Monday, August 16, 2010
CORN!
We ate our first corn yesterday! This is a big event at our house no matter when it is, but this year it is really, really big because I was not sure we would get any corn at all. I am really surprised that we had corn by the the middle of August! With all of the cloudy weather and the rain, I was sure that we would be lucky to get a few snaggely looking ears by the first of August. For corn to pollinate properly some dry weather is needed or many kernels never mature. What we ate yesterday was great corn! I was able to find enough for the whole family (all twenty of us including grandkids) to have an ear apiece. It was so yummy! Corn is so much work to grow that harvesting it is very rewarding. Not everyone bothers to grow corn here, but the satisfaction of growing it is so worth it! It isn't worth alot at the markets, although we sell it for $1.50-$2.00 per ear, That may sound like a high price, but it is the most labor intensive and space intensive crop we grow. When you consider that one zucchini plant will produce 15-20 zucchini in about the same space it takes to grown two ears of corn and that each zucchini sells for an average of $1.50 and zucchini is easy to grow, corn is a real bargain! Just think, you can buy a whole ear of corn for the price of one fountain soda drink! What a deal!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
My first post :)
Hello everyone, my name is Natalie Kenley and I will now be contributing to the blog!! Above is a photo of our first artichokes of the season!
I have been working with Carol this summer in her gorgeous garden and at the Wednesday markets and I have been snapping a bunch of pictures that we want to share with you all. We had a fabulous time on the farm tour today and were so pleased with how many people came to support us all here in the valley. More about the tour to come...
Friday, July 30, 2010
Farm Tour and Rainy Wether
Tomorrow the day of the Mat-Su Farm Bureau Tour. The two tour buses are stopping here for the All Alaska Grown lunch and for a brief tour of our place. I'm not having to do the lunch, that is catered by The Rib Shack, but there was still a lot of work to do to get ready for the tour. This year I am the tour coordinator and so of course I am nervous about how the whole tour will go. Mostly, I am anxious about people coming here. We do have a lovely place and I want everyone on the tour to experience it at it's best. After all, some of my wonderful customers have told me they are coming and I want them to see where their food is grown. We normally spend a great deal of time weeding, but the last two days we have been ruthlessly attacking all weeds everywhere! Fortunately the weather cooperated and we were able to get the lawn mowed too, which is wonderful.
The rain this month has been so disheartening for farmers! I feel blessed that our gardens are doing well and I am grateful that we grow a diverse variety of vegetables. Crops that take a little more heat and any real sunshine just aren't doing well. My neighbors, Bob and Jeannie Havemiester have not gotten any hay up yet. They have some cut in the fields, but it has rained so much that it isn't good for anything now. My good friend, Arthur Keyes at Glacier Valley Farms, has his field of strawberries and zucchini at about 1/3 the production of last year. My corn is in silks, but with all the rain the pollination will probably be horrible and there will be no saleable ears, even if they do mature. My flowers are suffering in the wind and rain, my baskets usually unbelievably lovely are not lovely and even my lilies have yet to bloom.
With those downer thoughts, let me tell you what crops are doing well. Spinach, for one, has loved the sunless days. Spinach doesn't really like all of the daylight we get in the summer, so the overcast days were good for the spinach. It has been wonderful. Kohlrabi has been thriving in the cool, sunless days. Usually if it gets bigger than fist size, it will be woody and tough, but that has not been the case this year. Our cabbage loves this weather as well as the broccoli and cauliflower. And, I just can't leave out the lettuce. Our lettuce has been spectacular. The rain has made the lettuce crisp and sometimes when I am in the garden I feel like burying my face in a head and just taking a bite right out of the middle--no kidding, it is that good! The potatoes are also growing well and although the carrots are slow, trust me, we will have carrots.
Who knows, August could prove to be a sunny month. I am looking forward to a change in the weather pattern, but I am happy gardening even when the weather is uncooperative. I think that is a good thing, or I'd have been unhappy alot this last month.
The rain this month has been so disheartening for farmers! I feel blessed that our gardens are doing well and I am grateful that we grow a diverse variety of vegetables. Crops that take a little more heat and any real sunshine just aren't doing well. My neighbors, Bob and Jeannie Havemiester have not gotten any hay up yet. They have some cut in the fields, but it has rained so much that it isn't good for anything now. My good friend, Arthur Keyes at Glacier Valley Farms, has his field of strawberries and zucchini at about 1/3 the production of last year. My corn is in silks, but with all the rain the pollination will probably be horrible and there will be no saleable ears, even if they do mature. My flowers are suffering in the wind and rain, my baskets usually unbelievably lovely are not lovely and even my lilies have yet to bloom.
With those downer thoughts, let me tell you what crops are doing well. Spinach, for one, has loved the sunless days. Spinach doesn't really like all of the daylight we get in the summer, so the overcast days were good for the spinach. It has been wonderful. Kohlrabi has been thriving in the cool, sunless days. Usually if it gets bigger than fist size, it will be woody and tough, but that has not been the case this year. Our cabbage loves this weather as well as the broccoli and cauliflower. And, I just can't leave out the lettuce. Our lettuce has been spectacular. The rain has made the lettuce crisp and sometimes when I am in the garden I feel like burying my face in a head and just taking a bite right out of the middle--no kidding, it is that good! The potatoes are also growing well and although the carrots are slow, trust me, we will have carrots.
