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Tahoe Friendly Garden: Home-Grown Food Resources

Tahoe

A Tahoe Friendly Garden will utilize science-based knowledge and practice with climate and growing seasons, soil conditions, moisture, and pest control can help you grow your own vegetables and become self-sufficient!

Home-grown food: food gardening at altitude in Lake Tahoe's granite soils can present unique challenges. The high altitude gardener must be conscious of the weather and its effect on growth to be successful. Altitude affects every facet of climate; temperature, humidity, and precipitation. Our biggest challenges are the length of growing season.

*Growing food in your home Tahoe garden is not a requirement for your garden to be certified Tahoe Friendly. We think it is a fun and educational endeavor that is worth giving it a chance. If you do plan to grow food in your garden we hope that you will grow in a sustainable and Tahoe friendly manner.

Choosing the right plants to grow for your conditions, starting seeds inside, and protecting plants from the elements and pests can be a recipe for success for the high altitude gardener.

TFG_strawberry
5 Tahoe Friendly Plant Suggestions for Home-Grown Food 

  1. Mountain Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana (also is a great ground cover)
  2. Broccoli, Decicco variety has a short “day to maturity”
  3. Snap Peas
  4. Kale/Chard/Lettuce mixes
  5. Cherry Tomatoes

 

 

A few things to keep in mind are when growing food at a high elevation (roughly Tahoe 6,250 ft.)

  • Climate zone: verify your plant hardiness zone with the USDA and Sunset Maps. Zone designation will only go so far but is a good starting point. Keeping a journal with nighttime temperatures and frost days/nights can help you in the long future.
  • Right seed selection: select appropriate seeds. Ideally, you will want seeds with the shortest “days to maturity” since our growing season is rather short.
  • Soil amendments:
  • Start plants indoors: give yourself a leg up by starting your seeds indoors. Utilize heat mats and grow lights for success. Spend time ensuring that you harden off your seedlings for success when transplanting.
  • Provide shelter: Utilize protective measures to give your plants the best chance of success. Shelter can include: cloches, a wall of waters, raised beds, hoop houses, cold frames, greenhouse, hay bales, and other protective shelters.
  • Wildlife factors: Living in a natural environment we can have a lot of critters that may visit our thriving veggie gardens. Utilize safety measures to protect your plants from wildlife. Options can include companion planting, chicken wire around/on top of bulbs, exclusion fencing, and other techniques.
  • Proper irrigation: setting up an efficient irrigation system to water your vegetables and herbs is critical for success and sustainability. Utilize an efficient irrigation system (i.e. drip line, spray emitters, micro-sprinklers, and/or drip tape).

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