Welcome to the Timber Garden!

The Timber Garden is located at 5000 feet in the beautiful mountains of central Idaho. We have an incredibly short growing season...and sometimes it freezes in July! This blog is meant to be a resource for our fellow cold-hardy gardeners who are determined to play in the dirt no matter what.

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Creatures

We employ two personality-filled but unskilled cats and one real cat to manage our mouse population, keep a worm bin in our kitchen, and are slowly building our chicken empire. Two beehives help keep everything pollinated.

About

A little background on the Timber Gardeners and our mini-forest.

Store It

Wondering what to do with extra zucchini? Of course you are. Quit asking Pinterest and find recipes and tips on storing and canning here.

The Blog

Will heirloom tomatoes grow in the mountains?
What does a serviceberry taste like?
Will my cats catch my chickens?
Yes, like seeds, and only to ride them around like a tiny horse.
Read on to find out more.

Features

Berries

Interested in weird berries? We are too. McCall is home to a forest full of edible wild berries, including huckleberries, serviceberries, currants, and tiny grouse whortleberries. While our zone is perfect for strawberries and raspberries, there are so many other options you can try! Gooseberries, sea hawthorns, and honeyberries are just a few. Check out our collection.

Mushrooms

McCall, ID is a fantastic spot for wild mushrooms, including the coveted morel and the even better king bolete (boletus edulis). Mushrooms can also do wonders for your garden! Wood-lovers will break down your straw bales and compost. Microscopic mycorrhizae live in and around roots, extending the uptake system of your garden plants and helping them pull in nutrients and water. Delicious garden helpers improve soil AND your pasta dishes.

Fruit Trees

You can't make pie out of a Ponderosa pinecone. What kind of fruit trees can you grow in zones 3 and 4? Good question. Thanks to breeding programs in cold areas like Minnesota, Maine, and Canada, there are zone-hardy varieties of almost everything! You just have to search a little harder for the frosty orchard of your dreams.

Vegetables

Don't let anyone tell you where you can grow tomatoes! There are all kinds of sneaky gardening tricks to optimize your mountain garden. While the cool climate can be rough on peppers, there are many vegetables that actually do BETTER in the mountains!