dyzzypyxxy said:Btw, if you could give us a more specific location than your zone, that would help us to advise you going forward. Seems like maybe Alaska?? Even Alaska has microclimates though. Near the coast is a lot different than inland, right? So if you'd fill in your profile with the nearest city that will give us more information on your year-round climate.
So, this is going to be a tough one to answer in a short post
The closest town to where I am is Palmer, I'm about 15 road miles NNW of there at the foot of the Talkeetna Mountains. If you Google up a place called Hatcher Pass, look for a road called "Palmer-Fishhook" that runs due south out of the mountains through a cut in the ridge, and I'm on the east side of that close to the foot of the mountains.
The climate is for the most part similar to Anchorage (about 55 miles SW), but wetter because of the proximity to the mountains. It's also sunnier in the summer and cloudier/colder in the winter, especially in the depths of the season in January/February, when we get clear skies and rather furious winds that come off the glaciers to the east. One thing that throws some folks is that at our latitude the prevailing winds come from the east, opposite what you get in the Lower 48. because of the lower temps and the glacial effect it can be very cold, often -40F or so at the lower end of things, though -10/-20 is more the norm.
Palmer and it's surroundings is the center for most agriculture in Alaska, with lots of farming of very large and intensely flavored produce. And yes, the stories of the enormous vegetables are true, IIRC this year's State Fair winner for the largest pumpkin set a new world record at nearly a ton(!), so that's a lot of pie for thanksgiving ;)
Rob in AK
