Pacific High School has a spring plant sale coming up next weekend.
The plant sale is a fundraiser for Pacific High School’s Farm to Table program, where students learn to grow and cook local veggies through the kitchen and garden facilities on site. Xóots Elementary School kindergarteners also participate in the garden program, planting Lingít potatoes in the spring, which they return to harvest as first-graders in the fall.
We’ve planted quite a variety of seedlings this year, from kale and cauliflower to tomatoes and basil and calendula and cosmos. For a more extensive list feel free to email school garden coordinator Andrea Fraga at middleislandgardens@gmail.com.
Come by Harrigan Centennial Hall any time between 6-8 p.m. on Monday, April 22, for dinner, a chance to win prizes, and to participate in an informal data-sharing event.
The inaugural Sitka Community Food Assessment was a project from the 2012 Sitka Health Summit and was published in 2014. Since it’s now a decade later and the data in the original assessment is obsolete, an update has been in the works. This event will present some preliminary findings before the new assessment is published.
The Sitka Community Food Assessment examines where Sitka residents get their food, what types they eat, what they grow, what they hunt and fish for, where they shop, what type of access people have to healthy food, and other questions about Sitka’s food supply. The findings of the food assessment will help Sitka improve its food security.
Callie Simmons has been coordinating the updated assessment, with mentorship from Lisa Sadleir-Hart who coordinated the original. During the project they had a community survey that had nearly 400 responses, led several focus groups, and more. For more information, contact sitkafoodassessment@gmail.com.
The Sitka Local Foods Network just sent out the April 2024 edition of its monthly newsletter. Feel free to click this link to get a copy.
This month’s newsletter includes short stories about the search for a 2024 Sitka Farmers Market manager, the closing of the 2024 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend application period where you can donate to nonprofits through the Pick.Click.Give. program, an update about how you can support the Sitka Local Foods Network by buying a t-shirt or hoodie from our online store, information about our 2024 sponsorship programs, and an invitation to join our board of directors. Each story has links to our website for more information.
You can sign up for future editions of our newsletter by clicking on the newsletter image in the right column of our website and filling in the information. If you received a copy but didn’t want one, there is a link at the bottom of the newsletter so you can unsubscribe. Our intention is to get the word out about upcoming events and not to spam people. We will protect your privacy by not sharing our email list with others. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, like our Sitka Farmers Market page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@SitkaLocalFoods).
Join the UAF Cooperative Extension Service for an introduction to pruning techniques workshop with Casey Tennis from 10-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 30, at a Sitka location TBA.
Students will receive a solid base in the science and practice of selective pruning. This will include a demonstration on anything we have access to: deciduous trees, evergreen shrubs and possibly deciduous shrubs. Location TBA and will be sent to participants in advance.
The cost for this workshop is $10. Register at https://bit.ly/SitkaPruning. Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made seven business days in advance to Jasmine Shaw, jdshaw2@alaska.edu, 907-747-9440.
The 2024 Alaska Farmers Market Association annual summit takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 22-23, via Zoom. The theme is “Food for All: Rooted in Community”.
This year’s summit will feature two keynote speakers, a food access panel, a panel discussion on AFMA’s defined types of member markets, regional breakout rooms, technical assistance, marketing support, and more.
By JOEL HANSON / Transition Sitka president, Sitka Local Foods Network treasurer
Growing a community garden from scratch is no small feat, especially if you first have to look around for a suitable location. That can take some time, as we can attest.
It was a little over a year ago in January that a few of us from two nonprofit groups, Sitka Local Foods Network and Transition Sitka, joined forces to put energy behind establishing what the Italians appropriately call an orto di orto—a garden of gardens. And what have we got to show for it so far? Niente!
Actually, that’s not strictly true. If you turn off Sawmill Creek Road at the Post Office and go up Jarvis Street to the end, you’ll see a couple survey stakes stuck in the ground. They’re on the left, just before you get to the construction site where the Sitka Homeless Coalition has cleared an area for its cabin development.
Those stakes don’t look like much in the way of progress, but don’t be fooled. A lot of work has gone into putting them there. And if all goes according to plan, much more obvious signs of a Jarvis Street Community Garden will appear by mid-summer. Don’t expect it to look green and well-tended for a while yet, though.
There is much that needs to happen over the next few months to still leave a good portion of the coming construction season for earthworks. Before we can do anything on the ½-acre site besides take measurements and dream, we need to successfully bid on the Request for Proposal (RFP) that Sitka’s Planning Department expects to issue sometime soon for a “horticulture” project. Then we need to negotiate the details of a long-term lease. Then the city needs to write those details into an ordinance for the Assembly to consider and pass through two hearings.
Daunting as this may seem, the city’s administration and staff, as well as our Assembly, have been helpful and supportive of our efforts. Good progress is not an unreasonable expectation at this point.
The goal this summer will be to clear the parcel, fence the perimeter, and hang walk-in and drive-in gates. We’ll also harden a small portion of the site to accommodate a modest parking area and a garden support structure. The structure’s actual construction will commence in spring of next year. It will house a restroom, a tool storage area and an open shelter. Garden bed development will also begin next year.
