Wind tolerant vegetable ideas?

[simka2]

I am debating right now between raised beds behind the house or tilling up the old garden on this property. The problem with the old garden is that it has no wind protection and we sit up high in the middle of about 100 open acres. The wind can be pretty fierce. So I was debating mounding on the north and south sides of the garden and planting something that is both useful and wind tolerant. Any ideas on what I can plant?

I am a bit west of Houston, so it would have to be pretty heat tolerant and with a long growth season.

Thanks!

[geo in mi]

Does your prevailing wind blow from the North or South? Usually it's from West to East, so would mounding help on those two sides? Before I would do much major work, I would consider two other things: 1) The fact there was a garden there before should tell you that it might not have been too windy..... 2) Snow fencing, or the plastic woven rabbit fencing about four feet high might be cheaper and still work, if you could try that--then build hedge or something more permanent?

Just a couple of thoughts....

geo

[Marcia in MT]

You might try planting something tall on the windward side of the garden -- corn, sunflowers, castor beans, etc. If planted in double rows or more, they can block a good deal of wind once they get tall enough.

How about putting up a windscreen fence? (The Canadians do a lot of this.) Shelterbelt? The good thing about these is that they won't take up any of your garden space.