[Catbellina]

Hi all. We are looking to move house from a lush 110 feet above sea level to a house at 1500ft. I know that I'm going to be gardening in a polytunnel from now on, and I know that pollination is an issue for fruit trees but if I kept bees for pollination, can I grow apples etc in a polytunnel?
Any tips and hints for this or general gardening (flowers etc) at this altitude would be very welcome.
Thanks

[Russell Atterbury]

I don't know if this helps, but apples grow supremely well in Manali and other places of India, at around 2000 metres.

[owein]

hi, We live at about 1300 feet in, very windy, North Wales. when we first moved here I bought some apple trees from a local nursery, at the checkout the cashier said 'I know where you live, these wont grow there'..... I bought them anyway and have had decent harvests from them ever-since, where been here 14 years now. Shelter is key, we spent a lot of time planting trees to create shelter and are now able to grow most things..... we're a bit slower than lower down, but not massively so. raspberries and blackcurrants grow brilliantly up here too.

[Catbellina]

I don't know if this helps, but apples grow supremely well in Manali and other places of India, at around 2000 metres.

Thanks for that - good to know. Everything I read says basically don't try growing any fruit trees above 900ft but my instinct is telling me that's wrong. I've always wanted an orchard. Now, we have found our (almost) dream house but it's at higher altitude than I had planned! It's not going to stop me trying though!

[Catbellina]

hi, We live at about 1300 feet in, very windy, North Wales. when we first moved here I bought some apple trees from a local nursery, at the checkout the cashier said 'I know where you live, these wont grow there'..... I bought them anyway and have had decent harvests from them ever-since, where been here 14 years now. Shelter is key, we spent a lot of time planting trees to create shelter and are now able to grow most things..... we're a bit slower than lower down, but not massively so. raspberries and blackcurrants grow brilliantly up here too.

Thanks so much for that. Really helpful. I'm happy to be patient if I know I can do it! Fortunately the land is south facing which will help. So first priority is shelter from the wind.

[jambop]

 1500 ft is not high altitude gardening you should have no problem growing a lot of stuff at that altitude unless of course it is in the extreme north, very poor soil or suffer very bad and cold prevailing winds. As to bees some of the nicest honey comes from the mountains. What you will, I think , find is that that you will get later crops and a slightly shorter growing season but with you poly tunnel you should do fine.

[Subversive_plot]

I think that where you live has a lot to do with whether altitude is a problem. 1500 ft in northern Scotland would be different from Wales or Devon.

I'm in Georgia, we have low elevation orchards, but also many that are above 1500 feet.

Planting a windbreak (hedgerow that can grow tall, or trees) is a prudent step. You want your orchard on the leeward side of the hedgerow.

[Catbellina]

1500 ft is not high altitude gardening you should have no problem growing a lot of stuff at that altitude unless of course it is in the extreme north, very poor soil or suffer very bad and cold prevailing winds. As to bees some of the nicest honey comes from the mountains. What you will, I think , find is that that you will get later crops and a slightly shorter growing season but with you poly tunnel you should do fine.

.
Thanks for that. We will be on the Cumbria/Northumberland border. South facing side of the valley so hopefully sheltered from the worst of the north and east winds but it does get strong westerlies.
Does anyone know if windbreak netting is any good for helping to get trees growing faster? The previous owners planted lots of trees 5 years ago but most are only about waist height still.

[Catbellina]

I think that where you live has a lot to do with whether altitude is a problem. 1500 ft in northern Scotland would be different from Wales or Devon.

I'm in Georgia, we have low elevation orchards, but also many that are above 1500 feet.

Planting a windbreak (hedgerow that can grow tall, or trees) is a prudent step. You want your orchard on the leeward side of the hedgerow.

Thank you. That's all really useful.

[Subversive_plot]

1500 ft is not high altitude gardening you should have no problem growing a lot of stuff at that altitude unless of course it is in the extreme north, very poor soil or suffer very bad and cold prevailing winds. As to bees some of the nicest honey comes from the mountains. What you will, I think , find is that that you will get later crops and a slightly shorter growing season but with you poly tunnel you should do fine.

.
Thanks for that. We will be on the Cumbria/Northumberland border. South facing side of the valley so hopefully sheltered from the worst of the north and east winds but it does get strong westerlies.
Does anyone know if windbreak netting is any good for helping to get trees growing faster? The previous owners planted lots of trees 5 years ago but most are only about waist height still.

Is there anything like a Forestry Commission or Agricultural Extension in your area that can offer advice?

For any kind of windbreak, you want it to hold up well in the types of wind that you can expect in your area. The netting could help some trees get started, but you might want to ask local experts.

If there are trees or shrubs that tolerate your cold and wind, consider that. My parents had, for a long time, a Chinese privet hedge that dealt with Indiana winters with no problem (down to -28 °C). In places the privet was 15 feet tall. There may be better choices for your area.

[Catbellina]

Is there anything like a Forestry Commission or Agricultural Extension in your area that can offer advice?

For any kind of windbreak, you want it to hold up well in the types of wind that you can expect in your area. The netting could help some trees get started, but you might want to ask local experts.

If there are trees or shrubs that tolerate your cold and wind, consider that. My parents had, for a long time, a Chinese privet hedge that dealt with Indiana winters with no problem (down to -28 °C). In places the privet was 15 feet tall. There may be better choices for your area.

Thanks for that. Much appreciated. My research is ongoing!

Edited to fix quote.