WindFarmer
Nature always bats last.
As noted on my profile page, I was once a successful vegetable gardener; I couldn't give away enough tomatoes, beans, lettuce or endive, the bounty was so great. But that was when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area (I grew up there), where the climate was temperate, the wind calm, and the water usually plentiful.
A few years ago, my better half and I relocated to a small mountain town on the dividing line between Northern and Southern California. The elevation is just over 4,000 feet, and the weather is prone to extremes. (About two weeks ago, just when I thought winter was over, it snowed, killing the last of my normally hardy desert succulents.) To make matters worse, a brisk,stiff wind is the norm, save for a precious month or two during the summer (when the air is so still, you can almost hear your own sweat trickle down your neck). We actually live within sight of one of the largest wind farms in the U.S., and, surrounded on all sides by mountains, we're in a sort of funnel that sucks the wind across our property (five acres, completely off the grid), almost constantly.
Thus, gardening here is more than a challenge; I feel like I'm learning how to garden all over again, from scratch. This is the first year I've been able to keep eight seedlings alive (four varieties of tomatoes, three peppers, and an eggplant) at all; I am holding my breath and crossing every finger and toe as these little plants are spending their first week outside, in their newly-built protective box on our porch. (We have plenty of land, but I don't dare leave them far from the house, due to the wind and the countless critters everywhere.)
Nevertheless, I am not discouraged! I look forward to picking up tips and tricks for gardening in windy climes, and will be more than happy to share my successes (and failures).
I'm very glad to be here!
A few years ago, my better half and I relocated to a small mountain town on the dividing line between Northern and Southern California. The elevation is just over 4,000 feet, and the weather is prone to extremes. (About two weeks ago, just when I thought winter was over, it snowed, killing the last of my normally hardy desert succulents.) To make matters worse, a brisk,stiff wind is the norm, save for a precious month or two during the summer (when the air is so still, you can almost hear your own sweat trickle down your neck). We actually live within sight of one of the largest wind farms in the U.S., and, surrounded on all sides by mountains, we're in a sort of funnel that sucks the wind across our property (five acres, completely off the grid), almost constantly.
Thus, gardening here is more than a challenge; I feel like I'm learning how to garden all over again, from scratch. This is the first year I've been able to keep eight seedlings alive (four varieties of tomatoes, three peppers, and an eggplant) at all; I am holding my breath and crossing every finger and toe as these little plants are spending their first week outside, in their newly-built protective box on our porch. (We have plenty of land, but I don't dare leave them far from the house, due to the wind and the countless critters everywhere.)
Nevertheless, I am not discouraged! I look forward to picking up tips and tricks for gardening in windy climes, and will be more than happy to share my successes (and failures).
I'm very glad to be here!
