Spring planting at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm

Alan Tonne, Kieran Gleason and Erin Carr plant spring wheat at the Fairbanks
Experiment Farm.

Spring planting is underway at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm. Crews planted vegetables and grains for ongoing variety trials.

Heidi Rader and Nicole Carter plant winter
squashes as part of the vegetable variety trials.

The farm crew planted spring wheat as part of the grain trials to further test varieties that could be suitable for Alaska. Malting and feed barley varieties collected from around the world are also being evaluated for their adaptability to Alaska. UAF agronomist Mingchu Zhang, who is coordinating the grain trials, said that most of the malting barley, which is often used to make beer, is imported from the Lower 48.

Eighty varieties of vegetables are being planted in the experiment farm fields at UAF. Recent variety trials have been conducted at the Georgeson Botanical Garden, so the trials are moving across Yukon Drive. Crops include corn, carrots, beets, beans, fennel, winter squash and spinach. Demonstration plots will be planted in the botanical garden to provide outreach and education opportunities for the public. All trials except corn are being replicated at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center. Results from the last three years of trials are available here.

For questions about the vegetable trials, contact Glenna Gannon at gmgannon@alaska.edu or project director Heidi Rader at hbrader@alaska.edu.