About this blog
I started this blog in hopes of helping new gardeners and experienced gardeners who have moved to a short season climate. Gardening in a short season has it’s challenges. I have learned a lot in my 40 years of growing fruit trees, other fruits, vegetables and flowers here in south central New York. The trick is to grow only those plants that are hardy enough to survive the long , sometimes harsh, winters and early and late frost. I find as long as I stick to the zone 3-4 rated plants, my garden and orchard does well.
Having a porch or a greenhouse is a must to get an early start to the season unless you buy your tomatoes, pepper and some flower plants at the garden shop. I love roses, however, you can only grow the shrub variety here. I grew tea roses in pots that I have over wintered in my greenhouse successfully for 20 years.
Every year there is one vegetable or flower that does very well and one that grows very poorly depending on the growing conditions that year.
I hope my experiences will be helpful to you. Please use the comment section to ask your questions.
Steve Blabac said
Wow, I am delighted to have found this blog. Linda, nice to see you here as well. I am close to starting some kale crops, lettuce and onions inside this week. I have to dig out my salvaged T8s (always looking for energy efficieny), my heating pad (for under the flats) and beg Ede for some kitchen space. I have lettuce under remay under the snow that I hope has survived and will take off. I also can’t wait until the “sleeping” garlic and asparagus start growing. My neighbor showed me how to seriously trim one of my overgrown apple trees, so if it survives it may be restored to health in a few years. Well, enough of this. Thanks for the site! Steve
Cindy Newman said
I am so excited that I finally found a blog wherein other’s experience gardening in a zone 3-4. I have been trying to garden here with some progress through trial and error for almost 10 years. I love the idea of the greenhouse and am in definate need for one which now I have the confidence of building myself. I have researched so much on my own feeling as though I was all alone and now feel so much better and more confident that with this blog my gardens will flurish even more.
Michael Tim said
I love your site!
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