Photos from this year's gardening activities

 
 
 
 

Cease and desist order rescinded

After a friendly farm visit by our state ADEC inspectors, they have subsequently rescinded the cease and desist order that they had issued back in March, telling Alaska Bounty to not compost any fish waste on our property.  This is a MAJOR win, as this proves the legality of what we are doing, and also points to the frivolousness of the complaints against me and my operation. 

Did I mention that the complaining party's wife works for the Pebble Partnership?

Seems ironic to me that these folks would rather see a 22-square foot mile toxic footprint and a lagoon of acidic mining pollution sitting above our precious salmon spawning grounds, but they will not tolerate the smell of a little fish.  My response: if you don't like the smell of fish, perhaps you should move away from the fishing village where you live.  I hear Canada is nice - especially where the Canadians have stripmined and destroyed their lands.  Perhaps the smell of tar shale would be an improvement?

Sweet little radish growing in High Tunnel #1. Photo taken 6/29/2010 by Izetta.

I'll miss the farm

I'm off to Portland today for training on "How to Write the Perfect EIS."  This will help me deliver the NEPA training to villages more effectively.  However, I am sad to be leaving Naknek and will miss seeing the progress on the farm.  With so many local gardens being planted in Naknek, I'm hoping that people will take more of an interest in locally-produced fertilizers and soils.  I'm willing to let people have the liquid fish-based fertilizer for the first couple of years, for marketing purposes and to prove the efficacy of the products. 

This project is probably the most exciting and fun thing that I've ever engaged in. 

2010-06-08

Second high tunnel installed today!

Second high tunnel arrived today

We had a light sprinkling of rain today.  Saves us from the work of watering those two potato patches and our seeds that are just now sprouting out of the ground from the raised bed and the other bed. 

So far, the first high tunnel has been up to 90 degrees!  We definitely have to watch the temperature and roll the sides up from time to time. 

Russell came and did some dirt work for us - brought in several loads of topsoil and leveled it out with his 'dozer. 

May 30th I watered the whole tunnel with worm casting tea.  The plants really shot up that next day! 

Inside High Tunnel #1

Within minutes of the cover going on, Amanda and Robert claimed that the temperature was already warmer inside.

Looks more and more like a farm

Cover going on

High Tunnel #1 going up, May 20, 2010.

Progress

Robert diligently working on getting High Tunnel #1 up on the Alaska Bounty farm in Naknek, Alaska. We will be producing fresh, locally-produced organic produce for the 2010 season. Photo courtesy of Amanda Wlaysewski, May 20, 2010.

Farm Manager Robert Allan testing the soil for pH and other signs of fertility. Only slightly acidic, which is typical of soils in Southwest Alaska.

Photos of our lovely soil

From top to bottom: (1) Here is our basic production of fish-enhanced biochar;



(2) Last year's soil, produced with locally available wild Alaskan salmon.





 
(3) A 6x20 foot garden bed, getting ready to add soil.




(4) Our garden bed, with the potato patch next to it.

So grateful

I'm so grateful that I have the following people on my team for this project: Jake Custer, Orin Williams, Robert Allan, Amanda Wlaysewski, Everett Thompson, my parents Betz and Fred Bonin, and of course, my husband Chet Chambers. 

Although this project only entails the installation of two high tunnels on a 1.2 acre parcel, it is more significant than just a simple construction project.  This project is really the first large-scale commercial organic farm in Naknek, Alaska, perhaps in the entire Bristol Bay region.  We are attempting to actually grow food for consumption and for sale, not just as a hobby or to supplement our own subsistence food supplies. 

High Tunnel #1 is being constructed, and High Tunnel #2 arrives into Anchorage on Monday, May 17th.  Although a slightly more expensive option, we are air freighting out the second high tunnel so that we can maximize our growing season this year.  Otherwise, we would have had to await the arrival of the next barge, sometime in a few more weeks.

In a strange way, I am also a little grateful to my critics, who will go unnamed in this blog. They know who they are.  I love a challenge, and having people against you from the beginning only adds a new layer of depth to this project, a human element that far surpasses any weather, environmental, seasonal, timing or other natural barriers.  

So much to do - so few days of summer

Gardening in Alaska has many challenges - chief among them is our short growing season.  All of the seeds that I've purchased so far have a date of no longer than 85 days to maturity.  And, those are the ones that I started indoors in March!  The seeds that we are going to be sowing directly take about 55 - 65 days to mature. 

Here is the to do list for what still needs to be done:
1. about 4 loads of fill dirt need to be deposited on the property, so that there are no low spots and we can have a good level spot to install the high tunnels;
2. the second high tunnel needs to be shipped from Anchorage and hauled to the farm;
3. the rest of the debris that is visible needs to be removed;
4. we need to scrape our precious peat moss from the location it's at now, and move it over to the side, so that it doesn't get buried with the fill dirt on Monday or Tuesday;
5. that big crate needs to be hauled from the fish plant to the farm, so that it can be made into a raised bed;
6. put some of the existing topsoil and the peat moss in that raised bed and plant it;
7. cover the raised bed with plastic to make sure that the soil is warm enough for the seeds to germinate;
8. plant the rest of the covered flats with our seeds that need to be started indoors;
9. have fun doing all this without me!  I will miss working on this project, but will be back at the end of this month.

Potato Patch planted, and named

We planted the first potato patch today, and named it Red Fingers - to signify that it is a patch with red potatoes, Finnish fingerlings, and Yukon Gold.  I know, the Yukon Gold's don't figure into the name, but the reds and fingers do, hence the name.

