Ups and downs & Sale date correction = June 7th!

  Today, our Metolius blackberries arrived in the mail.  They ripen very early with Obsidian, which has failed completely for the second year in a row.  From what we've read, Metolius is more winter hardy than Obsidian or Marionberry.  We are looking forward to testing it this next winter.
  Unfortunately, 30-40 mph winds also arrived today, collapsing our hoop house over the grapes and breaking off young shoots, including one that had two flower clusters on it.  We are working on a design that will be sturdy enough for Interior Alaska weather, but be fairly inexpensive (I know, a lot to ask).  We will rebuild it tomorrow and get the plastic back up before the grape leaves get sun scorched.
  Also, today added a third very successful day to this year's plant sale.  A huge thanks to everyone who has come out to support us - from North Pole to Nenana and everywhere in between!  We have a limited number of plants remaining (mostly sunflowers (giant and dwarf), lobelia and a few each of early girl tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, spinach, broccoli and cauliflower.  We'll post a more detailed list prior to our last day, June 7th. Just realized that we posted the wrong date on the website and probably other places!  Our last day will be next Saturday, the 7th.

Plant Sale

Listed below is an availability list of what we have left to sell.  There are lots of lettuce and spinach plants available this weekend if you are looking for some green leafy veggies to plant.  We also still have several broccoli and cauliflower seedlings available.  Other than nasturtiums and sunflowers, we have limited numbers of most other seedlings.

Hours will be 10am to 7pm, Saturday May 31st.  We will update the variety list again prior to next weekend.

Interested in growing peonies commercially?

Numerous people have approached us about the possibility of growing peonies commercially for the international cut flower market.  This burgeoning sector of the Alaskan economy is in need of more individuals who are committed to producing the highest quality peonies!!  If you are seriously considering growing peonies for this market, you really should attend clinics and grower meetings as early as possible to ensure you know what it takes.  The peony-related events include:

          Planting clinics (find out how to plant the roots for the best results):
                   May 26th @ 3:30pm and May 27th @ 5:30pm  (pick one)

          Picking clinics (learn how to tell when a bud is ready to be picked):
                   July 8th @ 6pm and July 9 @ 1:00pm (pick one)

These clinics will be held at Lily Vale Farm (North Pole Peonies) on Eielson Farm Rd.  You can find more information here.

You might also be interested in touring a few peony farms where they are actively growing these beautiful flowers.  The Arctic Alaska Peonies group (us in the Interior) has set a tentative date for a farm tour on July 25th and 26th.  More information will be released later this summer.  Check out our website for more information.

Plant Sale variety list

2014 Spring Plant Sale variety list: Updated June 5th

small indicates seeds planted three weeks ago

Vegetables:

Broccoli  - Packman

Cabbage – Golden Acre

Cauliflower – Snowball early

Tomatoes – Early Girl

Peppers – California Wonder 300

Spinach – Melody, space

Lettuce (small)– Grand Rapids (green leaf), romaine

Squash - small

Summer – Caserta (green)

Flowers:

Carnations

Lobelia – white, purple, blue, mixed (sunburned, but just need TLC)

Strawflowers

Baby’s breath – white

Alyssum - white - small

Sunflowers – Mammoth grey stripe, dwarf - small

Nasturtiums – dwarf, trailing, variegated, dwarf cherry rose – small

Peonies:

            May have some if a shipment of roots comes in Friday or Saturday.

6th Annual Plant Sale

Starting this weekend we will be holding our annual plant sale at the gravel pit at Jennifer Drive and Murphy Dome Road (mile 1) from about 10 am to 7 pm.  We will be there the following days:

  Saturday (May 24th)
  Sunday (May 25th)
  Saturday (May 31st)
  Saturday (June 7th)

We have a limited window of time in which to clear our lot for planting, so we will be devoting one day each weekend to clearing the lot.  Hopefully, there will still be ample opportunity for everyone to come to the plant sale and get what they need.  If the schedule changes, it will be posted here.

We have a variety of vegetables, herbs and flowers available this year, along with the usual Quinalt strawberries.  We will also have several potted peonies to sell.  A list of all seedlings will be posted by the end of this week - hopefully.

Prices will be the same as last year: mix-n-match 6 packs - $2.50, 3 inch pots - $1,00, strawberries -$1.50 each and peonies - $8.00 each.

Remember that for the 6-packs, you can choose to have all six of one variety or any combination of varieties in each 6-pack.  That way, if you don't want six of one item, you can combine with some of another variety to make the six.

As always, you are invited to peruse our website to see what we are up to.