Who knows, August could prove to be a sunny month. I am looking forward to a change in the weather pattern, but I am happy gardening even when the weather is uncooperative. I think that is a good thing, or I'd have been unhappy alot this last month.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Harvesting
What a great opening day we had at the market last week! It was wonderful to see everyone again and to meet new customers. It was so fun to have such a huge variety of produce for the opening day! It was even more special because Channel 2 News came and shot some footage and Wednesday night they showed a segment on the Farmer's Markets. I didn't see it, but my friends tell me our stand looked wonderful!
Thursday and Friday were lovely sunny days here in the Valley. The veggies really loved the sunshine! Of course the weeds loved it too and we spent alot of time weeding, but weeding is not a bad job when the sun is shining! Now the gardens look lovely again. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.
Tuesday we will be harvesting for the market on Wednesday. I know alot of my Palmer customers miss us at the Friday Fling, so we have decided that we will offer to harvest what ever they order while we harvest on Tuesdays. Here's how it will work. We will list what we will have at the market each week on Sunday evening. If you will email your order to us by Monday evening we will harvest your order Tuesday and you can come by and pick it up Tuesday evening. Our email address is secretarymb@hotmail.com .
We will have a huge variety of produce this week. Here's the list:
Baby beets with greens, broccoli, cucumbers, bright lights chard, red leaf lettuce, head lettuce, snow apple turnips, new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, lemon boy tomatoes, red slicing tomatoes, sweet green peppers, hot peppers, green onions, radishes, turnip greens, zucchini, napa cabbage, kohlrabi, basil, garlic, sage, parsley, marjoram, oregano and thyme.
Thursday and Friday were lovely sunny days here in the Valley. The veggies really loved the sunshine! Of course the weeds loved it too and we spent alot of time weeding, but weeding is not a bad job when the sun is shining! Now the gardens look lovely again. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.
Tuesday we will be harvesting for the market on Wednesday. I know alot of my Palmer customers miss us at the Friday Fling, so we have decided that we will offer to harvest what ever they order while we harvest on Tuesdays. Here's how it will work. We will list what we will have at the market each week on Sunday evening. If you will email your order to us by Monday evening we will harvest your order Tuesday and you can come by and pick it up Tuesday evening. Our email address is secretarymb@hotmail.com .
We will have a huge variety of produce this week. Here's the list:
Baby beets with greens, broccoli, cucumbers, bright lights chard, red leaf lettuce, head lettuce, snow apple turnips, new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, lemon boy tomatoes, red slicing tomatoes, sweet green peppers, hot peppers, green onions, radishes, turnip greens, zucchini, napa cabbage, kohlrabi, basil, garlic, sage, parsley, marjoram, oregano and thyme.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
First Market
I need to start this post by apologizing for not posting for so long. My broken arm has kept me from doing much on the computer, but it is feeling better now and so I will try to do better.
Tomorrow is our first Farmer's Market of the year and I am excited about it! Last year we sold at the Friday Flings in Palmer and the Wednesday South Anchoarge Market in front of the Dimond Hotel. The Friday Fling started in mid May. This year we decided to concentrate all of our efforts on the Wednesday market and tomorrow is opening day! I must admit I have missed the markets. I love growing everything, but I also love sharing our beautiful produce with all of our customers. Thus, I know that I will not sleep well tonight, I am just like that, I can't sleep when I am excited about something!
I could hardly believe how much we harvested today! June was a very cloudy month and nothing grew quite like it did last year but the early warm days in May seems to have made a big difference! We are bringing the best turnips we've ever grown. They are so juicy that yesterday at lunch Rachel said she thought they were as juicy as pineapple! Well, I'm not sure about that, but they are delicious! I also harvested the earliest new potatoes we have ever grown! I have a goal of digging potatoes in the month of June. I didn't reach it this year, but July 6th isn't far off and there is always next year. I am trying to learn how to grow peppers. We have grown them for years, but this year I am concentrating on doing them right. My efforts are paying off and I have three lovely baskets of sweet green, yellow and hot peppers to bring to the market already. I am also very proud of our collard greens. They are big and so tender!
My six-year-old grandson, Dane, has taken on growing our green onions. He really wants to buy a mountain bike and so his mom has helped him plant onion sets and is teaching him how to harvest. It is the cutest thing to watch him work and he has done a great job. He is proudly bringing his onions to the market tomorrow, if you come you won't be able to resist them.
I hope the weather report for rain tomorrow is wrong and if not, I trust that enough people will come out the the market anyway, if not I will have a trailer full of vegetables to bring home.
Tomorrow is our first Farmer's Market of the year and I am excited about it! Last year we sold at the Friday Flings in Palmer and the Wednesday South Anchoarge Market in front of the Dimond Hotel. The Friday Fling started in mid May. This year we decided to concentrate all of our efforts on the Wednesday market and tomorrow is opening day! I must admit I have missed the markets. I love growing everything, but I also love sharing our beautiful produce with all of our customers. Thus, I know that I will not sleep well tonight, I am just like that, I can't sleep when I am excited about something!
