INTRODUCTION

In 1930, the late Dr. Albright recorded many gardens along the MacKenzie River, even three inside the Arctic Circle. Commercial gardens existed around the larger centres of population until better transportation opened up the north to southern supplies.

Today many market gardens stand on the site of these old gardens. Dunvegan, Alberta is one of these sites along the Peace River where the soil is deep and fertile and water for irrigaton is plentiful. The desire to reduce the dependency upon imported food is increasing and along with it, the interest in northern horticulture among the people of the north.

The definition of north is relative. To a person in Toronto, north is north of North Bay; to a person in Edmonton, north is Grande Prairie; and to a person in Grande Prairie, north is the Yukon. For this project, I consider north as being those zones from 0 to 3, according to Agriculture Canada's zone map. These zones suffer from short growing seasons, severe winter temperatures, and cold soil but with a variety of other problems as well. These include Chinooks and high winds on the Prairies, the proximity of the Shield to the surface in Northern Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba. permafrost in theYukon and Northwest Teritories, soils that vary from acidic to alkaline, and quite often, drought.

But this northern region has many advantages over the more southern areas of the country. Sunshine is abundant in the summer, with less pollution and longer days. Many plants, such as peas, prefer the cooler temperature of the north and produce excellent crops. Low humidity reduces the growth and spread of harmful fungi. Few insect pests survive the cold winters and many are often fooled into hatching by extended winter thaws thus reducing their numbers for the next year.

introduction.html
This page by Pat
updated August 18, 2000

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