What
a difference a few feet of elevation can do to gardening. Well, quite a few feet to be honest about it.
Ruth
and I have just returned from a visit with our son Jeff’s family in Avon,
Colorado, where Jeff, his wife Sandy and our three grandkids, Christian, Nick
and Libby have a vegetable garden in their backyard.
Before
going further, some comparative information.
Our garden at Roshara is about 1,000 feet above sea level. Jeff’s garden is about 7,500 feet. And 6,500 feet of elevation makes all the
difference. I’ve been eating radishes
for two weeks; Jeff’s radishes are just poking their heads above ground. Our potatoes are nearly filling the rows;
Jeff’s are not up. Our peas are in pod
stage and a week or so from picking. Jeff’s
are just coming up.
Avon is having mid-spring weather: the daffodils are
blooms, as are the tulips. The lilacs
are in full bloom and the thousands of acres of aspens on the mountainsides are
absolu8tely splendid in their early spring many shades of green.
On the plus side, with long days and lots of brilliant
sunshine, Jeff’s garden will do well—it simply grows on a different time
schedule than those of us in Wisconsin know. Oh, just as here in the Midwest, more and
residents in the mountains are growing some of their own food. It’s the new wave of the future—really a
return to a very old idea, but that’s another story.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: When
you grow your own food, you know its history—from seed to your dinner plate.
CHECK THIS OUT: My one day workshop: “Writing From Your
Life,” October 13, 8-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 6, 10:30. College
Week, UW-Madison Campus, Ames County Novels
June 13, 6:00 p.m. Wisconsin Public TV Major Donors Meeting,
Center For Discovery, UW-Madison Campus.
Early history of Agricultural Education in Wisconsin including farm
stories.
June 15, 1-2:00 p.m. S.E.
Wisconsin Book Festival, UW-Waukesha campus, Waukesha.
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