Growing Undercover
October 3rd, 2024
Frost again today; I showed a friend of mine. He said, simply, “It has to be because you’re so close to Rock Creek (canyon)…” This got me curious. It would seem to turn out that being close to the canyon (or any canyon) will affect temperature and wind and moisture. Of course, these are affected differently with different proximity. The main points were that wind can be increased and temperature fluctuations are more likely. Interesting.
It is just like when you were on the playground. You would be sent to school with a jacket and then have to be outside for 15-20 minutes 3 times a day. When the temperature is 28 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is blowing, you seek shelter. You would huddle and sit in the warmest spots on the playground. Likewise in the late spring and summer, you would seek shady, grassy spots. Plants also prefer a better location although they are immobile.
If you think honestly about living in the high plains desert of South Idaho, then you will understand that we have a set of weather challenges that looks something like:
Wide Temperature Fluctuations, High Winds, Lack of Moisture, Lack of Trees/Shade, Lack of Organic Material, and others.
Our climate and even our soil do not foster the growth of the common vegetables and herbs of our society. In the past I didn’t consider the weather little more than hot/cold and wet/dry. Now, it makes sense to me a little bit more than before. I have seen plants growing exceptionally well in small little sheltered areas and more readily under the covers that I provide (including trees). I have been thoroughly convinced that plants grow better in our desert if they are partially shaded and in an area protected from wind and moisture loss.
Last year was the first year that I made an effort to cover the whole garden. In spring 2024, this was about 50 beds that were about 3 feet wide and 12 feet long. I purchased an exceptional amount of 9-guage wire and cut it into lengths that made half-oval hoops that supported a frost fabric over the beds. Once I ran out of material for supporting the cloth, I simply laid it down onto the ground. The beds were definitely warmer in the beds that had tunnels rather than a cloth laid onto the soil directly.
I have some trees now. I noticed that during the past two frosts, the pumpkins that were directly underneath the leaves of the elm (about 15’ tall) were not destroyed by light frost like the ones that were exposed to open air. I have noticed that young starts do fine when growing next to weeds in the bed such as pig weed, lambs’ quarter and mallow as long as the weeds are removed by the time the leaves of the crops start to become crowded and touching. I think that with management growing a simultaneous multi crop bed allows one to protect young plants that are slower to take off.
The idea is that our climate is too harsh for most crops and having everything under cover and multi-sown with other plants is good to stick by. This requires: more thinning, installation of trees (preferably in the beginning stages of the garden) and the application of low tunnels for protection. These are all more time-consuming but will allow you to grow crops better and with more options of varieties. You will experience faster and less hindered growth with just a little shade and cover.
