Alaska Gardening Guide, Vol 1

Contents

(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    25

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 —

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    54

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

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: 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 — cont.Pickling — Drying — Blanching — Freezing — Freezer Burn — Freezer Containers — Dry, Cool Storage — Waxing — Root Cellars — Jellying

Chapter 7: Putting Your Garden to Bed    123

Fall clean-up — Nettings — Improving Your Soil — Winter Protection — Cover Cropping — The Final Tilling — Maintenance — Tool Storage — Taking Inventory — Planning Next Year’s Garden

Continued...

 

 

 

 
  

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