I could hardly believe how much we harvested today! June was a very cloudy month and nothing grew quite like it did last year but the early warm days in May seems to have made a big difference! We are bringing the best turnips we've ever grown. They are so juicy that yesterday at lunch Rachel said she thought they were as juicy as pineapple! Well, I'm not sure about that, but they are delicious! I also harvested the earliest new potatoes we have ever grown! I have a goal of digging potatoes in the month of June. I didn't reach it this year, but July 6th isn't far off and there is always next year. I am trying to learn how to grow peppers. We have grown them for years, but this year I am concentrating on doing them right. My efforts are paying off and I have three lovely baskets of sweet green, yellow and hot peppers to bring to the market already. I am also very proud of our collard greens. They are big and so tender!
My six-year-old grandson, Dane, has taken on growing our green onions. He really wants to buy a mountain bike and so his mom has helped him plant onion sets and is teaching him how to harvest. It is the cutest thing to watch him work and he has done a great job. He is proudly bringing his onions to the market tomorrow, if you come you won't be able to resist them.
I hope the weather report for rain tomorrow is wrong and if not, I trust that enough people will come out the the market anyway, if not I will have a trailer full of vegetables to bring home.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Fair Weather, Planting and Flower Beds
The last two weeks have been incredibly busy with planting and watering and selling our flower baskets and getting my flowers planted. This broken arm has been an annoyance, but it hasn't slowed me down on too many things, but typing at this computer is pretty uncomfortable or perhaps I'd just rather be planting than writing right now. The weather has been gorgeous and the gardens are really growing! The corn is about 24" tall already and the peas are about 6" tall. Yesterday we noticed zucchini blossoms so in a week or so we will eat our first zucchinis and the first of the radishes and green onions will be in our salad this Sunday. I just love it when we add the first fresh veggies to our salads!
Last week we planted turnips, more peas, carrots, spinach, green onions, and beets from seed. With this amazing sunshine, they jumped up in just a few days! We have managed to keep them wet, but the rain of the last two days was a welcome sight for all the Valley farmers. The potatoes we planted two weeks ago are springing up and all the transplanted kohlrabi, broccoli, lettuces, cabbage, chard and cauliflower are growing happily. Of course, the weeds are happy too, so we are doing our first weeding as well. Tomorrow we put up our electric moose fence and hope it does the trick of keeping the moose out again this year. Last year it proved successful, but moose are pretty hard to stop and I have little faith in two stands of two-inch electric tape when they are up against a full grown moose!
I am in the process of planting my flower gardens. It is the planting I love the best. I wake up about 4:00 am every morning and force myself to try to fall back to sleep until 5;30. Then I practically leap out of bed so I can get to my flower beds. I do love my flowers and I always want to do them all myself. No one around here fights me for the job, at least no one joins me outside at 5:30! I plant eleven flower beds of various shapes and sizes. I have some perennials and I love lots of annuals. I have planted five of the beds and tomorrow I plan to get most of the rest planted. I will have Rachel help me post some pictures (I am technology challenged ).
My good friend Arthur Keyes of Glacier Valley Farm is taking some rhubarb and hebs we harvested today into the Saturday markets in Anchorage tomorrow. We have already harvested about 85# of rhubarb from the ten plants at my mother's garden and it is just barely June! We sure can grow rhubarb in Alaska!
Last week we planted turnips, more peas, carrots, spinach, green onions, and beets from seed. With this amazing sunshine, they jumped up in just a few days! We have managed to keep them wet, but the rain of the last two days was a welcome sight for all the Valley farmers. The potatoes we planted two weeks ago are springing up and all the transplanted kohlrabi, broccoli, lettuces, cabbage, chard and cauliflower are growing happily. Of course, the weeds are happy too, so we are doing our first weeding as well. Tomorrow we put up our electric moose fence and hope it does the trick of keeping the moose out again this year. Last year it proved successful, but moose are pretty hard to stop and I have little faith in two stands of two-inch electric tape when they are up against a full grown moose!
I am in the process of planting my flower gardens. It is the planting I love the best. I wake up about 4:00 am every morning and force myself to try to fall back to sleep until 5;30. Then I practically leap out of bed so I can get to my flower beds. I do love my flowers and I always want to do them all myself. No one around here fights me for the job, at least no one joins me outside at 5:30! I plant eleven flower beds of various shapes and sizes. I have some perennials and I love lots of annuals. I have planted five of the beds and tomorrow I plan to get most of the rest planted. I will have Rachel help me post some pictures (I am technology challenged ).
