really got all that big but DID produce. Aphids loved them too
green beans, some pole variety... needed more room maybe
Didn't do much of anything at all:
cucumbers. I had one teeny sad thing not even baby pickle sized and it was hard as a rock
I'm blanking on any others I tried... I got some pinto beans to grow here, garbanzos did not germinate at all... Add to the list! :)
Views: 3
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Robbie Knight on -
Hi, Becca-
In my limited understanding, it's got as much to do with soil quality and micro-climates a it does altitude, maybe more, depending.
We have an area in the backyard that used to be a goat pen-for about 8 years. We had an AMAZING first garden year, but I know that it's a kind of "honeymoon" period before soil amendments need to start. We grew HUGE corn, 15 healthy pumpkins, around a dozen each butternut and acorn squash, and an abundance of beans, tomatoes and peppers and even some mini-eggplants. So the soil has been tapped this year and we'll need to add mature horse manure this fall and till it in.
I noticed a weird little low-lying area in the back that caught a frost last week, when the rest of the yard didn't. So I'll be watching my little micro-climate closely and keeping track of where the frost tends to land...I'm also already planning a rotation for next year, to plant beans where the corn was, etc.
I think we have unique issues a mile up, but I also hope to take control of some issues with attention to soil quality and weather. The one truly humbling thing is the hail storms, one of which vaporized EVERYTHING we had last year, including all of our plum trees. I had to chop down a 10th of an acre of dead trees this spring. Heartbreaking, but that's gardening sometimes, I guess. ;)
Hope all is going well with you! Take care-
Robbie -
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Permalink Reply by Deb Shaded Deer Schorzman on -
Altitude, soil and short growing season all have to do with what you can grow here in Colorado. It is best to start most of your garden plants inside and give them a headstart. Compost is a must for the sandy soil out here on the eastern plains.
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