Jeff Lowenfels

Anchorage, United States

Writer and Colunmnist at Anchorage Daily News

Best selling author, lecturer: Teaming With Microbes,Teaming With Nutrients ,Teaming With Fungi and NOW Teaming With Bacteria!!

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Articles

Corn in Alaska? It’s the true Holy Grail of Alaska gardening

1 week ago | adn.com | Jeff Lowenfels

Ah, let’s hit the mail bag, as it used to be called. These are, of course, now email questions which have been asked. Some of their answers make sense to share with others. Let’s start with a novel one: Can you grow corn in Southcentral? Corn! This is the true Holy Grail of Alaska gardening, not tomato. Yes, you can grow corn here, though you better start your own from seed now as it isn’t readily available locally as starts. And I say you can grow corn.
As the seasons transition, be patient when it comes to your lawn

3 weeks ago | adn.com | Jeff Lowenfels

Yardeners are keeping an eye on two things this week: the birch buds and lawns. Those fattening buds are perhaps the most welcome thing we see all season. Their opening moment is a classic phenological event and means there will be no more frosts until the fall. Finally. The other item getting lots of attention is the lawn. It is a funny thing to observe. People get all worked up by the sight of post-winter grass.
Unpredictable Alaska winter and spring keep gardeners guessing

3 weeks ago | adn.com | Jeff Lowenfels

For a while, all everyone wanted to know was what the winter’s lack of snow would do to our plants. Now folks are asking what these late snowfalls will do. Good questions both. We are surely about to find out. The geese are now returning to Southcentral Alaska and soon to more northern parts of the state. We always see them at our house within 24 hours of April 15.
Keep your eyes on the flies and your garden calendar as the season approaches

1 month ago | adn.com | Jeff Lowenfels

Somewhere along the line while I was writing these columns, a calendar was added. This was mainly so I didn’t have to write a new column every year telling readers it was time to start the sweet peas or cosmos or whatever. Ann Landers taught us that we can’t repeat columns, so this was the solution. Of course, the calendar itself has the information you really need, the who, what, when and where. The column? Well, it turns out I need to have one in order to be able to post a calendar.
Just because there’s no snow doesn’t mean you should jump headlong into yardwork

1 month ago | adn.com | Jeff Lowenfels

As I write this over the weekend, there is no snow on our back lawn. The sun has been shining, and judging from recent emails, many yardeners are eager to get started. Several of you have asked whether it’s advisable to mow the lawn. Normally, I would say absolutely not — don’t even walk on it until it dries out in early May. However, this year is different.
Be a ‘real’ gardener: Start plants from seeds now

1 month ago | adn.com | Jeff Lowenfels

You know my rule: You are not a real gardener unless you start and grow at least one plant from seed for your yard. Another of my rules also comes into play now: Until April 1, you really don’t have enough natural light to properly start and grow seedlings. This week, those two rules intersect. It is time to consider starting seeds. What to try? At the top of the list should be tomatoes. These fruits are so easy to grow.
What would a Mount Spurr eruption mean for our lawns and gardens?

1 month ago | adn.com | Jeff Lowenfels

I am getting a lot of questions about the increasing possibility of a volcanic eruption and what ash will do to our yards. If I remember correctly, last time Mount Spurr blew it was winter, and there was a nice, white snow on the ground. The eruption turned Anchorage completely gray, but that summer the minerals in the ash started to do their thing. Two things come to mind first, however. I write these columns Saturday mornings on the weekends before they appear.
Consider forcing rhubarb now by creating your own cloche

2 months ago | adn.com | Jeff Lowenfels

As you can imagine, I visit all manner of gardens wherever I go. I learn a lot from others’ efforts; gardeners are always friendly, and you can learn much about an area from its gardens. So it was on a trip in Ireland that Jude and I visited a spectacular garden with a dozen of what looked like upside-down stone vases with lids.
‘The groundhog was wrong’: An Anchorage winter without snow

2 months ago | adn.com | Jenna Kunze |Jeff Lowenfels

Winter, everybody agrees, has been weird this year. From December through February, Anchorage received less than 5 cumulative inches of snow, transforming what’s often a pillowy white landscape into a ruddy brown one. And with it, local behavior. Residents have had to pivot — in garden care, vehicle and ski trail maintenance, recreational activities, winter gig economy work and energy bill payments. Some Alaskans lamented tough challenges brought on by a lack of snow.
How to properly dispose of fallen branches, and other tips arising from our snowless winter

2 months ago | adn.com | Jeff Lowenfels

When it comes to getting rid of all the twigs that grace our yards due to the Big Winds, common sense tells us burning is a big no-no. There is no snow cover and we could have a huge fire. It isn’t going to be any better this spring, so I have been thinking what can we do to minimize the plumes of smoke that arise from yards all over town when spring hits. Any one of these would be as likely a source for “the big one” as lightning. Actually, it is against the law to ignite these burn piles.

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