SNRAS researcher teaches gardening in Dillingham

Will zucchini be a good crop to grow in Dillingham? Students will find out this weekend!

Forty people in Dillingham will learn the basics of practical gardening March 4-6, thanks in part to SNRAS researchers. Hosted by UAF Bristol Bay Campus, the workshop is a one-credit, hands-on course taught by Jodie Anderson, Jeff Smeenk, and Rae Belle Whitcomb. Local Dillingham gardeners will serve as mentors.

Anderson hopes that the event brings together local gardeners, gardening experts, and aspiring gardeners to exchange information and celebrate local food production for families and communities in southwest Alaska. “It’s in the spirit of self-reliance and sustainability,” Anderson, a SNRAS instructor and director of the Alaska Community Horticulture Program, said.

Participants will learn how to plot a garden and decide what vegetables to plant, seed starting, transplanting, tuber planning, lighting/heat improvement, and composting basics. Soil improvement is another important topic, along with how to research vegetable information and seed varieties on the internet. At the end of the weekend, everyone gets to take home seeds and supplies to start a garden.

The workshop is sponsored by SNRAS, the Bristol Bay Campus, Bristol Bay Native Association Workforce Development, and the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program. A composting workshop is planned for April.

The community is becoming very enthusiastic about gardening. An article published in the Bristol Bay Times on Jan. 31 states, “Inch by inch, row by row, gardening is on the grow in southwest Alaska.”