Silverweed in bloom. (Courtesy of Khalil English) For this week’s Garden Talk, KTOO’s Chloe Pleznac spoke with Khalil English about his research on silverweed, a seemingly inconspicuous plant with deep roots in Pacific Northwest history. English spoke about silverweed’s importance as a food source across the North — and where you can find it in Juneau. Listen: https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GT-2-FINAL-EDIT.mp3 This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length. Khalil English: Silverweed first came into my life, I believe, through a book that I got from Professor ..read more

Flowers bloom in the Rainbow Foods garden in Downtown Juneau on April 3, 2024. (Photo by Chloe Pleznac/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GT24-1.mp3 With the spring equinox behind us and a stretch of sunny, warm days over the last few weeks, it feels like spring has arrived full-force in Juneau. Trees are budding, birds are singing, and things are starting to stir in the earth.  Master Gardener Ed Buyarski says it’s time to start doing the garden prep that will set you up for success later in the season. “It’s a time for cleanup in the garden, if we didn’t do cleanup l ..read more

Daffodils bloom in a North Douglas flower bed lined with seaweed mulch. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GTALK-S1E22.mp3 Now is the time to get flower bulbs in the ground before it freezes. For an impressive display of blooms in the spring, plant a lot of them. Master Gardener Ed Buyarski recommends planting flower bulbs such as crocuses, daffodils, and tulips in a location with good drainage. They don’t need to be in full sun all year long, just in the spring. “So we can plant them at the edge underneath deciduous trees, which will leaf out in late ..read more

Dave Gregovich, Wildlife Habitat Analyst for ADF&G and local mushroom enthusiast (photo by Sheli DeLaney/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GTALK-S1E21.mp3 Dave Gregovich, Wildlife Habitat Analyst for the Department of Fish and Game, is a mushroom enthusiast on the hunt for winter chanterelles. He starts the search in a forest near the North Douglas highway, and looks for areas with hemlock trees and blueberries. “It’s not a super specialized mushroom,” Gregovich said. “In most places where you have old growth forest, you have at least a few winter chanterelles.” Edible ..read more

Ginger Hudson displays a digging fork, her preferred tool for removing plants from the ground without cutting their roots (photo by Sheli DeLaney/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GTALK-S1E20.mp3 Early fall is a great time to dig up, divide, and transplant perennials. Plants can better adapt to new locations when the weather is cool and they are finished blooming. At the Jensen-Olson Arboretum, horticulturist and manager Ginger Hudson demonstrated how to divide Japanese sedge, or Carex morrowii, that she found creeping into a walkway. She removed it from the ground using h ..read more

A chalkboard sign at the entrance lists what’s in bloom at the Jensen-Olson Arboretum. (Photo by Sheli DeLaney/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GTALK-S1E19.mp3 At the Jensen-Olson Arboretum — a source of inspiration for gardeners of Southeast Alaska — late-season flowering perennials are in bloom. “And one of our favorites is the Primula florindae, which blooms in mid-to-late summer and sometimes will go on until frost,” manager and horticulturist Ginger Hudson said. “They love the cool moist temperatures — they love to be cold over winter.” Yellow is the standard color f ..read more

Master gardener Ed Buyarski grows corn inside a greenhouse. (Photo by Sheli DeLaney/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GTALK-S1E18.mp3 Greenhouses expand the possibilities of what can be grown in cool, wet climates. Certain cucumber and tomato varieties do particularly well in Southeast Alaska. Growing cucumber plants vertically can increase air circulation and reduce mold and mildew (photo by Sheli DeLaney/KTOO) Master gardener Ed Buyarski uses some of his greenhouse space to experiment with dry-weather crops, such as corn. While his corn is tall, it’s not quite maturing ..read more

A propane torch burning unwanted chickweed sprouts in a lettuce bed. (Photo by Sheli DeLaney/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GTALK-S1E17.mp3 Taking a propane torch to the rows between crops is a quick, easy solution to controlling weeds in the garden. But many weeds can be harvested and eaten. White goosefoot (aka Lambsquarters) is an edible and nutritious garden weed closely related to spinach (Photo courtesy of Ed Buyarski/Ed’s Edibles) Master gardener Ed Buyarski carefully burned away hundreds of tiny sprouts threatening his lettuce rows. “Like we see between two lett ..read more

Hardneck garlic bulbs hanging up to cure inside a greenhouse (Photo by Sheli DeLaney/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GTALK-S1E16.mp3 After garlic is harvested, it can be cured by hanging in a warm, dry place with good air circulation for a few weeks. Master gardener Ed Buyarski says that he has garlic hanging in his greenhouses, his furnace room and his garage. “In fact, last week I bought a dehumidifier to go in my garage underneath the garlic, and I’m emptying it twice a day.” Buyarksi says. “So I’m hoping that it will dry it better so it keeps better.” Some of the gar ..read more

Master Gardener Lindsey Pierce is surrounded by sunflowers as she looks up at the top of the dome in Táayi Hít, the “Garden House” at Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. (Photo by Sheli DeLaney/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GTALK-S1E15.mp3 A year after completion, the greenhouse built by Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has produced its share of successes and setbacks. “The name is Taay Hít, which means ‘garden house’ in Lingít,” says Lindsey Pierce, master gardener and environmental specialist at Tlingit an ..read more