Gardening in Alaska presents big challenges, whether it's the extra effort in finding plants tough enough to survive our Zone 2-4 climate, communicating with like-minded Alaska gardeners, or keeping up with the latest trends, issues and solutions. We'll try to help with that. We'll also tour gardens from Homer to Anchorage to Wasilla to Willow whenever we get the chance, and post the best garden photos around. Presenting a forum about cold-weather gardening and for cold-weather gardeners is what we are all about. We hope you'll join us on the Talk Dirt garden blog.
Photographer and gardener Fran Durner (fdurner@adn.com) writes the blog.
A member of the Garden Writers Hall of Fame, Jeff writes a weekly column on gardening in Alaska.
RECENT COLUMNS
Splitting dahlias with Amelia Walsh
Deadheading and seed collecting
Harvesting herbs from your garden
Bugs of Summer: The good, the bad and the squishy
Municipal Greenhouse Gardeners
Alaska Peony Growers Association
Alaska Society of Outdoor and Nature Photographers
Alaska Farmers' Market Association
Alaska Natural Heritage Program
Alaska Plant Materials Center:
Evergreen Nursery and Garden Center
Fairbanks Georgeson Botanical Garden
Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge
Pyrahs Pioneer Peak U-Pick Farm
South Anchorage Farmers Market
Moose-free garden? - 11/5/2009 8:23 am
Book review: Black Plants - 10/29/2009 3:46 pm
November Garden Calendar - 10/28/2009 2:49 pm
Fall means apples and winter veggies - 10/26/2009 6:12 pm
Botany of Desire airs on Wednesday - 10/25/2009 5:39 pm
Some changes proposed for muni Horticulture Section - 10/22/2009 11:47 am
Verna and Frank Pratt recognized - 10/20/2009 10:35 am
Birds are gardeners' companions - 10/18/2009 6:58 pm
Anchorage is one of the best cities for community gardens - 10/14/2009 3:18 pm
Fall colors Outside - 10/14/2009 11:26 am
Take advantage of the sun to mow your leaves. - 10/12/2009 4:09 pm
A gardener's conundrum - 10/11/2009 5:00 pm
Out of the office and in the garden - 10/1/2009 5:07 pm
October Garden Calendar - 9/30/2009 11:25 am
Yes Virginia, maples can grow in Alaska - 9/29/2009 4:21 pm
TREErific tree tour on Wednesday at UAA - 9/28/2009 2:26 pm
Dig, bake and eat potatoes in Palmer Friday - 9/24/2009 4:09 pm
Still time to harvest - 9/23/2009 4:52 pm
Termination dust signals the end of summer - 9/22/2009 4:04 pm
I know you have photos, I know you do... - 9/17/2009 8:41 pm
More mushroom walks this weekend - 9/16/2009 8:47 am
Gardening grows camraderie - 9/15/2009 10:43 am
Posted: July 2, 2009 - 4:57 pm
View July Garden Calendar
View Garden Gallery
Submit Your Garden Photos!
The unmanicured lawn at the new Homer Public Library. Photo by Naomi Klouda/Homer TribuneThere is an article in the Homer Tribune this week about the new public library in Homer that mentions something very interesting: the lawn around it will be deliberately left unmowed, unfertilized, unweeded and unwatered.
Writer Naomi Klouda emailed, "... the unmanicured lawn gives people pause, but is left that way as a matter of design. In public hearings, both interested citizens and the Library Advisory Board decided they didn't want to waste resources and contribute to stream, and ultimately bay, pollution through fertilizers and weed killer applications. We might be one of the first city governments to go it alone in this modern age - because when I pressed our Public Works director about how other cities do this, he couldn't think of another example."
Homer has always been a forward looking community with a great sense of social responsibility and this is just the sort of gutsy attitude they would adopt. I applaud them for doing it.
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