This Alaska gardening writer kills forget-me-nots whenever he can – and thinks you should too
Jeff Lowenfels: Everyone lavishes praise on the cute, diminutive blue flowers, but the seasoned gardener knows forget-me-nots present a real danger.
Gardening
Ladies and gentlemen, start your compost
Jeff Lowenfels: There is no need to apply thick layers of compost. It is the microbiology in it that counts, and putting just ⅛ to ¼ of an inch around your plants will suffice.
Bring your own bucket: How to join Anchorage’s community composting program
Anyone with a 5-gallon bucket can take salad scraps, coffee grounds and grass clippings to drop-off sites in Anchorage and Eagle River. A curbside collection program is also starting.
Your garden chore this week? Do the neighborly thing and tidy up
Jeff Lowenfels: The obvious will only be briefly stated: Pick up debris. We are not Sourdoughs anymore. Get rid of the junk.
It’s been a cool spring, but don’t be fooled. Now is the time to put plants in the ground.
Jeff Lowenfels: If you wait another weekend, hoping that some sort of Palm Beach Express is going to blow into the area so you can plant in your shorts and T-shirt, you are going to be disappointed
It’s just about time for Alaska gardeners to put plants in the ground. Here’s what to do now to get ready.
Jeff Lowenfels: Get things ready now so you can concentrate on just the job of planting when the time comes. You don't want to interrupt your cadence on planting out day!
Buckle up, Alaska gardeners: It’s go time.
Jeff Lowenfels: There are some things you can plant right now. Let's start with potatoes - It is time to buy yours.
Birch buds are finally open. It’s time to harden off your plants.
Jeff Lowenfels: Timing is everything in all gardening, but especially in Alaska, where there's a very short window to grow things.
Here’s what to do with all that sand and gravel left behind now that the snow has melted
Jeff Lowenfels: Best of all, this practice might even help your lawn.
Resist the temptation to rake your lawn right now — you’ll be thankful later
Jeff Lowenfels: Your lawn greens up as it warms, not because you put fertilizer on it. (Don't!). It is still way too cool to do anything to yours.
Spruce bark beetles are back with a vengeance. Here’s how to defend your trees.
Jeff Lowenfels: There is a spruce beetle outbreak in Southcentral. Since the beetles don't emerge for a few weeks, we might as well start thinking about the problem.
It’s spring – so stay off that soggy lawn
Jeff Lowenfels: Walking on a wet lawn this time of year compacts the soil, which is a sure way to invite problems that will detract from your lawn's appearance.
Determinate vs. indeterminate tomato plants, and other nagging garden questions answered
Jeff Lowenfels: Can you replant those daffodils that have been blooming indoors? When should you pinch a plant? Here are the answers.
Alaska gardeners, it’s time to germinate something
Jeff Lowenfels: We now have enough daylight that you no longer need lights to germinate and grow seedlings. Right at the top of the list for this week as far as I am concerned are tomatoes.
Now is the perfect time to grow an indoor salad garden. Here’s how
Jeff Lowenfels: I know that my Alaska rule is no seed starting without supplemental lights until April 1, but this is an exception.
You can start poppies and raspberry bushes from seed. Here’s how
Jeff Lowenfels: It is really easy to grow your own raspberries, but there is an important trick.
Readers ask: Seedlings, compost and overgrown orchids
Jeff Lowenfels: The question of the week is: Can you use compost to start seeds?
Here are the plants you need to start now for them to be ready for summer
Jeff Lowenfels: This is the time of year that snoozing results in losing.
Local markets have the supplies you need to get ready for spring
Market Fresh: There has been plenty of wintry whiteness around Southcentral this week. But as the calendar turns to March, at least one local farmer is thinking summer colors.
How to de-ice your walkways without killing your yard
Jeff Lowenfels: For gardening purposes, it's important to know how much salt is too much when it comes melting ice with plants in the area.