Never, Ever Gardened Before in Alaska? Keep Reading. . .

Gardening for the first time can be daunting, especially in Alaska with the added challenges of a short growing season, sometimes too-cool weather, and sometimes very hot weather. Although the internet provides a wealth of information, when you’ve never done something before, sometimes you don’t even know what questions to ask. Here are answers to some questions you may have not known to ask about gardening. 

The first thing to think about when starting a garden is where are you going to put it?

An ideal garden spot would get eight or more hours of direct sunlight; have rich, loose soil free of weeds, rocks and roots; be a good distance from trees and shrubs; have an easily accessible water source; and have an 8- foot-high fence to keep moose and other pests out. That’s the ideal, but many of us garden in less than ideal spots because that’s what we have available. However, it’s something to work toward or arrange if you can. Also, you can garden in containers, raised beds or in-ground.

raised bed with hoop house filled with flowers and veggies
This productive raised bed is located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks community garden which is a repurposed bridge and road over the train tracks. It heats up and gets full sun.

Do you want to grow in containers, raised beds, or in-ground?

Container gardening can be a good option for those who do not have a spot to plant a garden in the ground. But containers can be challenging to keep watered. A full hanging basket may need to be watered two to three times a day in the heat of the summer in Fairbanks. You’ll want to make sure you use good potting soil for hanging baskets rather than just digging up soil you may have in your backyard. For one, that type of soil may be very heavy and hard to move. Also, you need to optimize growing conditions in containers because of the added stress on plants.

Continue reading

Ready, Set, Grow a Garden this Summer!

Whether it’s your first time gardening or you’ve been at it a long time, this handy garden calendar will help you get started. Villages in Interior Alaska can request a free virtual or face to face workshop with Heidi Rader or another Tribes Extension Educator. Cooperative Extension offers a variety of workshops statewide.

Below is a basic gardening calendar for Interior gardeners. Here is another more detailed seed starting calculator and another resource on getting started gardening.

March 15

March 26

  • Start your cucumbers and tomatoes intended for a greenhouse.
four pictures of emerging seeds and seedlings

April 2

  • Start your pansies, petunias, and peppers!

April 4

  • Join a seed sharing event! If you live in a village in Interior Alaska, contact your Tribal Administrator or Behavioral Health Aide to confirm that they will be hosting a seed sharing event.
Seed sharing is a great way to get your seeds for the season.
Continue reading

Fake or Fact? How to Find Research-Based, Reliable, and Relevant Answers to Your Gardening Questions.

It’s easy to find any answer to any question, including gardening questions, right? Sure, you can just google the answer, but unfortunately, you might end up with the most popular answer but not reliable, relevant or unbiased information. The quantity of easily accessible gardening information also doesn’t mean that it is relevant or reliable.

Several rows of corn and vegetable crops at the UAF Agriculture Forestry Experiment Station demonstrating vegetable variety trial research

Vegetable variety trials at the UAF Agriculture Forestry Experiment Station provide research-based information about which crops and varieties perform best for Interior Alaska’s growing conditions. Photos by Glenna Gannon.

One of the things that makes it hard to find answers to gardening questions is that for many questions, they depend on where you live. For instance, which varieties and crops you can grow, when to start seeds indoors and which pests are present is information that is highly dependent on your location. Then of course there is a lot of gardening information that doesn’t depend heavily on your location. Continue reading