I wouldn't hardly know what to do with dirt like that, Shawn. ha ha Ours is solid clay, right up to the surface. Pretty fertile, but not the easiest stuff to work with. We do grow some good potatoes, but they won't grow deep, so we have to cover them with a thick layer of straw to keep them from turning green.
You're right about the timing. The trouble is it's unpredictable. Sometimes we get frosts at the end of June and/or at the end of August. Other years we're good to go from early May to early October. So, you say your prayers and you take your chances! Our best bets for staples have always been Hooker's Blue Corn (unfortunate name but great stuff), mini hubbard squash, dry beans, and yukon gold potatoes. We usually get at least something from those. Tomatoes and peppers and melons grow great some years, and give us nothing others. All depends on the weather.
The fence is to keep the deer off the trees. Especially in late summer when the bucks are polishing up their antlers. We're in a one deer per year area, no additional doe/fawn tags available like there are across the highway. Dumb. I figure, if we ever move anywhere with real soil, a dependable growing season, and reasonable hunting limits, we're going to be swimming in food.