My good friend Arthur Keyes of Glacier Valley Farm is taking some rhubarb and hebs we harvested today into the Saturday markets in Anchorage tomorrow. We have already harvested about 85# of rhubarb from the ten plants at my mother's garden and it is just barely June! We sure can grow rhubarb in Alaska!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Gardening Mania & a Broken Arm
The last two weeks have been crazy bus around here! There has been endless watering, transplanting, seeding, plowing, pruning and staking. It takes every waking hour right now and some hours that should be devoted to sleep just to keep up! Everything is growing wonderfully and this week we have even gotten some vegetables planted in the ground! The corn we planted two weeks ago is growing fast. It is protected by clear plastic, so last week's winds didn't affect it and this week's sunshine if making it grow. Yesterday we planted some zucchini and put some hoops over it and plastic so it is in a protective tunnel. The tunnel was a good thing because we had a wicked wind and rain storm last night that would have destroyed the zucchini. Planting it this early is definitely a gamble anyway, but I am really anxious for zucchini and the truth is I planted the seeds too early and the plants had to be put in the ground or just thrown out.
Sunday as I was watering the hanging baskets, I tripped and fell and caught myself with my right hand. As luck would have it, I broke my arm. Fortunately it is not a bad break and the Dr. let me use a removable brace instead of a cast. It is annoying, but it could be a lot worse so I'm not complaining.
The hanging baskets are taking over the greenhouse! They are spectacular this year and I am so proud because we started all of the flowers ourselves. It was nice not to have to buy any starts or plugs from out of state because we avoid importing any pesky pests to have to fight! It is great to have a totally pest free greenhouse!
We are having our annual plant sale this Friday and Saturday. Like I said, the hanging baskets are beautiful and we have great bedding plants and veggie starts. Arthur Keyes of Glacier Valley Farm is going to take some of our baskets in to the new Spenard Market in Anchorage, so look for them there.
Well, the sun is shining and the garden is calling. It is time to stop writing and get farming!
Sunday as I was watering the hanging baskets, I tripped and fell and caught myself with my right hand. As luck would have it, I broke my arm. Fortunately it is not a bad break and the Dr. let me use a removable brace instead of a cast. It is annoying, but it could be a lot worse so I'm not complaining.
The hanging baskets are taking over the greenhouse! They are spectacular this year and I am so proud because we started all of the flowers ourselves. It was nice not to have to buy any starts or plugs from out of state because we avoid importing any pesky pests to have to fight! It is great to have a totally pest free greenhouse!
We are having our annual plant sale this Friday and Saturday. Like I said, the hanging baskets are beautiful and we have great bedding plants and veggie starts. Arthur Keyes of Glacier Valley Farm is going to take some of our baskets in to the new Spenard Market in Anchorage, so look for them there.
Well, the sun is shining and the garden is calling. It is time to stop writing and get farming!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Want to Go Behind the Scenes at the Market?
Well, now you (virtually) can.
One of our good friends, Rayne Reynolds spent a day with us last summer at the Anchorage Wednesday Market. He followed us around with his camera like paparazzi and took all these pictures of us. We thought you might enjoy the behind the scenes virtual tour.
One of our good friends, Rayne Reynolds spent a day with us last summer at the Anchorage Wednesday Market. He followed us around with his camera like paparazzi and took all these pictures of us. We thought you might enjoy the behind the scenes virtual tour.
Pushing the Season
Wow! The last few days have been so lovely I have had to literally stop myself from planting! When it is so sunny and feels so warm, I want to put everything outside and in the ground. Fortunately my mother, with her fifty years of experience of Alaska gardening, is able pull up old planting journals where time after time there will be killing frosts the middle of May. If the frost doesn't kill the Cole plants, it causes them to bolt. Actually, temperatures below 40 will cause broccoli and cauliflower to bolt, that is produce tiny heads. This reminder cools my planting fever and I will hold off planting the broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, zucchini and chard for at least two more weeks.
There is still plenty for me to plant. I am planting garlic and onions, a true plethora (love that word) of them. Also I am going to plant peas(already up and growing in their sixpacks in the cold frames.) I planted some turnips and beets in 250 count seed trays and I hope to get them in the garden in the next few days. Normally I direct seed turnips and beets right in the garden, but I am hoping to get them a bit earlier this year. I tried it last year and we harvested turnips three weeks earlier than normal.
Tomorrow we will plant the corn. That is always an exciting day. It can't take the cool weather either, but we give it extra protection and cross our fingers alot!
Since I took the mulch off of the flower beds last week the perennials are jumping. The peonies and bleeding hearts always survive as well as the delphiniums. This year the companula has really spread. Three years ago I put in some philipendula and thalictrum, both are thriving! A big surprise is that the sea holly and the clematis that I planted last year are coming back. They are both zone 3/4 and I didn't expect that they would make it. Lilies are popping up everywhere (I think I should divide them this season). I still see no signs of the astillbe or the goats beard, but it is still early. One perennial we can always count on is rhubarb and I am happy to report that we will have rhubarb in time to make pie for Mother's Day--this Sunday! Isn't Spring just the best!
There is still plenty for me to plant. I am planting garlic and onions, a true plethora (love that word) of them. Also I am going to plant peas(already up and growing in their sixpacks in the cold frames.) I planted some turnips and beets in 250 count seed trays and I hope to get them in the garden in the next few days. Normally I direct seed turnips and beets right in the garden, but I am hoping to get them a bit earlier this year. I tried it last year and we harvested turnips three weeks earlier than normal.
