High Altitude Gardening Vegetables List

Vegetable Selection

• Successful high-altitude vegetable gardening first starts with the vegetables and varieties you choose. Root crops like radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, onions, garlic, shallots and potatoes do well at high altitudes, as do leafy vegetables such as lettuces, spinach, endive, escarole, collards, broccoli and Swiss chard. Other cool weather-loving crops like peas, strawberries, and beans grow easily too. For warmer-season vegetables, choose cultivars with the shortest number of days until harvest -- or those that are identified for cold weather or northern gardens.

Plant Location

• Location is very important when planning your high-altitude vegetable garden. Allowing your vegetables to receive a full eight-hour day of sunlight will yield the most bountiful harvest. In high altitudes, you will likely have to work around slopes, hills and valleys. Some factors to keep in mind are wind exposure, sunlight, temperature and humidity. A slope facing south or southeast should receive the most light and warmth. Avoid low-lying areas where cold air hovers, and situate plant rows to face north to south to maximize light exposure.

Soil

• In order to grow crops quickly, a fertile loam is necessary. Add organic matter to soil with too much clay or soil that is very compact. High-altitude gardeners may find some advantages to using raised beds because the soil is able to drain better and warm faster in the spring. To warm the soil in the spring, cover it with clear polyethylene plastic, which can raise the soil temperature 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit within a few days.

Nutrients

• Adequate nutrients are essential to get early harvest crops off to a fast and steady start. At planting time, add a complete water-soluble fertilizer high in phosphorous, and follow with several applications of fertilizer high in nitrogen throughout the rest of the growing season.

Mulch

• Mulching your high-altitude garden will help retain moisture, reduce soil erosion and control weeds. Clear plastic mulch is even more beneficial by providing extra warmth