A Galena gardener experiments with growing techniques.
Thanks to the cooperation of the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, and Tanana Chiefs Conference, Galena will soon have a community greenhouse. Funding is provided by an EPA grant applied for by TCC and managed by ACEP Rural Energy Specialist Ross Coen.
Galena, a village of 675 people, is located 270 air miles west of Fairbanks, on the Yukon River and off the road system. Due to its remoteness, fresh food costs much more than in urban Alaska. Recent prices are reported at $4 per tomato, $7 for a green pepper, and up to $7 for a head of lettuce.
Coen and SNRAS Research Professional Jeff Werner will be in Galena April 12-13 to meet with the public about the proposed greenhouse. “The goal is to have a self-sustaining enterprise,” Coen said. He and Werner want to learn how the residents would like to use the greenhouse. “We’ll be establishing a work plan,” Coen said. “We hope to have a lot of community participation and get the kids involved.”
The 30 x 96-foot structure will be built next to the city power plant, which uses a heat recovery system and would make heating the greenhouse in spring and fall possible with hot water circulation. The high cost of heat and electricity in rural communities is the single greatest limiting factor in operating a large greenhouse, according to Coen, but he believes that utilizing heat from the power plant, a natural by-product of the diesel generators that run twenty-four hours a day, will improve the economics dramatically. “It could not only bring operating costs down but also double the growing season,” Coen said.
While Coen will provide the energy expertise, Werner is the agricultural expert. He has worked with Professor Meriam Karlsson at UAF for many years and has been instrumental in making the greenhouse projects at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge and Chena Hot Springs resort successful. The Galena project is similarly expected to provide residents with fresher, more nutritious produce at a fraction of the cost of imported vegetables.
Werner's goal is to help the people in Galena understand ways to be more self-reliant and self-sufficient. He envisions growing lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kohlrabi starts that can be transferred to the field. The greenhouse will be perfect for growing tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, he said. "They can grow for the freezer and for processing so they can enjoy the fruits of their labors throughout the winter," he said.
The men think the greenhouse can produce enough vegetables to supply the local store, help feed the elders, and provide educational opportunities for the children. “This belongs to Galena,” Coen said. They will coordinate the effort with the Louden Tribal Council, city officials, the schools, and experienced gardeners in Galena to ensure local participation.
Although the greenhouse will certainly add a lot to the fresh food scene in Galena, gardening is not new to the village. People have been growing good food there for years. One in particular who is passionate about it is Paul Apfelbeck, a teacher at the Galena Interior Learning Academy.
In his nine years in Galena, Apfelbeck has experimented with gardening every summer. Growing up in Connecticut and New Jersey, Apfelbeck grew his first garden at the age of 12. When moving to Galena he wouldn’t settle until he knew his new home would have a plot to grow things in. “The house had to have space for a greenhouse,” he said. He found local mentors to teach him the Galena style of growing. “I like to experiment,” he said.
Every year he gets five different types of Daikon radishes to see how they come out. “They are incredibly difficult to grow,” he said. He also tries various heirloom tomatoes, at least three varieties each summer. “Every once in a while there is a beautiful success,” he said. He especially likes Northern Delight and Windowbox Roma. He’s had good luck with cabbage too.
“Galena is the best place on earth to grow kohlrabi,” he said. He even grew a watermelon in his greenhouse.
His seeds come from Norway, South Africa, California, and Chile. His harvests, along with the other villagers, are displayed and shared in the annual agricultural fair.
At the March 17 Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education conference, Apfelbeck praised the assistance he has gotten from Heidi Reider of Cooperative Extension Service and SNRAS Instructor Jodie Anderson. “They are fabulous sources of information,” he said. “Heidi taught me how to prepare soil and mix the soil using indigenous materials, and how to start seeds. Jodie is wonderful in helping with potatoes, which is a very important crop. And she taught me about root cellars.”
Apfelbeck said,” You learn a little at a time. Everybody in Galena is learning and sharing with each other.”
He is excited about the future there. “I’d like Galena agriculture to be as self-sustainable as possible, but there are limits placed by the environment.”
Photo provided by Paul Apfelbeck
Further reading:
Growing opportunity: UAF hydroponics and the FFA at Pike's Waterfront Lodge, SNRAS Science & News, June 10, 2009
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