Tomorrow we will plant the corn. That is always an exciting day. It can't take the cool weather either, but we give it extra protection and cross our fingers alot!
Since I took the mulch off of the flower beds last week the perennials are jumping. The peonies and bleeding hearts always survive as well as the delphiniums. This year the companula has really spread. Three years ago I put in some philipendula and thalictrum, both are thriving! A big surprise is that the sea holly and the clematis that I planted last year are coming back. They are both zone 3/4 and I didn't expect that they would make it. Lilies are popping up everywhere (I think I should divide them this season). I still see no signs of the astillbe or the goats beard, but it is still early. One perennial we can always count on is rhubarb and I am happy to report that we will have rhubarb in time to make pie for Mother's Day--this Sunday! Isn't Spring just the best!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Planting Onions, Planting Garlic and Tilling
What wonderful weather we have been having!!! Suddenly it is spring and I can't believe how warm it is and how warm the soil is. Tuesday I checked the soil under some IRT (green plastic) that I laid last fall and found it incredibly warm. Even though it was still April, I couldn't resist and immediately planted some onions and garlic! Those two plants will withstand frost, warmer ground is what they need. I can hardly resist planting the broccoli, lettuce and cauliflower seedlings, but nine times out of ten if I do, they will die, so I am restraining myself.
I am keeping busy. Yesterday I managed to till my big hill garden and my mom's garden. They are somewhere between the size of large gardens or small fields, so getting them tilled is an accomplishment. I also removed all the mulch from my flower beds and discovered many perenials already growing--hooray! I mowed the lawn, raked the leaves and dead grass and spread fertilizer. Today I will water the lawn and by this time next week it should be green--I know it happens every year, but it's always a miracle to me.
I am keeping busy. Yesterday I managed to till my big hill garden and my mom's garden. They are somewhere between the size of large gardens or small fields, so getting them tilled is an accomplishment. I also removed all the mulch from my flower beds and discovered many perenials already growing--hooray! I mowed the lawn, raked the leaves and dead grass and spread fertilizer. Today I will water the lawn and by this time next week it should be green--I know it happens every year, but it's always a miracle to me.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Future of Alaska's Agriculture and Planting Corn
I didn't write las week because I was much too busy and not in the greenhouse. Oh, the greenhouse needed work done, and I did the maintenance watering and checking, but I had much more important work to do. That is an odd statement coming from me, because this time of year nothing really gets in the way of me working in my greenhouse. My family can attest to that--laundry goes undone, the housework slips, meals are not the best prepared and I even occasionally have to buy a loaf of bread. But last week something more important than the greenhouse work took place. That was the Alaska State FFA convention.
FFA stands for Future Farmers of America and it is fabulous! The convention was here in Palmer and it was truly inspiring! The youth in attendance came from across the state. They competed in competitions related to agriculture and leadership. This was a group of youth fired up about agriculture and dedicated to the future of agriculture in this state. I was able to help in a small way, coaching on of the teams and helping with the food preparation and I feel it was a great privilege to have been able to rub shoulders with the FFA. If you ever see them in their blue jackets, support them any way you can. They are our future!
CORN
Now for the present--this week is for corn planting--not outside, that will come next week. Every year at the markets people are amazed at the price of sweet corn in Alaska. We farmers do charge from $1.50-$2.00 an ear which sounds way expensive to those from the lower 48 who are used to paying that much for a dozen ears. However, for me, my corn is a bargain! Let me explain why. First of all, not just any corn will grow in our cool Alaskan soils. We must purchase specail seed which is quite expensive. Then we must plant the corn the end of April into six-packs and grow in in the house (the greenhouse night temperatures might be too cool). That is twoenty five flats of corn which need to be housed on tables thoughout my mom's and my house (not a great interior decorating theme).
Next week we will cross our fingers for a nice sunny day with no wind-what are the chances of that happening? When that happens (it must happen before May 10th) every other activity must cease and we must plant the corn. My sister who lives close by will be enlisted, my three married daughters will drop anything they are doing and my mom and dad and I will plant corn. The fragile corn seedlings will be coaxed out of their six-packs. Hopefully the roots aren't too long and coming out the bottom. We will have already fertilized and tilled the corn patch. We will make individual hills for each corn plant, six inched deep, eighteen inches apart. We will carefully plant each seedling in it's hole, giving each a drink of fertilizer laced water. The water must be warm water, brought in buckets from the house so that it will help warm the soil. After each seedling is planted we will stretch drip tape beside each row for irrigation. A trench will be dug all aroun the corn patch and then we will stretch 6 mil clear plastic over the whole patcth (this is why there can be no wind. Once the plastic is stretched, we'll bury the edges with dirt, place big rocks stategically on the plastic throughout the corn patch and hope it holds through all of our spring winds.
About the first of June we will need to carefully cut the plastic at each corn plant and gently pull it out into the open air. The irrigation hose will need to be attached to each drip tape and several times fertilizers will need to be applied. After all of this we hope for a 'good' summer, one with plenty of sunshine and some warm days. If all this goes well, and we get the sunshine and heat we need we can expect to harvest two marketable ears from every corn plant.
