Greenhouses in Alaska
It is just plain icky outside. It has been rainy, windy and really cold, cold enough to start up our wood burning stove again to take the chill out of the house. When I looked last it was only 48 degrees. I have been sick with some respiratory bug so I guess I should be glad…it is also too icky to be outside in the garden right now anyway.
Sometimes I wonder how my vegetable garden is going to make it when there just isn’t much heat to help things grow! I have gardened most of my life and always had a garden where we lived. Living in Montana I thought was the biggest challenge to gardening, but after some trial and error, I was able to bring forth a great harvest. So when we moved to Alaska I thought it would be a piece of cake, thinking it would be like gardening in Portland, Oregon where I grew up. After all we are on the West Coast right? WRONG. Boy things take a long time to grow here. You can’t just plant a small tree and in 5 years have a huge wonderful mature tree! I don’t know if the difficult growing lies with the long hours of light (not heat) or if it due to the lack of heat needed to warm the soil, but Alaska is a challenge for me. Any other gardeners out there want to share some insight? I can grow potatoes and strawberries very well but when it comes to beets, carrots or chard…I just can’t get them to grow. I ‘ve had the soil tested and amended and use raised beds!
I think for now my plan will be to get a green house for next year since I can’t grow green beans or corn outside, its just too cold…at least here in Homer. Anchorage is a bit warmer but I couldn’t get corn or green beans to grow there either. I know the further interior to Fairbanks you get the easier it is to grow things…they have wonderful summer temps of 90 degrees. A hoop house is what I am hoping to get for next year. Anyone have experience with hoop greenhouses? For now I grow my cucumbers in the master bathroom and my tomatoes in the southern windows of our living area.
** Feb 2015 UPDATE:
Last year June I finally got my greenhouse but no hoop house. The photo of it is pictured in this post! I had a wonderful harvest last year with tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, zucchini, yellow straight neck squash and even sweet baking pumpkins! And that was with a late start! I can hardly wait to begin the growing season this year. I am still learning much about greenhouse gardening in Alaska!
I’d love to hear your comments on gardening.
Angel says
What a stunning greenhouse! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit jealous!
Sylvia Zajis says
You have a beautiful garden, I am so jealous. I am going to take a shot at my green thumb this year by trying out some herbs. Here’s to a happy harvest!
Dorothy Teel says
Neat about your garden plans, and the use of the grow tent, keep your hands in the dirt and keep planting
md kennedy says
I don’t know where you are in Alaska, butwhen I was in Anchorage a few years ago one September, I was astonished at how beautiful, lush and bright the flowers were – brighter than I’d seen anywhere. I was told its the amount of sun you get without the heat – perfect for plants.
Layne says
I love your attitude, Colleen! I am looking forward to starting my first garden this summer… thankfully I won’t have to contend with the temperatures that you do! 🙂
Colleen says
Layne, you will love having a garden! I love to play in the dirt since I was a toddler and it just continues with my gardening 🙂 The food tastes so much better than even what you buy as “fresh” in the stores.