Signs of Life!

Life is slowly returning to the farm.  Currants, raspberries, and serviceberries are all pushing out leaves tonight.  It is great to see that everything made it through the winter with only minor vole and moose damage.  While we have not yet passed the average date of the last freezing temperature (May 15th), the weather is slowly warming into the 50s during the day and the mid-30s overnight.
  In the vineyard, vitis amurensis is just starting to push buds and Baltica is bleeding from the pruning cuts. All the other grape varieties are still dormant and will probably remain so for another 10 days or so, as we have not accumulated any growing degree days (50F base) yet.
  I am getting the dozer transported to the farm this weekend.  I hope to repair the clutch in it soon so I can start moving some stumps!  I have nearly a thousand plants that need permanent homes this year.  I am definitely recruiting helpers!

Spring has sprung . . . or has it?

  I took this picture tonight between snow flurries.  This picture of a Ben Sarek black currant bush shows many healthy buds pushing despite an overnight low of only 13F two nights ago.  I really like this variety as it is quite hardy (live buds all the way to the top of the canes) and resistant to powdery mildew (unlike Consort).  It is also the first plant on the farm to start pushing buds in the spring - typically around April 15th.  If you are curious about the grapevines on the farm, they typically start pushing buds a month later.
  And then there is 'Chica', the rottweiler/lab mix standing behind the currant bush and new addition to the farm.  It has been a challenging last two months as we have grown accustomed to each other.  She likes to take walks - and if you don't want to, she goes by herself.  Oops!  Sorry neighbors.  She is quite protective and territorial.  We are still working on the social skills.
  I have pulled about 75% of the pots out of the trenches I placed them in last fall for protection.  Needless to say, having so many plants (well over 400 at last count) in such a small area resulted in a vole feeding frenzy.  They girdled several grapevines (and appear to like Couderc 3309 in particular), chewed off all vegetation on some of my blackberries, and took a 2 inch section out of the cane of another blackberry (Arapaho thornless).  The latter is very similar to the behavior voles exhibit around pea vines.  They frequently cut a 2-3 inch section out of the lower stem of the pea plant and bury it somewhere.  They don't touch the roots or the stem higher up on the plant.
  In the meantime, I have come across a 1943 Cat D6 dozer in surprisingly good shape and cheap.  I hope to get it up to the farm in the next two or three weeks.  That should make fairly quick work of clearing the stumps I have been trying to get at for the last two years.  I don't think the potted plants will survive another winter in the pots (well, most won't).  Besides, it is time for the plants (mainly fruits) to start earning their keep.
 Since serviceberries (Saskatoons) do so well up here, I'm considering advertising them as "Alaskan raisins" - at least until I find a grape that will work up here for true raisins.  I left many serviceberries on the plants I purchased last year until they shriveled up.  Wow! A wonderful coffee-like taste and moderately sweet.
  As happened last year, my schedule has not allowed me much time to plant seeds for my upcoming plant sale in May and June.  As a result, I will be postponing the first day of the sale until May 26.  The sale will take place at the gravel pit at Jennifer Dr. and Murphy Dome Rd. on May 26-28 and probably will move to the Ken Kunkel Center on June 2 & 3.  Hours will likely be from 10am to 8pm or until the last person has left.  I should have a good selection of favorites, both flowers and vegetables, and may have a couple of red or pink peonies for sale, as well.  Prices will be the same or less than last year, depending on the size of the seedlings.  Last year's prices were something like $2.50 for a mix-n-match 6 pack, $1 each for 3" pots, and around $8 for a peony.  I won't have lobelia this year, because it is too late to start them from seed.  I will have some seed potatoes (yukon golds, reds, and purples) for $1/lb - to cover my cost.
  While it is still too early to tell how the growing season will go (it has been unseasonably warm for about three weeks right up until the last few days), I should have produce to sell by early July.  I actually discovered how to overwinter pepper plants (completely by accident) this last winter and already have bell peppers forming on the two plants.
  I also took advantage of a tremendous sale at Lowe's and grabbed over 100 Asparagus roots at a very cheap price.  I am going to take advantage of the trenches I put pots in over the winter to plant these in. Hopefully, in two years I will have fresh Asparagus to sell.
  Other new additions to the farm this summer include kiwi berries, sea buckthorn (seaberries), aronia, elderberries, Manchurian apricots, edible honeysuckle, Dolgo crabapples, a couple of apple varieties, and a couple of cherry varieties.  Whew!  Will I ever get everything planted???  Good thing I love gardening.
  Keep an eye out for another post on the upcoming 4th annual plant sale.

Gardening Workshop a Big Success!!!

