Using Aerogarden with Heating Pad

Alex Gimarc

I wrote a few years ago about using Aerogarden for starting seeds.  Since that piece, we upgraded our model as the old one went to the Big Compost Bin in the Sky after it died.  As part of the upgrade, we added what the manufacturer calls a seed starting kit to increase the number of available slots from 6 to 23. As a review, the Aerogarden is designed to grow complete, fruiting plants hydroponically.  Many people use it for starting seeds, which it does really well for most plants, though Read More …

Inching Into Indoor Gardening

Martha Tomeo

“Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow”… John Denver’s lyrics are often an earworm on my internal playlist, something I hum as I tend my “piece of fertile ground”.  I have always considered myself to be a gardener. My childhood home included a large patch of vegetables adjacent to our house and blackberry thickets bordering the yard. I was raised by thrifty parents who taught me the economic benefit of growing our own produce in rural New Hampshire. In Alaska, my own family homestead has always Read More …

Beekeeping Basic: Essential Supplies

Jamie Lang

My 2022 plan is to have three total hives: one hive is a Long Langstroth (following the plans linked below), and two traditional Langstroth hive kits from the Amazon May Bee store. I also purchased two additional boxes from Royal Alaskan Honey along with spring set-up items (frame feeders, supplements, etc). When the May Bee kits arrived, they came with two boxes of “bonus” essentials items, along with some minimal protective clothing (photo above). The purpose of protective clothing is to avoid bee stings; the clothing does not guarantee protection, but wearing Read More …

Beekeeping Basics: Choosing the Perfect Hive

Jamie Lang

In an earlier post, I talked about how and why I got into beekeeping (by accident). After a lot of research, now I’m going to share what I have learned about the different types of beehives, which type is the best option for me, and considerations for beekeeping in Alaska.  Types of Hives  When thinking back to my life before bees, I could only conjure up images of two types of hives: fields of tall grass and flowers with row upon row of Langstroth hives (image above); and Winnie the Pooh Read More …

Growing Ranunculus in Southcentral Alaska

Heidi Rader

by Megan O’Mullane I fell in love with ranunculus in the spring of 2020 when I was working for Greta Lewanski on her cut-flower farm, Turnstone Farm, in our Airport Heights neighborhood. The ranunculus was blooming ahead of everything else because she had started them so early. They had the same lush, romantic appeal as peonies but were blooming in a far wider range of colors, and I knew I had to try growing them for myself. Last year was my first season growing ranunculus in my own garden and Read More …

Dreaming of sunshine: 3 of My Favorite Recipes from Last Year’s Garden

Sam Wagner

My garden is sleeping under 3 feet of snow. I am left to day dream of sunny afternoons spent among lush, green, growing things. While I wait for spring, I’d like to share a few of my favorite recipes that I made during the 2021 gardening season. The first is my absolute favorite, Pea Salad. The second utilizes the harvest I’m most proud of, Spaghetti Squash Casserole. Lastly, Pot Roast with Roasted Vegetables, which is the first fall dish I make after the last harvest in the fall. They’re all Read More …

Why in the world would you want to keep honey bees in Anchorage, Alaska?

Jamie Lang

Honey bees in Anchorage, Alaska? Why yes, that’s my plan for summer 2022! So when a friend gives you seven Langstroth bee boxes that have been in storage for over ten years, what would you do? If you’re like me, you accept them, clean them up, repair and repaint them, and start researching, reading and watching everything honey bees. When thinking about beekeeping, some might ask why? In fact, every person I’ve told about the boxes and the bees asks why? Some recoil at the thought. Some roll their eyes at me. Read More …

What Is Wrong With My Rhubarb?

Grace York

Delicious in crisps, pies, and even a cocktail, this versatile vegetable is relatively easy to grow. Though technically a vegetable, rhubarb is an Alaskan fruit favorite! But what happens when the pie plant some gardeners choose to leave to its own devices suddenly takes a turn? Growing up we had one very large and happy rhubarb plant in our backyard. It wasn’t in a garden, wasn’t even tended to, and it did great! Our rhubarb seemed to defy most garden advice: a testament to how hardy the plant is! Crisps Read More …

Starting Berries in Winter

Grace York

An Experiment It’s February in Alaska while the rest of country is gearing up for spring. You’re walking the aisles of your local big box store and admiring the berry starts that just came in! Outside it’s still cold and dark, bright snow gleaming back at you during the short daylight hours. These starts are still dormant, save for a few brave ones with green leaves beginning to break through buds on the canes of the raspberries. Below I’ve chronicled the results of my experiment inducing spring indoors and successfully Read More …