Sharing information about gardening in Anchorage, AK. The blog also talks about the specific garden, the Harvest of Hope Memorial Garden behind the Lutheran Church of Hope in Anchorage, AK
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Soil Testing
The N, P, and K are what most fertilizers try to handle. Some also contain some micro-nutrients and trace elements but that is not their purpose. You could just put fertilizer on your garden without getting it tested. Generally you will want fertilizer that has "low" nitrogen content and higher phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen helps plants make green stuff like foliage. The phosphorus and potassium help plants to "fruit". It the garden we usually want fruit and not foliage so less emphasis on the nitrogen.
To find out what your soil needs, you get it tested. The testing starts with obtaining a soil sample. If you have a relatively small garden take a scope of soil from 3 or 4 areas in the garden and put them in a clean bucket. Mix the samples together thoroughly. Once this is complete take about a cup of the mixed up soil and put it in a plastic bag. Label the bag with your name and address and the type of testing you would like done to it. The bag labels are a precaution in case it get separated from the forms you will submit with it. Fill out the appropriate forms for the test facility. If you have a garden larger than a 1000 square feet you might consider dividing up into areas and having each area tested.
There are many test facilities but only a few to testing appropriate for Alaska's soils. The soils we have are are kind of unique because of the combination of volcanic ash and glacial silt. The cold temperatures have an effect on the soil as well. I send my soils to Brookside Laboratories in Ohio. You can check out the test information on the Alaska CES site. The site lists other labs for soil analysis and the types of tests necessary for Alaska soils.
Once you get your results in email. I would refer to an article like this one to understand all of the numbers. It will take a little time and study to work it all out but I'm sure you will be able to do it. You can always go to your local horticultural person to get some help. They are really busy in the spring so be patient but be persistent.
Now that you are armed with the information you need you can pick up fertilizer, whether organic or not, and help your garden produce the best vegetables you can. Be sure to plant at least one row for a local food pantry or soup kitchen. Many garden supply businesses give plants or seeds if you tell them that is what you are going to do with it.
May your harvest be bountiful and have a great time in the garden.
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Winter in the Garden II
January 2023 is now history. My brother used to live in southeastern Wisconsin and at the end of January would always have a party to celebrate the "death" of January. I didn't do that but the event we had at church on the 28th sort of commemorates that party. We planted petunias and lobelia. We anxiously await the germination of these seeds.
Gardening season has begun. The day are getting longer now by 5+ minutes each. That means we gain almost an hour of daylight every 10 days. Indeed spring is just around the corner. This month we will put leeks and onions in pots with some soil. By the middle of March there will be greens plants on tables and racks in the narthex. Each month from now through the middle of May there will be new plants springing to life. By the middle of May they will be moving to the garden. I look forward to planting once again inside the garden fence and hopefully in the completed greenhouse.
God’s peace be with you all.