Lake effect in Sagle (Priest River, Hope: how much, new home, buying)

[Olypowergal]

I have been reading the NID forum for a few years now. I just joined and this is my first thread.

A little background:
My husband, daughter, and I have made several trips to NID since 2011 looking it over. I am eligible to retire finally. Will we not be looking for jobs, in fact my husband is waiting for this move to be able to start his new home business. We home school our daughter, so public schools are not important.

We raise and grow as much of our own food as possible. I have seen a few properties in Sagle that might work for us. My concern is the "lake effect". How bad is it in Sagle, and how much does it effect the growing season? My husband likes growing a variety of vegetables and currently has several fruit trees.
Any information that you are willing to give is appreciated.

Also, I will says this, yes we are from California. My husband is originally from Montana. I am a first generation Californian. My parents were from Texas and Arkansas and raised me as such. So we do not not bring Californian ideas with us.

[sierra don]

Here is a plant hardiness zone map and other info related to growing seasons for the Sagle area....hope this helps. I've also included a link to a seed supplier that specializes in veggie seed for cooler/shorter season growing climates. Once we are up there I will be purchasing some of his product.

I am moving from Ca. (45 miles west of Tahoe) and will have a shorter growing season than where I am currently living, bought property 20 miles north of Priest River.

I've seen a number of properties where there are fruit trees, apple, pear and maybe others that seem to do fine up there. Saw these will house hunting up there, I'll have to start over growing my fruit trees, currently have cherry, apple, plum, pear and an almond tree, last year was 1st year for a full harvest from my apple, gonna miss that tree.

Hope this information is helpful for you......

Note: I have no affiliation with the below links, posted for information and to help others.


First and last freeze/frost dates for Sagle, ID over at Dave's Garden

Each winter, on average, your risk of frost is from September 14 through May 26.
Almost certainly, however, you will receive frost from September 28 through May 4.

You are almost guaranteed that you will not get frost from June 18 through August 31.

Your frost-free growing season is around 111 days.

First and last freeze/frost dates for Sagle, ID ,United States




Interactive USDA Gardening and Plant Hardiness Zone Map for Idaho

Idaho Interactive USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map



Ed Hume Seeds is a family owned and operated business located in the Pacific NW. We've been selling the highest quality seeds and garden products since 1977. Our seed line is specially selected for short season and cool climate areas. This makes our varieties perfect for high altitudes and early or late planting in warm climates.

ABOUT OUR SEEDS

Selected For Cool Climates
Suitable For Early & Late Planting In Warmer Climates
Untreated and Not Genetically Engineered
Highest Germination (This Years Crop Not Last Years.)
Easy To Grow
Lowest Prices

Ed Hume Seeds Garden Site

[Olypowergal]

Thank you

[Teufelshund20]

When I finally move up there, I plan on using a commercial greenhouse so I can grow peaches/apricots, and veggies. It will help extend the growing season plus cold protection.

Don't forget to buy fencing, the deer/moose will eat everything not protected.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Teufelshund20

When I finally move up there, I plan on using a commercial greenhouse so I can grow peaches/apricots, and veggies. It will help extend the growing season plus cold protection.

Don't forget to buy fencing, the deer/moose will eat everything not protected.

You won't need a greenhouse to grow any of those things. All you will need to do is buy the correct varieties of the fruit trees and veggies. Pears and apples do well in almost every part of Idaho, too.

Packing the young tree trunks with manure/straw and covering the pack with burlap will keep the root ball through a hard winter. Once the trees are mature, you don't need to do anything special as long as they are healthy.

Of course, much will depend on what spot you select to settle in. Elevation here is a crucial factor as is exposure. Choosing a spot on top of a hill 1,000 feet higher than a valley floor makes a tremendous difference in the growing season. Choosing a spot in the middle of a pine forest will require a ton of soil de-acidification for the fruit trees. Stuff like that all needs to be considered.

[Teufelshund20]

Originally Posted by banjomike

You won't need a greenhouse to grow any of those things. All you will need to do is buy the correct varieties of the fruit trees and veggies. Pears and apples do well in almost every part of Idaho, too.

Packing the young tree trunks with manure/straw and covering the pack with burlap will keep the root ball through a hard winter. Once the trees are mature, you don't need to do anything special as long as they are healthy.

Of course, much will depend on what spot you select to settle in. Elevation here is a crucial factor as is exposure. Choosing a spot on top of a hill 1,000 feet higher than a valley floor makes a tremendous difference in the growing season. Choosing a spot in the middle of a pine forest will require a ton of soil de-acidification for the fruit trees. Stuff like that all needs to be considered.

