You can have a thriving vegetable garden in zones 3, 2, and even zone 1! Check out our list of edible crops and unique cultivars that are cold hardy for your short growing season.
Zones 1-3 present unique challenges, but with the right knowledge, you can grow a successful and productive garden.
An awareness of your zone's climate is a fundamental step in cold climate gardening.
Zones 2 and 3 in the United States encompass regions like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana, while Zone 1 extends to parts of Alaska.
Globally, these zones also cover areas in Canada, Greenland, Siberia, and Northern Scandinavia.
It's essential to know the lowest temperatures you can expect. According to the USDA Plant Hardiness Map:
This information is crucial when selecting perennials and understanding their cold hardiness.
Also, the closer you are to the poles, the more daylight you'll have in summer. This is a natural advantage for your growing season. Finally, pay attention to frost dates, as they are key to knowing when to plant and when to harvest.
Also, for annual crops, it’s helpful to know the length of your growing season:
Keep frost dates in mind. In these zones, the last frost can occur as late as June, and the first frost can arrive early in September or even late August.
Below is a list of cold climate crop recommendations.
You’ll find cold hardy vegetables, fruit trees for zones 1-3, nut trees for the coldest climates, and quick maturing herbs.
All of the information can be sorted by growing zone, crop type, or by lifespan (annual vs perennial).
You might be surprised by what you can grow, even in zone 1!
Apple: 922 End
Available from Hardy Fruit Tree Nursery in Canada. They note this can be eaten fresh, but it's tastiest when cooked or turned into juice. It's self-fertile, and ready to harvest in the second week of September.
In my research I have found that this apple has been grown in Alaska; however I have not been able to find a US-based seller.
Chokecherry - Wild
Also available from Hardy Fruit Tree Nursery in Canada are several varieties of wild chokecherries. They note that chokecherries are part of indigenous food traditions, and are turned into preserves. If you enjoy astringent tastes, you can also eat them fresh. Harvests are ready in mid-late August.
The varieties they have include:
Serviceberry- Wild
Serviceberries are native to North America and can often be found growing wild from the Pacific Northwest up to the zone 1 regions of Canada.
They are a delight to forage - I have some of the Idaho variety growing wild in my yard. As Hardy Fruit Tree Nursery mentions, they are similar to small blueberries.
A comprable source for US residents is from Food Forest Nursery. It's a wild variety that is noted for zone 2, but you may still be able to get harvests in zone 1.
Pine Nut - Siberian
A stone pine tree hardy enough for zone 1 climates! Siberian Pine Nut Tree can produce food for 500 years, according to Experimental Farm Network. They sell seeds, or you can buy seedlings from Restoring Eden.
You have a wide range of annuals to choose from! Favor crops with shorter maturity windows - anything less than 70 days is a good bet.
Vegetables that meet this criteria are most pole and bush beans, leafy greens, beets, radishes, broccoli, and zucchini. Look for early varieties of cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, and cucumber.
For heat-loving crops, such as eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes, grow them in a greenhouse, under a cloche, or over a hotbed.
In addition to the varieties mentioned above for zone 1, you are able to grow:
Apple:
Currants:
Blackberry:
Buffaloberry
Cherry:
Grape - Valiant
Hardy Silverberry
Honeyberry/Haskap - Boreal Beast
Kinnikinik/Uva Ursi
Lingonberry
Pear:
Plum:
Russian Olive
Saskatoon Berry/Juneberry
Serviceberry:
Hazelnut - Beaked
Pine Nut - Korean
Most annuals are able to grow in your zone, especially if you're at a northern latitude with long summer days. Favor crops with shorter maturity windows - anything less than 85 days is a good bet.
In addition to the vegetables mentioned for zone 1, try growing artichoke as an annual, and northern climate adapted winter squash. Experiment with growing herbs - you may even be able to overwinter them if you bring them indoors over winter.
For heat-loving crops, try growing them in a greenhouse, under a cloche, or over a hotbed.
Start Seeds Indoors: Begin your seedlings indoors to extend your growing season. This head start gives your plants the chance they need to mature before the cold returns.
Cold Frames and Greenhouses: Use these structures to protect your plants from late and early frosts, and will extend your growing season by several weeks.
Utilize Raised Beds: Raised beds warm up more quickly than the ground, so you can plant earlier.
Dark Colored Mulch: Like a blanket, mulch can warm up your soil. Avoid light colored mulches as the light color can make you soil colder, especially on the early and late ends of your growing season. Instead, try grass clippings, compost, worm castings, or leaf mulch.
Try Hot Beds: I first heard about hot beds from Huw Richards. A hot bed is a raised bed that is elevated off the ground, with a compost pile placed underneath. The compost pile must be made optimally all at once, so that it starts to emit heat. Then, utilize this heat to grow vegetables above. The vegetables are covered by a cold frame to keep the heat in.
Strategic Compost Placement: A similar strategy that I’ve seen Sean at Edible Acres employ is placing a compost pile next to areas where crops grow. He had a compost going at one end of his greenhouse to act as a heat source.
Gardening in zones 1-3 may seem daunting, but it's far from impossible. With careful planning and strategic practices, you can enjoy a bountiful harvest. Embrace the unique conditions of your cold climate and watch your garden flourish.
