THE OWNER BUILT HOME & HOMESTEAD
(Page 3 of 15)
January/February 1971
By Ken Kern
The southwest slope is warmer than the southeast slope. Sunshine on the southeast slope occurs shortly after the prolonged cooling at night. Also, evaporation of the morning dew requires energy. The west slope of a hillside has the highest average air and soil temperature and the longest frost free season. Cold injury to plants is greatest on the east slope; heat injury greatest on the west slope. Slopes facing north tend to be more moist than slopes facing south.
RELATED CONTENT
Temperature considerations are different for the Eastern and Western regions of the U. S. A north-south distance is important for a frost-free difference in the Eastern half; elevation determines temperature differences in the Western half. Latitude and elevation are therefore essential considerations in determining the length of the growing season. Growing season is the main limiting factor in developing a homestead in Alaska. (It is the average period between the last killing frost in Spring and the first killing frost in Fall.) The duration of extreme temperatures . . . both heat and cold, the amount of sunlight, and the amount of rainfall, are further climatic considerations that should be considered when choosing a homestead site.
Next to climatic and topographic factors, soil type is of foremost importance. Soil classification is a very involved subject and will be dealt with later (there are 1000 types of soil in California, for instance). But a few general pointers about soil should assist one in land selection. A dark soil color usually indicates high fertility. Grey and yellow indicate poor drainage and light colored soil, low fertility. Look for medium-textured soils: Extremes of both sand and clay are usually low in productivity. Sandy soils thaw first and warm up faster in the spring than do clay soils. This is due to their lower heat capacity, lower thermal conductivity and reduced amount of evaporative chilling.
Soil fertility can also be determined by observing plant growth. Fast growing weeds like giant horseweed or cockleburr indicate good soil conditions; red sorrel grows in poor acid soil. If the plant has a deep color the soil in which it grows is probably fertile. Tree limbs that extend upward and do not droop also indicate fertile soil. Walnut, cypress, whiteoak and cottonwood trees are all good soil indicators; blackjack and pine grow in poor soil.
It may be profitable for evaluation purposes to list all the considerations—in order of importance—that go into choosing a homestead site. There are indeed many, and no one site could possibly be favorable in all respects. So we therefore learn how to adapt and how to compensate for shortcomings. If the latitude falls short of expectations, compensate by increasing elevation. Or one can pick a site that has a proper orientation and slope angle so that the angle of exposure to solar radiation compensates a high latitude that receives little radiation. A low annual rainfall can be supplemented by dew and fog, or by irrigation and water storage. Soil texture may be substituted for moisture: Asparagus thrives in sandy soils in areas where heavy soils would be much too wet for it.
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