When we bought this place we did so because it had land and we could afford it. There was no worrying about soil type or what was already established here. The fact that it was all on a gentle north facing slope was of no consequence, we still wanted it.
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| The view about 9 the other morning. Lots of frost still on my land but the field in the distance (over the road) is clear of all frost. |
I don't think that the slope makes huge amounts of difference in the warmer months of the year but in the winter it can affect how long things are in the cold for. The other morning was a prime example of this and it was really easy to see.
While our fields were covered in frost the one over the road, facing us slopping south, was frost free.
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| The neighbours field is clear of frost. Full of weeds though but that's another matter! |
I should say that this probably sets us back by at least two weeks in the spring compared to one facing the other way and makes our growing season a little shorter if we don't use fleece or protection of some sort. I guess the solution is to garden smarter and try to work around it. I'm planning on building a big raised bed for asparagus over Christmas and I'll build it up so it slopes the other way if I can, so it should warm up a little faster come the spring.
Anyone else sloping North (in the northern hemisphere! Or South in the southern)? How do you think it affects your growing year? What do you do to fight it?