About every other year is a 'good' corn year, meaning that half the time we don't get a marketable corn crop and all the work and the expense yeilds only enough corn to satisfy the family. Bet you don't wonder now why I think Alaska corn is a bargain. You are probably asking why we, or any other farmers would even bother with growing corn since it's so much work and so unprofitable? Well, it's just because we can. Growing corn is like the Mt. McKinley of Alaska farming, you feel like a champion when you grow a successful corn crop and there is nothing like the rush of picking the first ear of corn of the season!
FFA stands for Future Farmers of America and it is fabulous! The convention was here in Palmer and it was truly inspiring! The youth in attendance came from across the state. They competed in competitions related to agriculture and leadership. This was a group of youth fired up about agriculture and dedicated to the future of agriculture in this state. I was able to help in a small way, coaching on of the teams and helping with the food preparation and I feel it was a great privilege to have been able to rub shoulders with the FFA. If you ever see them in their blue jackets, support them any way you can. They are our future!
CORN
Now for the present--this week is for corn planting--not outside, that will come next week. Every year at the markets people are amazed at the price of sweet corn in Alaska. We farmers do charge from $1.50-$2.00 an ear which sounds way expensive to those from the lower 48 who are used to paying that much for a dozen ears. However, for me, my corn is a bargain! Let me explain why. First of all, not just any corn will grow in our cool Alaskan soils. We must purchase specail seed which is quite expensive. Then we must plant the corn the end of April into six-packs and grow in in the house (the greenhouse night temperatures might be too cool). That is twoenty five flats of corn which need to be housed on tables thoughout my mom's and my house (not a great interior decorating theme).
Next week we will cross our fingers for a nice sunny day with no wind-what are the chances of that happening? When that happens (it must happen before May 10th) every other activity must cease and we must plant the corn. My sister who lives close by will be enlisted, my three married daughters will drop anything they are doing and my mom and dad and I will plant corn. The fragile corn seedlings will be coaxed out of their six-packs. Hopefully the roots aren't too long and coming out the bottom. We will have already fertilized and tilled the corn patch. We will make individual hills for each corn plant, six inched deep, eighteen inches apart. We will carefully plant each seedling in it's hole, giving each a drink of fertilizer laced water. The water must be warm water, brought in buckets from the house so that it will help warm the soil. After each seedling is planted we will stretch drip tape beside each row for irrigation. A trench will be dug all aroun the corn patch and then we will stretch 6 mil clear plastic over the whole patcth (this is why there can be no wind. Once the plastic is stretched, we'll bury the edges with dirt, place big rocks stategically on the plastic throughout the corn patch and hope it holds through all of our spring winds.
About the first of June we will need to carefully cut the plastic at each corn plant and gently pull it out into the open air. The irrigation hose will need to be attached to each drip tape and several times fertilizers will need to be applied. After all of this we hope for a 'good' summer, one with plenty of sunshine and some warm days. If all this goes well, and we get the sunshine and heat we need we can expect to harvest two marketable ears from every corn plant.
About every other year is a 'good' corn year, meaning that half the time we don't get a marketable corn crop and all the work and the expense yeilds only enough corn to satisfy the family. Bet you don't wonder now why I think Alaska corn is a bargain. You are probably asking why we, or any other farmers would even bother with growing corn since it's so much work and so unprofitable? Well, it's just because we can. Growing corn is like the Mt. McKinley of Alaska farming, you feel like a champion when you grow a successful corn crop and there is nothing like the rush of picking the first ear of corn of the season!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
SNOW!!!!!
Spring is always my best time of the year. I just love the lengthening daylight, the bright sunlight and the crisp air. I am always have an abundance of extra energy in the spring. I wake up in the mornings anxious to get to my greenhouse and I am always sorry when it is time to go to bed at night--there is always one more seed I could plant. It takes alot to get me down in the springtime. Last week when it was 18 degrees when I woke up and the greenhouse heater was struggling to keep the temperature up to 40 could have discouraged me, but I just decided that the cool air would make the plants more compact. Little seedlings suffering from damp-off virtually destroying my foxglove and allysum might have gotten to me, but I just shrugged it off and decided I'd just have more salvia in the flower gardens to take their place. Today, though, planting tomatoes in my mom's greenhouse while a snow storm was raging outside was a bit discouraging! I am looking out my window on four inches of snow everywhere and more is falling fast. Oh well, I can't waste too much time lamenting. I am picking up 150 tomato plants on Friday so my work is cut out for me, getting those planted in the gro-bags. Nothing chases away discouragement like more planting and of course some sunshine!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Transplanting and seeding & first harvest!
