Distinctly Montana Magazine

Gardening for Tips - High Altitude Montana article and sketches By M ontanans are noted for their independence and love of good food. In the pursuit of quality produce they turn to backyard gardening despite the state���s diverse soils, rainfall, and altitude. These challenges can be met if you feed the soil, plant varieties suited to grow in your plant hardiness zone, and water properly. Following these tips, you can reap the bounty of the land. When it comes to feeding the soil, ���thar���s gold��� in that kitchen garbage. Any plant material is good, but not meat, fat, or oil. I like to dig trenches in the garden in the fall and fill them with the kitchen leavings all winter. It���s amazing���the soil digests everything, then feeds it to your plants. In the summer we just put all scraps in the compost. If manure is available, we till it in come fall. Mulching with leaves, grass clippings, conifer needles, and compost moderates soil temperatures, keeps weeds down, and conserves water while improving both the fertility and tilth. Now who could ask for anything more? Here in the Gallatin valley I add ground rock phosphate every few years. Last summer I visited Annie Shirley of the 59 Ranch in Petroleum County. While touring her garden, Annie���s pet chicken Zoomie sat on her shoulder while Zoomie���s brethren were scratching and snapping up bugs. She said, ���Our soil is gumbo and swallows anything you put on it. I���m talking about two tons of organic matter each year. You���d think it would make the garden rise up higher than the lawn, but for all of 20 years the soil has just swallowed it up. This was once ocean, so 10 feet down is a salt layer that compromises our ground water. We pray for rain and mulch with cottonwood leaves.��� As I left, I saw Annie in my rear view mirror with Zoomie riding on her bicycle handlebars heading toward the south pasture. Diane Elliott w w w. d i s t i n c t lymo nt a na .co m 39

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