By JoAnne Skelly — I recently returned from a visit to Flathead Lake in Montana. While there, I was fortunate enough to visit a three-acre (or so) vegetable garden (maybe small farm is a better term) thriving in the middle of a pine forest. Even more impressive than the actual garden was the work involved carving it out of a mountainside after logging off the trees, removing huge boulders and rocks and bringing in good soil.
JoAnne Skelly
Dynamite was required to drop some of the hillside and split some of the biggest boulders. The owner told his wife that if she would move to Montana, he would build her a garden even better than what she currently had. And he did.
He bought all the heavy equipment necessary to remove the timber, level a mountain, and move huge rectangular boulders. Many of the trees were used to build the various buildings, fences, and raised beds on the property. The boulders were placed as retaining walls. The entire garden is fenced to 10 feet to keep out bears, deer, and moose.
In addition to the garden with its ‘She-shed’ greenhouse and raised beds, there is a house on the water, a huge recently completed shop, and a second small home for the owners’ daughter and her family. Overall, the property is about eight acres.
They are growing and selling vegetables and fruits to just a few people. The day we were there, we bought green beans, potatoes, basil, tomatoes, and peaches. There were zucchini and peppers available. They had raspberries and blueberries ripening up for the next week’s crops. That is, if the grandkids that roam through the garden don’t eat everything.
One was stuffing his cheeks full of raspberries like a squirrel with nuts. Another pulled a carrot out of the ground and ate it. They each have their own blueberry bush, so they don’t eat all the other blueberries. There are apple and pear trees, grapes and so many vegetables.
They collect rainwater off all the buildings and move it downhill via pipes to the bottom of the garden to underground holding tanks. They then use this to irrigate. They fertilize with their homemade compost and plant green manure crops to increase soil fertility.
Obviously, I have garden envy. They did so much work to bring this wonderful garden into existence. Is there anything better than letting your grandchildren run around bare foot in a huge garden enjoying whatever is ripe that day? A Utopian existence in my book!
— JoAnne Skelly is an Associate Professor and Extension Educator, Emerita, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. She can be reached at skellyj@unr.edu.
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