Marigolds: Edible, Beneficial, and Beautiful

By Mary Hinkley, an Alaska Master Gardener in Tok, Alaska   I believe in marigolds. Though marigold’s pest resistant qualities are mentioned on many of their seed packets, I feel they’re under rated. Most of my raised beds have a marigold border. This serves two purposes; the garden is beautiful and it’s safe from pest invasion. Early this season I went to the local nursery to get some for my greenhouse and found that it was too early for their marigold crop, so I bought some seeds, went home, and Read More …

Pollinators in Alaska

A Lesson Plan for Gardening in the Classroom in Alaska, by Jessica Mulvey, an Alaska Master Gardener “If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years left to live.” …. The above quote has been falsely been attributed to Albert Einstein but is the spirit of the quote true? Pollinators, bees particularly, have been in the news over the past decade due to dramatic & devastating population declines. Debates over pesticides and their effects on pollinators are currently being heard in Read More …