  A big thanks to everyone who attended tonight's gardening workshop!  The 20+ of us had a lively discussion about gardening in interior Alaska, participated in the construction of a raised bed, and shared valuable information about growing different plants and combating pests and diseases.  The evening ended with a free raffle with prizes ranging from a raised bed frame ($150 value), a $25 gift certificate to Ann's Greenhouse, $5 of free plants or produce from Solitude Springs Farm, gardening gloves, and seeds.  Whew!
  I would also like to thank Linda Dolney from Ann's Greenhouse for her insight into gardening.  She was instrumental in answering a number of challenging questions from the workshop attendees.  She brought the $25 gift certificate for the raffle, as well.  Thanks so much, Ann's Greenhouse.
  Another big thanks goes to the Goldstream Valley Lion's Club who provided the use of the Ken Kunkel Community Center free of charge for this event!  This is another example of how committed our local Lion's Club is to promoting community events that can directly impact the lives of the Valley's residents.
  I hope to host other gardening workshops in the future.  Check our webpage or blog occasionally for updates.  And don't forget the Spring Plant Sale coming in May and June.  I will update the webpage as the time gets closer.  Until then, think happy summer thoughts!

The Date is Set!!

Mark your calendar! Solitude Springs Farm is presenting a gardening workshop on Sunday, March 18, from 3pm to about 6pm at the Ken Kunkel Community Center in Goldstream Valley.  We will be constructing a 3 ft by 8 ft raised bed and holding a question and answer session on gardening in the Goldstream Valley area.  The raised bed will be given away at the end of the workshop.  Everyone is welcome!  Tell your neighbors.

Upcoming Event

I will be organizing a raised-bed gardening workshop sometime in March.  The workshop will be followed by a Q&A session on gardening.  Most likely the event will take place on a Sunday afternoon and will be free.  More information will be posted here on the blog and on the farm website http://www.solitudespringsfarm.com soon.

The sun is coming back!

After what seems like an eternity of darkness, those of us living on the 65th parallel look forward to the longer days of spring.  We're up to 5 hours of daylight and gaining almost 6 minutes each day.  Soon, my PV array will provide all the electricity I need and I will put the generator to bed until mid November.

Winter has been the typical roller coaster ride for Fairbanks.  November ended cold (mostly -20s on the farm).  Then came the freezing rain on Dec 5th.  December remained warm until the last week when the mercury dropped below zero and stayed there. The first half of January has left us with an average temperature of -16F here at the farm. January 14th saw the lowest temperature so far this year, with -32F at the farm and -47F in town.  Gotta love that inversion!

The first seed displays are now up in stores around town, reminding me that I have one month until it is time to start planting seeds for my 4th annual plant sale in May and June.  I'm looking at adding a few new varieties of seedlings - both vegetables and flowers.  It should be an exciting spring!

Dark winters and beautiful summers

It's a gorgeous day in the 70's here in . . . . Not!  But it is typical for December in Fairbanks, AK.  About -15F in town, but a balmy 0F here at the Farm.  The sky is gray and threatening to add snow to our 18 inch base.  The sun could be up in the sky for almost four hours, if the clouds would let it.  The sun doesn't rise up very high as the picture above suggests.  I took it about an hour after "solar noon" and for reference, since my lot slopes down toward the south, the tree tops are not much above the horizon in the picture.
  But us Fairbanksans are very happy!  Daylight is coming back.  Soon our day length will be growing by almost seven minutes a day, 50 minutes each week, and over 3 hours each month.  How else could we get everything done outside in the summer (during our 22 hour long days) that was put on hold for the winter.
  All is quiet outside, save for the occasional visit from mama moose and her calf.  I'm trying to keep them out of some potted plants that are buried in the snow.  We'll see if they will stay out.
  I am getting ready for seed propagation that starts in February.  I'm going to fill about 40 trays of 6-packs (enough for about 3,000 seedlings) with potting soil in preparation for the long process of planting seeds.  I will start the first seeds (leeks) around late February and plant other varieties of vegetables and flowers over the following 9 weeks.  In there will be tomatoes and peppers, marigolds and Livingstone daisies (my new favorite flower!).  I'll follow up with my 4th annual Goldstream Valley plant sale in late May and early June.  And then it is on to planting the vegetable garden.
  For 2011, Solitude Springs Farm & Vineyard contributed to the outdoor aesthetics of the Boys and Girls Home of Alaska by donating flowers and to the soon-to-open Fairbanks Co-op Market by donating time to their events and tender Nantes carrots to their "Fun for Food Celebration" in November.
  Although Murphy always seems to get his hands into everything I plan (I do live at the base of Murphy Dome), I still hope to get the vineyard well-established this summer, with the assistance of a bulldozer.  I have another 30 grapevines coming in May to add to my collection.  With assistance from cold climate grape growers in the Lower 48, particularly Great River Vineyard, I am more confident than ever that I will get edible grapes yet off of vines grown in Alaska's great interior.  And not just a few, but enough to sell for table use or as a beverage.  Still, there are some issues that most Lower 48 growers don't have to contend with, that I will need to experiment on.  These include cold soils, very short and cool growing seasons, rapidly changing day lengths, and the ever present "Alaskan" moose (yep, they are bigger than their Lower 48 cousins).  I saw a bumper sticker today that sums it all up.  It read "Alaskan Gardening Club: Feeding Alaskan Moose since 1959".  However, while these ruminants love all members of the cabbage family, they don't appear to have developed a liking for grape leaves - and I hope to keep it that way.
  I'm going to leave you with a beauty of a dahlia that was grown from seed this spring.  It bloomed about a week or so before our first hard frost and I savored it every day I was home.  Enjoy!