It's hard to believe that we have only been in the greenhouse for five days. It is filling up so fast! I sepnt Monday and Tuesday making up hanging baskets. That is always so fun. They don't look like much right now, but in six weeks majic happens and they become fairy-tale lovely! We have grown some beautiful wave petunias and bacopa this year, with some new varieties that I am dying to see in the flesh (not sure 'flesh' is the right word, but I mean in reality and not just the picture in the seed catalog.) We're also busy transplanting seedlings into six pack flats and tomatoes and peppers into 6-inch pots and onions into trays. There is so much to do and it is all so fun! Last night I planted alyssum seeds and calendula, malva and lavatera. It is also time to plant some veggie seeds. Oh yes, last night I also made my first harvest. I noticed that the basil was ready to pick and hooray I cut a good bit and put in the fridge. Tonight I think I will make some pasta to use it on--yum!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Moving Day
Today I moved into the greenhouse! That is a major event that I always want to happen by April 1st, but it doesn't always work out. This year it worked. I, well, actually my 77 year young mother and I moved about 60 flats of seedlings from both her house and mine into my wonderfully organized greenhouse. Last fall we started adding twelve feet onto the greenhouse and the project didn't get finished until last Saturday. Doing the addition gave me the opportunity to completely clean out the greenhouse, put down new floor covering and get things organized just the way I want them. This is not my normal modus operandi. Usually I am having to move around piles of pots and flats and I hang the baskets where ever there is room. This year, I have all the tables set up, the rods in the right place for the hanging baskets, and all the pots of dirt stacked in my empty barn, waiting to be moved to the greenhouse as needed.
Today was also specail because it was my first real vegetable planting day. I planted some lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and swiss chard. It is a little early for planting those, but if we have a great spring, it will be fun to eat fresh veggies the first part of June and if not, the seeds didn't cost much!
Today was also specail because it was my first real vegetable planting day. I planted some lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and swiss chard. It is a little early for planting those, but if we have a great spring, it will be fun to eat fresh veggies the first part of June and if not, the seeds didn't cost much!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Spring Fever
I have to admit I've got it bad! The sun is shining today and I just want to be outside in my greenhouse. The trouble is that the back of it is wide open. Lst fall we started adding onto it and before we got it closed in winter came upon us and the whole back of the greenhouse is open to the elements. With love and persausion,I think my husband will get it closed in for me this weekend. Then a few days to let it warm up the ground and test the furnace and I'll be ready to move it!! I am busy organizing down there already, moving pots around, getting my irrigation system lined out, generally puttering. But today, my house is calling me. I will water my seedlings and reluctantly do my housework but next week no matter house bad my house looks, I will be in the greenhouse!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Jungle is Taking Over!
Only eight more days until I get to move out of the house! I can't wait! April 1st is the day I set for moving into the greenhouse. That means that the sixty some flats of seedlings in the grow shelves and spread on tables in front of the windows and I get to move into the sunshine! Of course, I will still sleep in the house, and take my meal here and unless I get a maid and cook I will have to spend some time on those mundane chores, but every other waking moment will be spent in the greenhouse and yard! I can't wait and what's more, my plants can't wait!
Every year I promise I will not have too many plants started before I get to the greenhouse and this year once again I have not been able to keep that promise. My petunias need more room, my tomatoes are stretching for the light and the snap dragons want their own space. But it's all good. Soon we will move to the greenhouse and we will have our space, at least until the middle of May when the greenhouses will be bursting at the seams and we will wait for Memorial Day to burst into the garden and flower beds.
Every year I promise I will not have too many plants started before I get to the greenhouse and this year once again I have not been able to keep that promise. My petunias need more room, my tomatoes are stretching for the light and the snap dragons want their own space. But it's all good. Soon we will move to the greenhouse and we will have our space, at least until the middle of May when the greenhouses will be bursting at the seams and we will wait for Memorial Day to burst into the garden and flower beds.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Smell of Tomatoes
Yesterday I transplanted tomatoes. It was so great! The little seedlings acutally smelled like tomato plants! I also had to plant a few basil seedlings. I can hardly wait until I can have fresh basil on my sandwiches again. I know that this snow makes it look like spring will never come, but actually I reminded my mother that in just three short weeks we will be moving into the greenhouse and planting flower baskets. I guess I need to be reminding my husband about that too as he needs to put the end back on the greenhouse and hook up the gas line for heat. We expanded the greenhouse by 12 feet last fall, but winter set in before we were able to complete the job. Time to start nagging. Life is good, the days are longer, I dream every night of my new plans for the garden.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Mom's in the news again!
Mom called to tell me about this cute little video in the Alaska Dispatch:
Isn't she the greatest? This clip makes me miss my mom. :)
Isn't she the greatest? This clip makes me miss my mom. :)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
It Begins
Welcome back. It is gardening time again and time to get back in to reporting on our gardens.
Today I woke up excited to check and see if any new seeds had sprouted. Actually, I've been doing that for two weeks now. On February 9th I planted the very first seeds, and I have been almost springing out of bed in the morning ever since just as if it were summer already. No kidding, when I start waking u the first thought I have is, "I wonder if anything came up over night." Wonderfully, for the past two weeks, something new is pushing up through the soil every morning! What am I planting when it is still snowy outside and spring is a good month away? Flowers! Lots of flowers! I also have some tomatoes, peppers, celery, onions and, as of today, artichokes planted, but for the most part I begin with flowers.
