Anybody else thinking about gardening lately? (Fairbanks, Metlakatla: live, costs, stores)

[Marty Van Diest]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Marty, I have a degree in botany and I've worked in blueberry breeding.

Some basics: Blueberries need a highly acidic soil, about 3.5. You should plant at least 3 bushes in a given area (if there aren't wild blueberries growing in the area, you'll need 3 bushes for pollination purposes). Next time you plant blueberries, work in some acidic soil amendments and leave plenty of room for root development. Starting with bare-root bushes in the spring is probably the best way to go. As far as transplanting from the wild, the optimal time to do that is after dormancy has set in. That's tricky in AK because freeze-up can follow soon after that. Blueberries also have shallow fibrous roots that spread out for quite a ways--often when people try to transplant them they damage the roots because they don't realize the span that they have.

Thanks for the tips...I'll try again this summer. I think they might need some protection from our cold winters too.

[tidelines]

Got my seeds ordered yesterday, making plan to terrace another level and convert it to frames. I have too much yard to think I'll enjoy the leisurely activity of mowing the grass. Greenhouse is empty, snow still more than a foot atop the beds; we've a ways to go before anything goes in the ground in these parts.

[bthorn31]

Originally Posted by freezengirl

For anyone interested: Elliot Coleman will be in Anchorage area giving a talk I believe on March 10th. There should be something in the papers about it. His books are some of the most highly recommended for learning about gardening in Alaska though he is from Maine if I recall correctly.

I haven't had the opportunity to explore to much of Alaska, yet, but I am very familiar with Maine. Northern Maine grows great potatoes and it gets pretty darn cold there too. I am not familiar with this gentleman, but don't let the fact that he is from Maine put you off.

[freezengirl]

I think the reason his books-Four Season Harvest and The Winter Harvest Handbook, are highly recommended for Alaska is that many of the techniques he uses are useful for high latitude areas. So even though we are at a higher latitude here, many of his techniques were well here.

I have been a fanatical gardener most of my life, in MN was in the Master Gardener Program through the University Extention System. Yet coming to Alaska and wanting to garden was a whole different way of gardening. I would have had a much harder time adjusting to the idiocyncracies of gardening here without the help of the local gardeners and of course Mr. Colemans books.

[Pooua]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Marty, I have a degree in botany and I've worked in blueberry breeding.

Some basics: Blueberries need a highly acidic soil, about 3.5. You should plant at least 3 bushes in a given area (if there aren't wild blueberries growing in the area, you'll need 3 bushes for pollination purposes). Next time you plant blueberries, work in some acidic soil amendments and leave plenty of room for root development. Starting with bare-root bushes in the spring is probably the best way to go. As far as transplanting from the wild, the optimal time to do that is after dormancy has set in. That's tricky in AK because freeze-up can follow soon after that. Blueberries also have shallow fibrous roots that spread out for quite a ways--often when people try to transplant them they damage the roots because they don't realize the span that they have.

I bought my first blueberry plants soon after I bought my first house. Now, I live in Plano, Texas, which is a bit different in some ways from Alaska. I don't know what your soil is like, but ours is alkaline. So, I'm growing all my blueberry plants in containers filled with peat moss and topped with pine chips. I collect rain water, because water that runs through our soil becomes alkaline, too.

I was able to harvest about 10 lbs of blueberries last year, but I also lost about 4 plants. They simply dried up. I suspect the hot, dry Texas Summer was too much for them. We set several heat records last year. Either that, or it may have been disease.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Pooua

I bought my first blueberry plants soon after I bought my first house. Now, I live in Plano, Texas, which is a bit different in some ways from Alaska. I don't know what your soil is like, but ours is alkaline. So, I'm growing all my blueberry plants in containers filled with peat moss and topped with pine chips. I collect rain water, because water that runs through our soil becomes alkaline, too.

I was able to harvest about 10 lbs of blueberries last year, but I also lost about 4 plants. They simply dried up. I suspect the hot, dry Texas Summer was too much for them. We set several heat records last year. Either that, or it may have been disease.

Lots of big conifers where I'm at, so the soil is very acidic. Not sure about Marty's area (Marty,I think the Mat-Su extension service does soil sample testing for people though I'm not entirely sure).

Pooua--I'm really impressed. Collecting rainwater for your blueberries---that's real dedication. Yeah it was probably the heat that did them in. Their roots need to stay somewhat cool--if they're in black containers, that could be attracting too much heat.

[celticdenefew]

I am not an experienced gardener. I had a few herbs, flowers and peas in a small garden last year and they seemed to do ok. Of course the peas were the only seeds, the others were transplants. Total cheat, I know
I think I am ready to mess about with more vegetables this year. Does anyone have any advice on which plants I can grow? Where to get seeds or small transplants which would be gmo free? I live in Seward, which plants will do best in that sort of environment? Any information, advice, or help would be most appreciated!

[Pooua]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Lots of big conifers where I'm at, so the soil is very acidic. Not sure about Marty's area (Marty,I think the Mat-Su extension service does soil sample testing for people though I'm not entirely sure).

Pooua--I'm really impressed. Collecting rainwater for your blueberries---that's real dedication. Yeah it was probably the heat that did them in. Their roots need to stay somewhat cool--if they're in black containers, that could be attracting too much heat.

I come from the desert, so I look on rain water as wealth. I have barrels and wading pools all over my little lot. My combined capacity is around 1200 gallons. I keep goldfish in one of the pools. I would like to put in a big tank, and grow tilapia in my irrigation water. However, I also want my yard to look nice, as I am a photographer. So, I need to blend in everything to look like a garden paradise. That's my dream, anyway. All it takes is money and hard work.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by celticdenefew

I am not an experienced gardener. I had a few herbs, flowers and peas in a small garden last year and they seemed to do ok. Of course the peas were the only seeds, the others were transplants. Total cheat, I know
I think I am ready to mess about with more vegetables this year. Does anyone have any advice on which plants I can grow? Where to get seeds or small transplants which would be gmo free? I live in Seward, which plants will do best in that sort of environment? Any information, advice, or help would be most appreciated!

Transplants aren't a cheat--some things can't be grown in AK without them, or without a greenhouse to start seeds in.

Peas usually do great where you're at and are easy to grow from seed. Any cool season vegetable will do well in the Seward area. As flowers---most perennials are fine, most non-heating loving annuals as well. You're in great potato country. Culinary herbs in the mint family always do well there.

Try Territorial Seeds for a good selection of GMO seeds--as far as transplants in your local area, I have no clue but if you as around you'll probably find something.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Pooua

I come from the desert, so I look on rain water as wealth. I have barrels and wading pools all over my little lot. My combined capacity is around 1200 gallons. I keep goldfish in one of the pools. I would like to put in a big tank, and grow tilapia in my irrigation water. However, I also want my yard to look nice, as I am a photographer. So, I need to blend in everything to look like a garden paradise. That's my dream, anyway. All it takes is money and hard work.

That does sound like hard work. I've always lived in areas that are abundant with water--one day last summer it rained about ten inches within an eight hour period.

I've heard of people doing backyard fish-farming; that sounds interesting. It seems that a lot of people raise catfish in backyard pools in some parts of the country.

Good luck with our blueberries this year--I'd look into some way of keeping the roots a bit cooler during eat waves this summer.