|
Post by daylilydude on Aug 19, 2019 4:20:22 GMT -5
When it comes to any kind of gardening what are the pros and cons of living where you are?
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on Aug 19, 2019 6:16:17 GMT -5
In my area the soil is not too bad, but lots of clay so it needs to be amended to improve drainage.
I usually have adequate rainfall with a rain barrel to take up the slack.
Because of the decent amount of rainfall I am pulling weeds all of the time but at least I don't have Bermuda grass or bindweed so I guess that this is a pro AND a con.
|
|
|
Post by pondgardener on Aug 19, 2019 7:59:59 GMT -5
Little rainfall but on the other hand very little foliage disease. Clay, alkaline soil that needed amending. Lots and lots of sunshine. Risk of the dreaded hail storms. No trees around property to shade plants.
|
|
|
Post by paulf on Aug 19, 2019 8:24:10 GMT -5
Pros: Far enough north we don't get a lot of the diseases and pests that abound in more southerly climes. Winter is cold enough that there are true seasons. Summer is hot and humid but just enough that everything grows and thrives. We can grow crops suited for zones 3 all the way to zone 7 in most years. We are on the edge of the nation's breadbasket and the soil is mostly fertile.
Cons: The growing season some years is too short, but we have to adapt to what will grow and what won't. We are in what is called the Loess (pronounced luss) Hills, a windblown soil that is high in pH, very alkaline. and needs constant application of sulphur in order to grow non-native plants...most garden vegetables are non-natives. Loess soil is also called sugar clay. When dry it is like sugar and when wet it is like clay. Difficult to amend. We grow weeds better than any place I have ever been. Spring and fall are too short and we seem like there are two long seasons: winter and summer. We are on the west side of the Missouri River and the climate begins to become the Great Plains with less rainfall than a little way to the east.
All things considered this is not a bad place for gardening and like everywhere it takes a little adaptation to figure out what does well, what does not and how to work the soil to make do. Besides all that it is home.
|
|
|
Post by hairymooseknuckles on Aug 19, 2019 9:24:08 GMT -5
Pro's
I can grow darn near year round. So far, knock on woo, disease hasn't been a problem. I'm lucky enough that I can plant tomatoes same patch year after year.
Con's Floods and hail going to dry hot summers. One extreme to the next. This area is grasshopper/bugs heaven. Heavy soil that needs lots of attention, but at the same time will grow darn near anything.
|
|
|
Post by octave1 on Aug 19, 2019 9:52:45 GMT -5
Pros Decent soli, essentially clay but workable. If amended it turns into nice loam, but even if left in its natural state is still OK to grow a garden. It's also well drained, amended or not. Lots of hot, sunny days from May to October. Adequate rainfalls for the most part. Can grow just about anything.
Cons Weather fluctuations, sometime sudden. Weeds can grow exponentially. Bugs coming and going in waves. Too much wildlife presence. Mine is an urban setting on the outskirts, and wildlife is becoming more and more prominent due to habitat loss.
|
|
|
Post by ladymarmalade on Aug 19, 2019 12:11:23 GMT -5
Pros: Far enough north that most diseases and pests are not a thing.
Cons: For most produce you get one shot at growing them each year. Spring garden/summer garden/fall garden, this is not really a thing though it doesn't stop me from trying.
|
|
|
Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 19, 2019 14:52:32 GMT -5
Pros: The soil has been dark and loamy from the beginning, though it took a while to get large pieces of rocks out of the soil. Most things grow well, and some of the worst weeds and bugs I have heard about in some areas, are not found here.
Cons: However, I am not without bugs here! SVB is one, that prevents me from growing many things. Pepper maggots are another in the area, which forces me to cover the prone varieties. A major con, in the last couple of decades, is the heat. My peppers and okra love it, but this has made it harder to grow tomatoes, and other vegetables, that used to grow very well here. And rain goes from excessive, to drought like. I just consider myself lucky that it's not as bad as in many other places I hear about.
Oh yeah, the varmints - rabbits and squirrels. But then, some have it much worse than I do with animals.
|
|
|
Post by Gianna on Aug 19, 2019 15:21:06 GMT -5
Pros: -no frost and can garden 12 mos of the year. -Rarely gets too hot. -Lots of good sun. -Not many bad bugs/diseases -Being precise with timing is unnecessary (first, last frosts...) Cons: -no frost - must schedule a break for R&R -Native soil bad, but good top soil can be brought in and/or built -Rattle snakes -lots of hungry critters - snails, birds, gophers, bunnies, rats, ground squirrels -no rain in summer, and often droughts with water restrictions
|
|
|
Post by Hensaplenty on Aug 19, 2019 16:20:02 GMT -5
Pros: Long growing season
Cons: Fungal problems and HEAVY insect load
|
|
|
Post by bestofour on Aug 19, 2019 22:38:05 GMT -5
I'm in rural Monroe, NC.
Pros: -I have a good chance of having something growing in the garden year round. -Camellia shrubs have beautiful flowers, that I can cut and bring inside, even in the snow and sleet. -Our yard is in a wind tunnel and we have lots of oak trees so it's a lot cooler for us than the real temperature - (why I hate leaving the yard to go shopping). -Don't have an issue with a whole lot of bugs or critters. -I can prune plants whenever I want. -Most plants, vege and flowers, will grow. -Can do multiple vege plantings in summer. -Good drainage.
Cons: -Like a blast furnace in August. -Seems like the hotter it gets the less it rains. -Extreme humidity. -Some years I battle squash bugs (not this year though - wonder where they've summered)
I think some of these pros and cons are specific to my acreage. We always have a breeze, lots of trees, and plenty of water.
Would be nice if everyone would at least give their state.
|
|