When common recommendations for cultivating in cold soils inadvertently thaw permafrost

Melissa Ward Jones, details when common recommendations for cultivating in cold soils inadvertently thaw permafrost, starting with the challenges of cultivating at high latitudes. Cultivating crops within cold soils at high latitudes can be challenging. The growing season is short, with the risk of frosts at each seasonal margin, and overall, both air and soil temperatures limit crop options that can be grown. A common recommendation in cultivating cold soils is the use of seasonal extension techniques, such as greenhouses, high tunnels, low tunnels and various mulches (such as plastic and biodegradable like straw and compost) to artificially heat the soil, and depending on the technique used, the air temperature as well (Stevenson et al., 2014).