Category: Garlic

Sam Knapp at Offbeet Farm Does More than Grow Food— He Stores it Most of the Winter and Writes About it

 

Sam Knapp could do anything. He has degrees in physics and chemistry as well as an advanced degree in plant ecology. Yet, here he is in Fairbanks, Alaska, making a living growing a wide variety of crops that he stores and sells only in the winter. Oh, and writing about it. I asked him why.

sam knapp with worker in field harvesting beets with storage facility in background
Sam Knapp harvests beets at Offbeet farm. Photo by Phil Knapp.

Post-college, Sam worked as an engineer in an office and volunteered on a farm on the weekends. He found the weekend work a lot more rewarding than the office work. Climate change mitigation and food security motivate him as well. Although reality has set in and his view of farming is less idyllic, he still finds the work satisfying, worthwhile and well aligned with his values.

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All About Alliums—Knowing Your Onions, Shallots, Garlic and Leeks

 

Alliums are the vegetables we can’t do without–onions, garlic, chives, leeks, and shallots. They are so called because they belong to the genus Allium. We add them to pizza and pasta, soups and stir-fries, and Thai and Indian cuisine. So why not make some space for alliums in your garden this year?

Siberian Onions growing in the Georgeson Botanical Garden in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Siberian Onions growing in the Georgeson Botanical Garden in Fairbanks, Alaska.

They are easy to grow but you must first know how to start them. There are several ways.

You can plant onions, shallots, leeks, chives, and Siberian onions from seed. Garlic, on the other hand, does not produce fertile seed so you must plant garlic cloves. Seeds should be started inside about 10 weeks before transplanting outdoors.

But seeds aren’t your only option. I don’t have the patience for starting alliums from seed so I buy sets or dormant plant bundles which can be planted directly outside and show visible, daily growth. Sets are dried, half-grown or baby onions. If growing onions, shallots, or leeks, you can grow them from semi-dried or dormant plants that come in bundles of about 50 or 60 plants. If kept cool and dry, you have up to one week before they need to be planted. You can also buy live transplants, but this is likely more expensive than sets or dormant plants. Continue reading