Category: Vegetables

Growing Garlic in Alaska

sjkesting

Growing beautiful and tasty garlic in Southcentral Alaska is easy and fun! I now grow so much that I have enjoyed giving it as gifts. The dried bunches are very cute tied with a bow.   The Alaska Botanical Garden performs a growing garlic class each fall. I thoroughly enjoyed this class. Much of the information in this post, I gleaned from that class and through my own experience. I also recommended the book Growing Great Garlic: The Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers by Ron L. Engeland Read More …

Mushroom Gardening in Ketchikan

cjdavidshofer

My Mushroom Garden in rain country! My wife and I recently got married June 21st 2015, and bought a house on an open gravel pad in Ketchikan, Alaska. It’s a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath fixer upper but has great potential–something my wife (Amanda) saw when we first took a look at the place. I saw a lot of work! Replacement of windows, siding and remodeling the kitchen was just a start. We took on the challenge and we are loving the place as we see it change from day to Read More …

3R Potatoes or… What Do You Do When the Kitchen Gives You a Case of Sprouting Potatoes?

banorman2

I love trying new things and learning. More importantly, I love learning alongside my students. This was my second year of teaching in Nenana. I teach Life Skills and Art in grades 9-12 during the day and after school I run our 21st Century Community Learning Center where we have 4H, Art, Science, Homework, and Robotics clubs along with a few other programs. During the after school programs, I get the opportunity to work with students in grades K-12. During both 4H and Life Skills, we cover nutrition and growing Read More …

My Corny Experiment

nrambo

A friend of mine worked on a very extensive winter sowing project. So extensive she had plenty of seedlings to share. After seeing what she ended up producing, I am fairly positive I am going to do the same next year. I helped her a bit during the process in which she took milk jugs, cut them in half, filled the bottom with soil, planted seeds, taped the jug back together and laid them outside in April to begin germinating. When June 1st rolled around, her jugs were bursting. All Read More …

One Species, Many Vegetables – An Introduction to Artificial Selection

Sarah

Brassica oleracea — An introduction to artificial selection Subject area: Biological Science — 6-8th grade Season: Best in early fall when Brussels sprouts attached to stem would be available and whole plants could be brought into classroom. Could be taught any time of year using vegetables from the grocery store. Time: This lesson is a one class period introduction to the concept of artificial selection. Suggested Materials: Samples of vegetables. Ideally these would include broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi and romanesco. If possible it would be Read More …

Grow your garden in Spanish

lblubin

Date: July 31, 2015 Time: 1-3 hours a week Materials needed: outdoor garden area Student level: Secondary Spanish students intermediate to advanced level Learning Standard: Common Core            Presentational writing Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well chosen details, and well structured event sequences Language Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard grammar and usage when writing or speaking Overview: Plant and grow an outdoor garden to practice tense changes and broaden Spanish vocabulary base. Objectives: By the end Read More …

Quirky Alaska Greenhouse Tomatoes

cmichetti

I have to admit, I didn’t like tomatoes before my husband built a greenhouse for me 6 years ago. He grew up on the sweet tomatoes his father grew in California and compared all others to those. I planted them initially for him, then I tasted my first homegrown cherry tomato and I was hooked. My unheated greenhouse is an 8×8 structure with clear Tuftex corrugated polycarbonate roof panels. My husband wanted panels that wouldn’t yellow and would allow the most light possible to pass. There is a 70 CFM Read More …

Crops in Pots – A Book Review

Elizabeth

Are you limited in available space to plant a garden, but still want to grow your own fresh veggies, fruits, and herbs? This book can help. Crops in Pots by Bob Purnell, describes how to plan, plant, and grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs in easy-care containers. Book Overview The book is broken into three main sections: starters, main courses, and desserts. In all, it presents 50 specific project ideas describing how to grow fruit, vegetables, and herbs in various containers. Each of these 50 projects includes a list of equipment Read More …

Tater Tires for Season Extension and Increased Potato Production in Alaska

Heidi Rader

By Mary Hinckley, an Alaska Master Gardener in Tok, Alaska Several years ago on a trip Outside, Snooks and I discovered Andean Fingerling potatoes. Up until then we’d become increasingly disappointed in grocery store potatoes. They seemed to have lost their savor, containing only starch and no flavor. We agreed that they were more like filler than food. But in a health food store we discovered potatoes called ‘Red Ruby Crescent.’ Brand new to us, we decided to give them a try and paid the outlandish price of five dollars Read More …