Sustainable Agriculture in Rural Alaska
I am particularly enthusiastic to learn about Tim and Lisa Meyers and their family farming operation in remote Bethel, Alaska.
Read moreWinter Salad Garden - Why Not ?
I anticipate the luxury of making a fresh salad in the middle of our long winter. The added benefit of some green plants adding a splash of color to our often drab landscape should be a welcome relief and just may help offset some of my winter cabin fever…
Read moreAnother Alaska Garden Season Ends
I picked the last of the tomatoes both ripe and green. It looks like I may make another batch of green tomato chutney. The red ones are very ripe and probably won't keep so they may go into a batch of chili…
Read moreThat's what it's all about...
Vegan Burgers for supper tonight with fresh sliced home grown tomato and garden lettuce…
Read moreJuly 26 Garden Update
Root maggots ruined my onions and radish crops and all plants had to be removed and destroyed. I will not plant onions in the same bed next year and I will be sure to follow the practice of using a Reemay floating row cover to prevent the adult flies from laying eggs…
Read moreI told you so...
Sometime last night a neighborhood moose stopped by and got my cabbage, snap peas, chard, some lettuce, and kale…
Read moreHoop Tunnel Snap Clamps
I am a big believer in using hoop tunnels or a simple hoop greenhouse made out of PVC pipe or plastic electrical conduit covered with plastic film…
Read moreGreenhouse Progress
It is now the second week in May and all plants have been moved out to the greenhouse. I have learned my lesson and I still use a backup electric heater along with my propane heater. Night time temps are still dipping below freezing…
Read moreGreenhouse disaster - another learning experience.
At some point early on Saturday morning, while I was at my night shift job, my greenhouse propane heater ran out of fuel. The overnight low temperature was 19 degrees F. It stayed below freezing for 11 hours…
Read morePlanting Update
It is now the end of March and my seedlings are coming along just fine. I have my seedling rack pretty full and hope to move some of the larger plants out to the greenhouse in a few weeks…
Read morePlanting Season Begins!
Well, I may be a few weeks late getting this posted, but I started some of my vegetable seeds a few weeks ago and today I potted up my tomato seedlings. This year I am trying Oregon Spring and Beaverlodge Plum tomatoes again, along with the hardy Glacier tomato that has done well for me in the past…
Read moreLast of the Greenhouse Veggies
I cleaned out the greenhouse today and picked the last of the tomatoes, peppers, and a few eggplant. I think I will make some green tomato chutney…
Read more2010 Berry Season in Wasilla
We finally had enough rain free days in August to get out and pick berries. I added a second raspberry bed and the new plants produced a few berries, but they will do much better next year…
Read moreLes Brake - Alaska Master Gardener
Most Alaska gardeners are familiar with Les Brake and his Alaska zone 3A Coyote Garden near Willow, Alaska. His annual garden tour was well worth the drive into the Talkeetna Mountains, about 2 hours north of Anchorage…
Read moreStarting Seeds Indoors
I use a special seed starting system from Park Seed Company called the Bio Dome that worked very well for me last year. I had nearly 100% germination…
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