Requested Info Re: Growing in AK

Queequeg_1 asked about growing in AK. So as not to high-jack another thread, here is an edit of a post I made about the same time last year in another (or maybe the same) forum...People always ask...LOL

First, let me say, I am not an authority on Zone 1 growing and no, I am not by any means the only one growing up here. Gardening is very big in several parts of AK, though I'm guessing it gets even more challenging once you get much more than 50 miles north of me...I guess I'm the only gardener in Zone 1 addicted to Dave's Garden though. There are other DG'ers from AK but they are hundreds of miles south of me.

When I started gardening up here, it was a case of ignorance is bliss. While vegetable gardens are the primary choice in my area, I only grow flowers. DH works in Louisiana (2 weeks gone/2 weeks home--another story) (EDITED: 2/10/10-he's now working out of the country on a 6 and 6) and I can only eat so many veggies so flowers became my addiction.

I am always the oddball in that while we can grow many perennials, I like the options for changing things each year that annuals, tubers and bulbs give me. Though they are an incredible amount of work. I am at a place in my life and with a Wonderful Enabler, so I can indulge in the time involved.

I'll start WS'ing in a few weeks. I've started in Jan. and Feb., but there is no advantage over waiting a little later. This week I started a very few of the seeds that are pokey growers under a set up in the spare bedroom. I am attempting to hold off till March on staggering all the other seeds, bulbs/tubers that will be started in the garage. I'm still trying to find that happy medium between having to baby plants that have grown way too big in the garage by May and not having them ready to bloom once they go outdoors the first week of June. Our "safe to go outside" is generally recognized as June 1. (Though we had snow on June 4, 4 years ago) Our summer days are endless sun (up to 23 hours), but summer is considered over August 30. So about 90 days outside and my game plan is to have full bloom of something for those 90 days to get through the never-ending winter. Many of you asked about seasons, etc. Spring and Fall are about 3 weeks each. The rest is short summer/long winter. Summer temps are utopia at a very dry average of 70-75 during the day, 65ish at night (with full sun). We'll occasionally touch 80 degrees, which to us is miserably hot. I am situated between two mountain ranges so there's very little wind, unless we get a quick thunder-boomer moving through.

Personally I grow, lilies, dahlias, delphiniums, pansies, gladiolas, and assorted daisies. I have a couple of toddler lilac bushes, clematis (which had the audacity to come out of dormancy early after wintering in the garage) and an assortment of every type of what is traditionally an annual up here that I think is pretty or odd. Peony's are popular but I have no desire to attempt them. Someone asked about roses. There are many areas "in the hills" where it is warmer and they have some success overwintering roses. The only ones I can overwinter are rugosas which I don't care for. So I buy roses at the box store and they are happy for the short time they need to be.
Here's a link some of you may find interesting:
http://www.uaf.edu/snras/gbg/pubs/publications.html

At some point, I'll post pics of the light set up My Honey created for me in the garage. The kicker is: We have a two car garage. Once I commit to My Side of the garage being turned into the Gardening Annex, his vehicle stays nice, toasty and snow-free till around May 1, when I can convince him to park it outside because I also need His Side. Last year I made the commitment to park outside too early. I spent April frequently clearing snow off my SUV while he kept reminding me that his truck and my green babies were quite comfortable inside...More to follow...

Probably easiest to go to this thread. I tried to edit my first post, but got it duplicated farther down...too confusing...LOL...you'll figure it out...

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/953746/

2010 has been an exceptionally warm and mild winter. We haven't hit minus 50 all winter. Coldest is a few nights of minus 40, but none of the sustained cold bouts that are normal. Snowfall is over 30 inches below normal. We've only gotten about 20 inches, which has compacted down to 5-6 inches currently on the ground.

Today was beautiful, no wind, clean, clear sunny 20 above...Spring is just around the corner!...Okay, so it's along corner, but we are past the winter hump. Even if we get a big storm(s) now, it will only be here a couple months, as opposed to the many small snowfalls we'd traditionally have over Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb...those of you getting slammed with those storms back East, come on up! The weather's fine!

"2010 has been an exceptionally warm and mild winter. We haven't hit minus 50 all winter. Coldest is a few nights of minus 40, but none of the sustained cold bouts that are normal. Snowfall is over 30 inches below normal. We've only gotten about 20 inches, which has compacted down to 5-6 inches currently on the ground."

Yikes-that's scary. Global warming is here to stay.


Edited to add...The above is not based on politics, ethics or any personal agenda, but a scientifically verified global warming trend. Whether this is naturally occurring, or from human impact is not up for debate. So, please, just take things at face value and don't dmail me a political lecture-LOL!

This message was edited Feb 11, 2010 8:24 PM