High altitude gardening is a lofty challenge.

We have been receiving Countryside for a couple of years now and I have been trying to absorb as many ideas as possible while planning our own homestead. When I read about nine-month growing seasons I swoon. But I don't think we'll ever leave our beloved Rocky Mountains willingly.

Currently we live in the foothills in Northern Colorado and are buying our homestead in the heart of the Rocky Mountains in Grand County, Colorado. I am very interested in hearing from other COUNTRYSIDE readers who have experience growing fruits and vegetables in the Rocky Mountain region.

We practice homesteading here in the foothills while we commute to work and wait for the move to Grand County. For us, the dream, the planning, and the work is fun. But gardening at 7200 feet is a challenge, especially on our north slope.

Seed recommendations

I save some seed, and buy some. I have had success with seeds from High Altitude Gardens, PO Box 1048, Hailey, ID 83333. High Altitude has a very nice selection of Rocky Mountain wildflowers in addition to their vegetables. Currently we buy all of our seed from Garden City Seeds, 1324 Red Crow Rd., Victor, MT 59875, because they also sell potato seed.

Any garden in this area needs a watchdog or a high fence to keep deer out. Cool season crops do well here, but warm season crops are a gamble at best. I can always count on lettuce, onions, garlic, carrots, broccoli, pak choi (until it bolts), broccoli, peas, spinach and radishes. Last year our first try at cabbage went almost too well, and we have enough freezer slaw and kraut to last two years. We love green beans, dry beans, and wax beans, but they don't do well in cool years. Does anyone have suggestions for reliable varieties? Last year we tried Indian Woman soup beans from Garden City. They produced a nice crop of delicious, dry, bright yellow soup beans.

Winter Bloomsdale spinach (not ther same as Bloomsdale Long Standing) always does great here. If a summer frost or snow storm comes through the Winter Bloomsdale will come back in the fall, and even overwinter to emerge in the spring if it never got the chance to go to seed the previous year. Last fall we planted some Winter Bloomsdale for this spring: we hope it comes up.

For peas, I choose Wando. In most parts of the country, Wando is considered a late season pea but we plant them first thing in the spring, usually in mid- to late April. In a cool season we picked Wandos from July to late August! In a hot year we get a good crop before the plants die back.

Yukon Gold potatoes produce creamy yellow-fleshed potatoes in good yield. We like the flavor and texture of this variety so much that we have never tried another, but I might be willing to, given a rousing endorsement.

I have given up on corn, even the short season varieties, until I have a much larger garden with room for "high risk" crops. The farmer's market provides fresh corn in late summer, and I stock up for soups when the grocery stores run their big canned vegetable sales.

I keep looking for the perfect winter squash variety. Gold Nugget from Garden City is the best I've tried so far. The fruits weren't very big by the end of September (first snow) but there were lots of them, and they cook well.

Tomatoes and peppers do not produce for me. Usually they don't even set fruit, and those expensive "walls of water, " water jugs, and plastic coverings don't seem o help. This year I am trying tomatoes in big pots that I can move outdoors for awhile.

We have a small, unused bedroom and a wide-spectrum flourescent light to grow plants indoors, but I have had limited success. Does anyone know of a good book on indoor horticulture or greenhouse growing that is aimed at the homeowner, not the commercial grower? Subjects I am interested in include hours of light for different species, hand pollination techniques for tomatoes and peppers, temperature requirements, and other tips on small-scale vegetable and herb production in the home.

Someday I would like to have a real greenhouse, especially when we move to Grand County, but until then it's practice, practice, practice. Does anyone have experience with a cash crop grown in a small greenhouse?

A few years ago we bought some Nanking cherries. These are cherry "bushes" that produce a small, sour cherry. We have not harvested any cherries yet, but the bushes are growing well.

We planted some raspberries but they died very quickly. The roots appeared to have rotted away in about 2-3 days. Meanwhile, nearby native roses and raspberries proliferate. Is there a special cold-hardy raspberry that is resistant to diseases that are prevalent in Rocky Mountain soils?

I would like very much to plant fruit trees, but the "cold hardy" apple trees we bought didn't make it. Every year they died back to the snow line, forming "apple bushes," until they finally gave up. We have one apricot that looks like it could make it, but I'm unsure. Anyone have any luck? We are interested in grapes, berries, and fruit trees of almost any variety. Has anyone had any luck growing dwarf varieties in a greenhouse setting? What about pollination?

In addition to the gardening we raise chickens and ducks. We bought some turkeys two years ago but they became pets. We also have two Pygmy goats that get into everything.

Compared to gardening, raising animals is easy here. Coyotes, mountain lions, hawks, skunks and foxes get to our fowl at times, but we just say we support the Raptor Society and Wildlife Federation by contributing to the feeding program and try again.

An additional note: A great cook-book for frugal cooking is the Mennonite Community Cookbook from Herald Press. The Mennonites have a long tradition of farming, gardening and food preservation, and are very frugal too. Don't look for low fat trendy foods (I usually add more spices) but you will find rib-sticking, hearty fare. Recipes range from vegetables, breads, soups and casseroles to innovative household tips and a menu for a barn raising!