North Dakota can be a challenging place to grow vegetables for both commercial farmers and home gardeners because of a variety of factors, such as the dryness of the soil, the short growing season and the extreme weather, says a horticulturist with North Dakota State University Extension, Fargo.
Growers can adapt to the shortened growing season through the use of "high tunnels," which are similar to a greenhouse but shelter plants that are growing out of the ground, not placed on shelves. These high tunnels can lengthen the growing season by several weeks.
The difficulty isn't always with growing produce, though. Selling can also be a challenge. Farmers are encouraged to have a market plan in place before planting their crops because produce is much more perishable than crops such as grain.
As Tom Kalb, horticulturist with NDSU Extension, puts it, "Marketing is key, and it is not guaranteed."
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