Heating it up: Compost Heated Greenhouses

Most Alaskan gardeners are creative out of necessity. With a growing season made up of unique light patterns, temperature fluctuations and abbreviated season lengths, gardeners learn to adapt. Gardeners who want to continue growing into the winter months have additional challenges. There is a great deal of information available about season extenders – nothing compares to fresh greens even in the dead of winter. Those who want to harvest their own fresh produce year-round often turn to greenhouses as a solution. However, heating in greenhouses can be a significant expense Read More …

Keep a little messiness in your fall garden

As autumn ends abruptly in Alaska, gardeners are still busy in their yards winterizing, preparing for the snow and hoping to create a tidy landscape before spring. I would like to make the case for keeping a little bit of messiness in your garden this fall (and hopefully every fall moving forward). Leaving fallen leaves, dried grasses and twigs and other natural debris can benefit a gardener in the short and long term in a variety of ways. Soil and plant health: Leaf litter, smaller twigs, lawn trimmings and other Read More …