I don't think peaches like cold weather under 0, so if I can buy a dwarf peach tree and keep it protected from the harsh cold, I think a green house would work. Do people have peach trees in Northern Idaho?

[Cnynrat]

Originally Posted by Teufelshund20

I don't think peaches like cold weather under 0, so if I can buy a dwarf peach tree and keep it protected from the harsh cold, I think a green house would work. Do people have peach trees in Northern Idaho?

Yes, there are some peach varieties that will grow in zones 5 & 6, which is what most of north Idaho is. O'Henry, Snow Beauty and White Lady can be grown in zone 5. If you are in a zone 6 area you'll have a few more choices available.

Apricots and plums can also be grown in zones 5 & 6, but like the peaches you need to be careful to choose the right varieties for the climate.

Olypowergal - When you ask about lake effect in Sagle are you asking if there is greater than average snowfall in Sagle due to the lake? That's what I normally think of when someone talks about lake effect. Our house is well out towards the eastern end of the Sagle peninsula, about a mile from the lake. I'd say if anything we tend to get somewhat less snow than other areas, but certainly we don't get noticeably more snow than other areas in north Idaho. As Mike suggests I think elevation is going to be a bigger factor in snowfall amounts than how close or far you are from the lake.

As for growing vegetables lots of people in Sagle have large gardens, so I think you'll do fine there as well. One thing to be aware of is that it's not unusual for temps to dip into the 50s at night in the summer, so some heat loving crops like tomatoes and peppers may be more prolific if grown in a greenhouse, but certainly most people grow them successfully in outdoor gardens.

Dave

[Olypowergal]

Manure and straw are never a problem on our homestead. Currently we raise goats, rabbits, and chickens. We will be bringing some of this livestock with us and adding more once we get to NID.

I completely agree with you and getting the proper short season fruits and vegetable varieties. That was why I wanted to know about the "lake effect" I had heard about. Even though we are not newbie homesteaders here in CA, we will be newbies in the NID region. So much to learn. I greatly appreciate the advice.

We are trying to find property at a lower elevation. It seems to be mostly treed. So I will keep in mind what you said about de-acidification for fruit trees.

[Olypowergal]

Dave,
Thank you for the information about the area. Yes, the amount of snow and the "lake effect" was what I was referring to. I saw a property on Muskrat Lake Rd and our realtor really discouraged me from considering it. She said the " lake effect" would cut the growing season down to much. That is why I asked about it.
My husband does want to build a greenhouse for tomatoes and peppers. I'm sure other things too, but I don't remember. I have a brown thumb so I don't do much with the gardening. The livestock is my area.

[banjomike]

Cold boxes are a much cheaper alternative to greenhouses for vegetables that need a head start for Idaho's growing season.

Any commercial greenhouse can offer many very inexpensive alternatatives to green housing, and more are being developed every year.

If a person knows nothing about gardening under the conditions that are present throughout the entire state, it's likely the first year's efforts could concentrate only on getting the know-how and some things done beforehand that will ensure the first year's garden will be a good one.

Gardening is one of those things that only a person can set in the scale of priorities.
If I was already a professional small-farm truck gardener, for example, I would even look at N. Idaho. Or most of S. Idaho, either. There are only a couple of places that would allow me the right kind of growing season to allow a profit from the first year's effort.

There could be different priorities for me if I was planning to use my garden for a year-round food supply. There would be different priorities for me if I planned to use my garden to economize my food buying, not replace it.

There would be different priorities for me if I planned to grow all my own meat, or use my own-made dairy products, or if I wanted to bottle my own beer and spirits, or grow my own materials for clothing myself and sheltering myself

Each puts a different demand on the land I select. And since I plan to live a larger life than only home & garden, there are many other, completely different priorities I would need to take into consideration.

…. and my priorities may be different from almost anyone else's. Since the 5-string banjo, a major factor in my life, is not commonly played everywhere, I may decide to bag an entire plan totally if I learn of a community where there are a lot of other players.

What all this amounts to is this: Only you know what you want, or think you want. Only you can set your priorities. And only you can do all the homework necessary to make sure your priorities best mesh with the place you will be committing in a very major way to living in.

No one else can ever provide the answers to the most important decisions and the priorities that always accompany a move. Moving an individual's core lifestyle is always very hard. And it is inevitable that some concessions must be made.

A perfect place to live exists only in the fantasies inside a person's head. Everyone has them, and they seldom match the realities of life anywhere.