Arthur Keyes is experimenting a pair of California strawberry varieties on his Palmer, Alaska farm. As strange as this California-in-Alaska story seems, Keyes sees a huge upside to growing the berries in Alaska. The fruit can ripen on the plant, increasing sweetness, and Alaska’s harsh winters and isolation mean that there are very few crop-threatening pests.
Long-time farmer Ben Vanderweele cultivates many of the picturesque farm fields near the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer. This year he’s growing lettuce, cabbage, potatoes, and broccoli for sale in local grocery stores and restaurants. On Tuesday, May 26, he had employees transplanting red and green leaf lettuce in the field closest to the Palmer Golf Course.
Crew member Teresa Reel is starting her fifth season on the farm and gave a brief description of what it takes to work on the transplanting team in this video and a still picture gallery is available here.
Vanderweele said the warm spring has made for a good growing season so far and he hopes to begin harvesting by the end of June. In addition to lettuce, he is also growing potatoes, broccoli and cabbage for local grocery stores and restaurants.