I do love planting flower seed. I love transplanting flower seedlings. I love planning flower beds. I love flower gardens, pots, hanging baskets, patio planters, you name it, if it has flowers in it I love it. I love weeding and watering them and dreaming about them. So, even though my flowers right now are mostly seeds and a few little seedlings, they are much more than that to me. They are a promise of summer to come, and as I plant them and watch them grow my mind fills with the potential they hold to beautify my world. So, even though it is still dark when I get up in the morning, it is already summer in my head as I check on my seedlings and see my summer's flower gardens growing there.
Today I woke up excited to check and see if any new seeds had sprouted. Actually, I've been doing that for two weeks now. On February 9th I planted the very first seeds, and I have been almost springing out of bed in the morning ever since just as if it were summer already. No kidding, when I start waking u the first thought I have is, "I wonder if anything came up over night." Wonderfully, for the past two weeks, something new is pushing up through the soil every morning! What am I planting when it is still snowy outside and spring is a good month away? Flowers! Lots of flowers! I also have some tomatoes, peppers, celery, onions and, as of today, artichokes planted, but for the most part I begin with flowers.
I do love planting flower seed. I love transplanting flower seedlings. I love planning flower beds. I love flower gardens, pots, hanging baskets, patio planters, you name it, if it has flowers in it I love it. I love weeding and watering them and dreaming about them. So, even though my flowers right now are mostly seeds and a few little seedlings, they are much more than that to me. They are a promise of summer to come, and as I plant them and watch them grow my mind fills with the potential they hold to beautify my world. So, even though it is still dark when I get up in the morning, it is already summer in my head as I check on my seedlings and see my summer's flower gardens growing there.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
A Shout Out From Utah!
Hello Everyone,
I miss you all and I especially miss Alaska. I can't wait for the summer, it just can't come soon enough!
Although I won't be involved in the managerial part of the business, I promise I'll be around and I plan to help my mom out with the especially fun parts of work- like updating the blog, plowing, and maybe occasionally going to the market.
Anyway, I have a lot of homework to do, so I don't have long to post. I thought I'd just let you know about a few more mentions of our business in the news. First of all, you can check out Future CEO Stars magazine to read an article about the business that I wrote after I won the NFIB award. It's on page 12:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/25929346/January-2010-Issue. There's also a Teacher's Guide to this magazine that I found online. It was fun to look at how teachers can use my article to teach kids about entrepreneurship. One of the optinos was for people to write me a letter...either teachers aren't using my article, or kids aren't doing their assignments, because I have gotten no mail from them! :)
Also- Mom's been in the news for her involvement with the Alaska Rhubarb movement. Check her out here: http://www.alaskadispatch.com/dispatches/news/4112-will-rhubarb-have-its-day and here: http://www.globalfoodcollaborative.com/articles/lets-talk-rhubarb-.html. I do have to point out in the second article, there are no pictures of rhubarb. What's labeled as rhubarb is actually swiss chard...just so no one thinks we made that mistake!
Well I'm off, I've got a lot to do. For those of you who may not have heard, I'm running as Alaska's candidate for National FFA Office at the National FFA Convention in October. I'm very excited, but it takes a lot of studying, so I'm hard at work doing that. If you'd like to keep up with what I'm doing to prepare, including my fun ag tours and experiences here in the lower 48, you can visit my new blog at www.rachelsadventuresinag.blogspot.com. Have a fantastic FFA week everyone!
I miss you all and I especially miss Alaska. I can't wait for the summer, it just can't come soon enough!
Although I won't be involved in the managerial part of the business, I promise I'll be around and I plan to help my mom out with the especially fun parts of work- like updating the blog, plowing, and maybe occasionally going to the market.
Anyway, I have a lot of homework to do, so I don't have long to post. I thought I'd just let you know about a few more mentions of our business in the news. First of all, you can check out Future CEO Stars magazine to read an article about the business that I wrote after I won the NFIB award. It's on page 12:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/25929346/January-2010-Issue. There's also a Teacher's Guide to this magazine that I found online. It was fun to look at how teachers can use my article to teach kids about entrepreneurship. One of the optinos was for people to write me a letter...either teachers aren't using my article, or kids aren't doing their assignments, because I have gotten no mail from them! :)
Also- Mom's been in the news for her involvement with the Alaska Rhubarb movement. Check her out here: http://www.alaskadispatch.com/dispatches/news/4112-will-rhubarb-have-its-day and here: http://www.globalfoodcollaborative.com/articles/lets-talk-rhubarb-.html. I do have to point out in the second article, there are no pictures of rhubarb. What's labeled as rhubarb is actually swiss chard...just so no one thinks we made that mistake!
Well I'm off, I've got a lot to do. For those of you who may not have heard, I'm running as Alaska's candidate for National FFA Office at the National FFA Convention in October. I'm very excited, but it takes a lot of studying, so I'm hard at work doing that. If you'd like to keep up with what I'm doing to prepare, including my fun ag tours and experiences here in the lower 48, you can visit my new blog at www.rachelsadventuresinag.blogspot.com. Have a fantastic FFA week everyone!
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