I'm in Alaska.

[Alaska Animal Lover]

Hi! I joined up since I will be starting a compost pile this year and thought I could get some tips. I also just got my first chickens they are now almost three weeks old.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Welcome!

Chickens and compost, couldn't be a better match. In my opinion.

I've been to Alaska a bunch of times. My longest stay lasted about 8 months. One never really appreciates how warm 40 degrees is until you've spent a winter in Alaska.

I'm not the biggest expert on compost but we have a ton of smart folks on here!

 

[Alaska Animal Lover]

Thanks! You are so right about the 40 degrees! Where did you stay?

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Thanks! You are so right about the 40 degrees! Where did you stay?

All over really. I was in Cohoe, out on the Kenai, for a while. I spent winter in Palmer which was really fun. I did a long research trip to Denali, which was amazing. Never been past Fairbanks though.

How long is the growing season typically there, without greenhouses/cold frames?

 

[Alaska Animal Lover]

I grew up in Palmer, and live in Big Lake now.
Growing season... I start my root veggies within the next week. Anything else goes in the ground the first week in June. Usually root veggies can be harvested after the first frost in early Septemer, everything else is the end of August. Not much time, but we get so much daylight in the summer it helps a lot.
I have a small greenhouse for tomatoes, cucumbers etc. I am even going to try corn this year.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Wow, that's an amazing growing season.

Well good luck with all your crops!

-Carlos

 

[SewingDiva]

Not much time, but we get so much daylight in the summer it helps a lot.

Ah - I envy your long daylight! I love cool season crops and I'd grow them all summer if I could.

~Phyllis

 

[Alaska Animal Lover]

Yes the daylight is wonderful. As I type this, it is 11:15pm and I could still be sitting on the porch reading the paper. It is getting dark though, the sun finally quit shining about an hour ago.
By this time next month we will be so used to the light that we won't realize how late it actually is. The sun will still be up at midnight and later. We will be outside in the garden and wonder why we are so tired!
I envy other places for the long Fall season.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

That is one thing I do miss for sure. The great "night time" walks and hikes we used to take.

I envy seasons in general. Since I've in California most of my life and along the coast we don't make many season changes. Cool, Warm, Warmer, Hot, Rain. In no particular order.

Have you noticed any cultivars that do exceptionally well there?

What tomato varieties have you tried?

 

[Alaska Animal Lover]

I like the early girl variety, they all do fine in a greenhouse.
I bought a couple new varieties this year, and now I can't remember what they were.