When the Jarvis Street Community Garden opens in 2026, aspiring growers will have access to more than forty standard 10’ by 20’ plots to turn into their own home-away-from-home kitchen gardens.
The Sitka Local Foods Network just sent out the March 2024 edition of its monthly newsletter. Feel free to click this link to get a copy.
This month’s newsletter includes short stories about the search for a 2024 Sitka Farmers Market manager, the entry deadline for the seventh annual Sika Food Business Innovation Contest, the opening of the 2024 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend application period where you can donate to nonprofits through the Pick.Click.Give. program, an update about how you can support the Sitka Local Foods Network by buying a t-shirt or hoodie from our online store, information about our 2024 sponsorship programs, and an invitation to join our board of directors. Each story has links to our website for more information.
You can sign up for future editions of our newsletter by clicking on the newsletter image in the right column of our website and filling in the information. If you received a copy but didn’t want one, there is a link at the bottom of the newsletter so you can unsubscribe. Our intention is to get the word out about upcoming events and not to spam people. We will protect your privacy by not sharing our email list with others. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, like our Sitka Farmers Market page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@SitkaLocalFoods).
The Southeast Alaska Master Gardener Course 2024 is open for registration. Classes will be held from 6-8:30 p.m. on most Mondays, February 26 to May 13, and two Saturday workshops, from 9 a.m. to noon on April 20 and May 11.
All community members from throughout SE and Coastal AK are encouraged to join! From Metlakatla all the way up to Kodiak, gardeners will find that the information, expertise and techniques taught will apply to our shared “mild” wet conditions unique to our very Northern NW Pacific Coast.
*All classes will be Zoomed for participants outside of Juneau’s face-to-face classes. Out of Juneau workshops are dependent on local capacity — see registration page for more info*
For this course, UAF Extension and local experts will provide about 40 hours of in-depth training to experienced gardeners and, in return, participants complete 40 hours of service through a range of educational and community projects. When complete, a rebate for $150 of the $300 tuition will be credited back to you.
All projects and service efforts will be supported. No worries about what you can or can’t do — we have a great Southeast Master Gardener community who wants to help you successfully garden and share your love of gardening with others.
Contact darren.snyder@alaska.edu with any questions. More information also can be found on the registration portal at bit.ly/SoutheastMG
Grant applications are open for the third round of funding in Alaska Micro Grants for Food Security program. The application period opened on Wednesday, Feb. 14, and they are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 15.
The program offers grants of up to $5,000 for individuals or $10,000 for organizations for a variety of food security needs — such as improving a family vegetable garden, buying a freezer to store meat, fence equipment to protect your garden from critters, building a greenhouse or chicken coop, purchasing subsistence supplies such as fishing nets, etc. Certain items are not eligible, such as firearms or ammunition, so consult the application.
This grant program is part of the last Farm Bill, when Sen. Lisa Murkowski included a section creating a series for annual micro grants for food security in Alaska, Hawai’i, and the Pacific territories (Guam, American Samoa, etc.). The money is part of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) budget, and there is about $2.6 million available for 2024 Alaska projects, which will be distributed by the Alaska Division of Agriculture.
There is a priority given for grant applications from more food insecure communities, and they might pick up more in grant money. There is a 10 percent cost match for organizations winning grants. To learn more go to this link. Click this link for the application portal. Only one application per household. For more information, email dnr.ag.grants@alaska.gov or call 907-761-3885.
Producing crops in our maritime climate has its advantages, including long daylight hours during the growing season and mild “shoulder” seasons that allow for additional growing time when compared to other places in Alaska. It also has its challenges, of which farmers and gardeners here are acutely aware — too much rainfall and cool temperatures can persist throughout the growing season, impacting crop quality and quantity, and limiting the types of crops that typically can be produced.
Controlling the growing environment by covering the growing area can help improve growing conditions. Row covers or low tunnels can be used to cover individual beds and are both easy to install and maintain, or high tunnels can be used to cover larger areas but are more complex to install and require more active management of both the structure itself and the growing space they cover.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can help farmers and gardeners with identifying opportunities for conservation on their growing operations. NRCS works with individual growers to develop a conservation plan based on their objectives and resource concerns. Staff tailor plans to the site-specific conditions of the land where crops are grown, and develop alternatives for addressing resource concerns. Implementing the recommendations is voluntary.
Once a conservation plan has been completed, eligible lands and landowners may also qualify for financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The program includes funding for a variety of practices that can help improve crop quality and soil health, including low tunnels, high tunnels, nutrient management, crop rotation, cover cropping, and irrigation practices. EQIP contracts reimburse the producers based on current payment rates once the practices are installed to NRCS standards. EQIP applications are accepted continuously, though the first deadline for the current fiscal year’s funding is April 18, 2024.
Additional information about working with NRCS and about the high tunnel initiative can be found at the links below:
For more information, contact the Southeast Alaska NRCS Field Office located in Juneau at 907-586-7220, (Kathleen.Dilley@usda.gov or Samia.Savell@usda.gov). Click this link for more Alaska office contacts. Click here for the Alaska NRCS page link.
It was a little over a year ago in January that a few of us from two nonprofit groups, 
Sitka Local Foods Network 
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