Even worse than orchards in respect to hillside and watershed stabilization are the vegetable farms that in recent years have been opened up in the mountains to supply increasingly popular cold-weather vegetables to urban markets.
民國七十二年夏天，台北連續十八天沒有下雨，居然就水源不繼。直到七十二年底翡翠水庫開始蓄水，才解決大台北都會區的用水問題。果樹雖然水土保持功能不彰，但好歹還有樹根入土、地面也葉落草長。近年來，高冷蔬菜變成平地市場的搶手貨，許多人又種起蔬菜來了。