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Jeff Lowenfels: The growing season goes fast, so take note

The Alaskan growing season is a fast one, as we know all too well. There are just so many things to do and our season is short. It is for this reason that I occasionally refer to keeping a notebook or some sort of note system for recording things as they are happening in the yard. This is necessary, in particular, so you won't forget what went on this year and thus will be able to repeat the things that worked well or rectify things that did not next year.

I have to admit over the years I have probably started half a dozen notebooks of varying sizes, with every intention of carrying one in my pocket while I worked the yard. As you might have guessed, I have not been successful. I have a lot of notes about the first couple of days and maybe weeks of the season, and then nothing.

Of course, the older I get, the more I forget and the more important good notes can be. For me, a lot of these things go beyond my yard's needs. I have to worry about reminding readers. It crushes me, for example, when for yet another year I fail to encourage readers to buy and raise yacoons, those sweet-tasting, Jerusalem artichoke-like tubers that I hope some of you carried over and are growing again this year. Aggggh. They are perfect for us and now it is way too late to enjoy them.

There really is a simple solution to this and I am going to try it myself. Just about everyone who reads this column has a cellphone (except my friend David, who refuses to get one), and there is now something that can become second nature to all gardeners. Not only can you record notes right in the garden by simply pressing a button and talking, you can (and should) accompany these with color pictures of what is going on.

There are two things that should make this work well. The first is to set up a file in your phone's photo system called "Yard Notes" or "Garden Things" or whatever you feel like calling it. This way all your notes are in one place that is easy to access.

The next step is to put a reminder into your phone's calendar for the appropriate time next year to take action. You don't have to be exact, you are only reminding yourself that the time to do a chore is coming up. You can use a special color for all of these events.

A good example of using this system occurred at our house this weekend while Jude and I were out picking raspberries with our 4- and 7-year-old grandkids. I didn't cut back our plants this spring (arthritis made me not do it!). The bumper crop caused these way-too-tall plants to flop over, which made it pretty difficult for little hands to get the plants' inner berries. (It was pretty difficult for Grandpa, too.) I took a picture. Next spring, sometime around April 30, I will cut the plants so that they only reach 4 feet.

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It's pretty simple. Here is another example. Irises should be divided fairly soon after they flower. I was reminded of this when looking at the seed pods of some I forgot to divide. Too late. Click, a picture into the file with a note. Since I know when they bloomed this year, I used that general date, only next year.

In fact, you can link all sorts of things into your phone to make you a better gardener. How about recording some of the dates your favorite perennials bloom? Stick them into your electronic calendar for next year. Plan your fishing trip around that information or invite Aunt Sally up for that week.

Of course, the older I get, the more I forget. I don't want to make my gardening experience an electronic one, so I will be judicious about what I record. I am not suggesting that we spend anything but the minimum amount of time on electronic devices while surrounded by Alaska's incomparable nature.

Jeff’s Alaska garden calendar for the week of July 31

Raspberries: What are you waiting for? Pick, eat, freeze, enjoy.

Peas: Eat 'em! The younger pod peas are the best tasting, in my opinion.

Kohlrabi: Baseball size, not softball size, is the proper size for harvesting.

Anchorage Garden Club 72nd Annual Flower Show: Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 and 2, at the Northway Mall. Details at alaskagardenclubs.org.

Alaska Master Gardener's plant sale: Alaska perennials, berries, trees and shrubs. Master gardeners know their plants and this is always a fantastic sale, both price-wise and because of the selection. In addition to plants, there will be garden art and gently used books and demonstrations. Everything sold will definitely grow here. You can get growing advice and the cause is a great one. The Co-operative Extension Master Gardener Program rocks! This is a fun event you must attend. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at Cooperative Extension Office, 1675 C St., #100, Anchorage.

Rosalind Creasy lecture: Rosalind Creasy is a great garden-writing friend of mind who just happened to have practically invented edible landscaping back in the late 1960s. She is a fantastic gardener and teacher as well as a great lecturer, so don't miss this one. Her photographs are Sunset Magazine quality (or better) and her advice is always spot on. A must-do event. 7-10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, Carr Gottstein Building, $20 for members and $25 for non-members. (alaskabg.org)

Jeff Lowenfels

Jeff Lowenfels has written a weekly gardening column for the ADN for more than 45 years. His columns won the 2022 gold medal at the Garden Communicators International conference. He is the author of a series of books on organic gardening available at Amazon and elsewhere. He co-hosts the "Teaming With Microbes" podcast.

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