Horticulturist with Giant Cabbage, as shown on cover of Alaska Gardening Guide. Click to view larger. Alaska Gardening Guide, Vol 1
Alaska Gardening 
Guide, Vol 1
____________________

ISBN # 1-888125-54-3  - $29.95, second printing
paperback with 352 pages of Alaska garden information
and over 200 photographs and diagrams.

Return to Home Page. Link to Part Two of Table of Contents; Beyond the Basics. Click here to read reviews of the book. Click here for a directory of related links. Click here for more information on the author. Link to Part One of the Table of Contents; Alaska Gardening Basics. Click for the Foreword, written by Michele Hebert. Link to Part Three of Table of Contents; Plant Specifics Link to Author's Calendar; book signings, etc. Feedback form for this book with a chance to influence the next one.

 

Table of Contents 

(Note: Actual subheadings in book’s table of contents do have page numbers)

Dedication
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Preface (Yes, There are Vegetables in Seward’s Icebox)

Part One: 
     Alaska Gardening Basics

Chapter 1: Subarctic Gardening    15

First the Bad News — Then the Good News — Dividing Alaska —Hot Springs — Major Population Areas — Southcentral — Interior — Southeastern — Organization — Resources for Gardeners — Alaska Cooperative Extension — Master Gardeners

Chapter 2: Plant with a Plan    25Make a plan for your garden.

Garden Location — Sun Exposure — Windbreaks — Slope — Terracing — Soil Types — Making Your Plan — Crop Rotation — Irrigation — Subsurface Irrigation — Deciding What to Grow — Conventional and Wide-Row Planting — Raised-Row Planting — Cultivation — Completing the Plan — Selecting Your Seed —

Knowing your soil will help you improve it.Chapter 3: Assessing Your Soil    44

Permafrost — Ground Ice — Soil Types — Heavy Clay Soils — Light Sandy Soils — Silt Loam Soils — Other Thin Soil Types — Double Digging — All About Soil pH — Taking a Soil Sample — Collecting the Sub-Sample — Drying the Samples — Mailing the Sample

Chapter 4: Improving Your Soil    54Earthworms can help your garden, even in Alaska.

Changing Soil pH — Choosing a Lime Source — Raising pH — Lowering pH — Plant Nutrients — Nitrogen — Non-Legumes — Using Legumes — Legume Inoculation — Nitrogen Cautions —Phosphorus — Potassium — Calcium and Magnesium — Sulfur — Chemical vs. Organic — Chemical Fertilizers — Organic Fertilizers — Manure — Types of Manure — Other Organic Amendments — Fertilizer Recommendations — Application Methods — Green Manures — Composting in Alaska — Compost — The Compost Enclosure — Building the Compost Pile — Using Compost — What to Compost — High Speed Farm-Scale Composting — Mulches — Earthworms

Sowing seed indoors in pots for an early start.Chapter 5: Off to an Early Start    83

How Early is Early? — Sorting Seeds — Germination Testing — Preparations for Seed Starting — Containers — Flats — Labels — Soil — Damp Off — Sterilizing Garden Soil — ‘Soilless’ Mixtures — Treating Seeds — Sowing Seed Indoors — Providing the Basics — Water — Heat — Air Temperature — Light — Reflectors — Lamp Types — Light Intensity — Fertilizer for Seedlings — Transplanting — Conventional Method of Transplanting — Dry Method of Transplanting — Garden Timing — Hardening Off Seedlings — The Starter Solution — Setting Out Your Seedlings — Direct Seeding — Succession Planting — A Final Reminder

Chapter 6: Storage may include canning or making jelly. Storing Your Harvest    107

How to Waste a Garden — Disposal of Excess — Storage Methods — Harvest Hints — Preservation Methods — Packing — Whole Plant — Refrigeration — Canning — Hot-Water-Bath Canning — Pressure Canning — Headroom — Spoilage — Pickling — Drying — Blanching — Freezing — Freezer Burn — Freezer Containers — Dry, Cool Storage — Waxing — Root Cellars — Jellying

Chapter 7: Putting Your Garden to Bed    123

The final tilling may include planting a cover crop.Fall clean-up — Nettings — Improving Your Soil — Winter Protection — Cover Cropping — The Final Tilling — Maintenance — Tool Storage — Taking Inventory — Planning Next Year’s Garden

Contents Continued...


Click here when ready to order.

Copyright 2002, Aurora Webmasters Last updated October 07, 2004

Contact the Author, Ann D. Roberts. a member of the Garden Writers Association
by e-mailing: author @ alaskagardeningguide.com (delete spaces)

Home ] Foreword ] Reviews ] Related Links ] About the Author ] Author's Calendar ] Feedback ]