My entire body aches from hauling, shoveling, mixing, planting, and working during all of the daylight hours.  Tomorrow is the last day of my weekend in Naknek, and then Robert will be left to hold down the fort.  I hope that my family will help him out and provide him some support over the next couple of days, until his girlfriend arrives.  I feel bad leaving him all by himself, but he will have our vehicle and the little cabin, so at least he'll have housing and transportation.  Plus, Big Jake is helping out on the project, so that makes me feel much more comfortable.  Jake's the man - I don't know what we would do without him!

The Dirt is Beautiful

I have been running the roto-tiller yesterday and today, over at the land.  Our new friend arrived today, Robert.  He's a friend of a friend that wants to help us get our high tunnel installed and planted.  In return, I'm doing what  I can to help him find a fishing job on a boat. 

The soil is thawed at least 1 1/2 feet down.  We got the high tunnel off the barge yesterday (5/6/2010) and are hoping to get it installed in a couple of days.  I'm so grateful to have so many great people helping out on this project.  My stepdad, Fred, dropped off the high tunnel boxes yesterday. 

Robert and I got the perimeter of the high tunnel location tilled.  The frustrating part has been the removal of so much debris, but it is getting a little easier.  We put together a garden cart and that has made the hauling of material a lot easier.

We are going to be hitting it all day tomorrow too.  Two tons of fun!

Spring 2010 Dillingham

Saving the worms. You need to make piles like this, and the worms will continue to burrow to the bottom. After harvesting the top layers, then you keep going, and you are left with worms on the bottom layer. In reality, you need to pick out worms all the while as you are sorting through it. It sounds gross, but it's actually not that bad. We washed our hands really well after this (several times), because worm castings are loaded with bacteria. It is poop, after all.

Spring 2010 Dillingham

Fun with worm poop!

Spring 2010 Dillingham

Chet harvesting about 25 pounds of worm castings. This came from our worm bin over one winter's worth of kitchen scraps.

Crop Record - indoor starters and fertilizer production

March 15, 2010 - Started onions indoors in recycled milk cartons.

March 30, 2010 - Started 10 cabbages indoors in recycled yogurt cups.

April 3, 2010 - Started broccoli indoors in recycled milk cartons.

April 4, 2010 - Started 42 basil plants in plug cells with coir pellets.

April 4, 2010 - Started 30 cilantro plants in plug cells with coir pellets.

April 4, 2010 - Started Brussels sprouts in recycled milk cartons.

April 20 and 21, 2010 - applied worm tea to basil, cilantro, and Brussels sprouts.

May 1, 2010 - Harvested approximately 25 pounds of worm castings from worm bin. Worm castings will be mixed into soil on Lot 6, Rose's Subdivision (Alaska Bounty Farm).

May 2, 2010 - Started one flat arugula and 3/4 flat mixed greens in Pro-mix.

DEC's decision

Well, it's official - the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)has officially shut down the fish composting portion of Alaska Bounty's operations. How this bodes for our operation is yet unknown. The DEC cited the fact that the one-acre parcel is located in a residential neighborhood, which is true. However, it was not my intention to attempt such a project in a residential area. Last year, I attempted to sub-lease a 5-acre parcel of land from Paug-Vik Inc., Ltd., the local Alaska Native Corporation of Naknek last year. However, they didn't agree with the premise of my project, and declined to lease or sub-lease any property to me. I will attempt to either lease or purchase another parcel of land, further way from town, in order to quash fears of attracting bears to a residential area. However, given the land ownership situation in rural Alaska, I don't think that I will have much luck in this endeavor.

If you don't agree with this decision, you can share your opinion with both the Bristol Bay Borough, who filed the frivolous complaints in the first place, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Solid Waste Permitting. I'm sure that they would appreciate some kind words about what we are attempting to do on our one-acre organic farm in Naknek, Alaska.

Peak Phosphorous?

Fish-based fertilizers are loaded with Nitrogen and Phosphorous. According to economic analysts, the world production of Phosphorous peaked in 1989.

Phosphorous is one of the three primary nutrients for plant grown. Characterized by the symbols N-P-K, soil amendments and fertilizers measure their nutrient level by Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K).

Everybody Eats!

Check out this nice poster from YES! Magazine called Everybody Eats! Very nice, simple drawings depicting how local food systems work.

High Tunnel Program Through USDA

Anybody interested in extending their Alaskan growing season should check out this program through USDA: NRCS High Tunnel Program

Tips on planting cole crops - from Denali Seed Co.

STARTING COLE CROPS INDOORS (reposted from Denali Seed Company's website

Don’t start to [sic] early, the first of May is the best time to start your cole crops. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels [sic] sprouts grow best when transplanted directly outdoors three to four weeks after the seed has been planted which will help keep the seedlings from becoming so spindly. Plant in individual plastic pots or in flats in a two-inch square pattern, planting at least two to three seeds together. It is preferred that seeds be started in plastic because peat pots tend not to break down in cold soils which can cause root restriction and possible root damage. Peat pots are not smooth-sided, and when removed during transplanting can cause root damage. If peat is preferred Jiffy 7's are superior to peat pots because the roots will grow through the mesh. When the seedlings have sprouted, thin out the excess plants, leaving only one plant per pot. Shortly after the seedlings have produced their second pair of leaves and the chance of heavy frost is past, transplant them directly to the garden. The plants are still small, but research has shown that the reduced shock from planting when they are smaller will result in producing larger vegetables faster. Don’t forget that after the seed has sprouted you need to grow the seedlings where the night temperatures remain between 50 and 55 degrees F. to produce healthy, short, stocky plants.