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  • From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Home location, was water power
  • Date: Sat, 04 Jun 2005 10:31:23 -0700


We've been told, and have now experienced, that being somewhat higher where there is cold weather is better than being at the bottom. Seems the cold "rolls" down the hills and settles in the valleys and the growing period is a month to 6 weeks shorter in the valleys around here.

We've had our garden in about 3 weeks now (other than peas and things like that which went in some time ago) but the folks who live directly across the creek from us had their last frost last weekend and are just now getting their garden in.

Cold air does descend, so a house and garden are optimally elevated somewhat above the valley bottom. Ozarks' ridgetops get nasty winter winds and ice storms. Of course if you are many thousand feet elevation you will be substantially cooler year-round as Flagstaff is to Phoenix.

For most gardens and orchards, sun angle is more important than elevation. South-east-facing gardens warm earliest in spring. Peaches are best grown on a north-facing slope to delay flowering and fruit set, to avoid late-frost loss.

Narrow, deep wooded hollows as occur in parts of Appalachia and the Ozarks may not be plantable until the sun track is higher in the sky, which shortens the growing season.

Garden location is more important than house location, although the two are ideally very close to each other.






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