Green thumbs cultivated in Arctic

August 17th 5:32 pm | Jillian Rogers

Farming anywhere in Alaska can be tough. Especially without the aid of a greenhouse or high tunnel.

But yielding crop outdoors in the Arctic? Some might think it's impossible.

Chad Nordlum begs to differ.

So far this summer, Nordlum has been enjoying luscious veggies like peas, cauliflower, and radishes plus greens like kale, chard and spinach. He's got two dozen potatoes, too, which have yet to be harvested.

Recently, Nordlum took his fledgling farm skills to a new level by participating in a hands-on, week-long program at Calypso Farms and Ecology Center in Ester, just outside of Fairbanks. He was one of six students in this summer's class of the Alaska Growers School. The school is a grant-funded program that runs through the University of Alaska-Fairbanks' Cooperative Extension Service.

For Nordlum, his formal lessons in better growing started about a year ago with distance learning course online; first the beginners' session, followed by an advanced class.

The biggest challenge, Nordlum said, about crop growing in the Arctic isn't the inclement weather, but the quality of the soil.

"It's a lot of work here," he said from Kotzebue.

After the intensive online portion of the course, Nordlum was selected for the hands-on portion at Calypso. He was selected out of dozens of participants based on an essay he wrote, said project director Heidi Rader.

In total, six would-be farmers from around the state were flown to Calypso to learn first-hand how to live and work on a successful farm.

"There were a lot of hands in the dirt," said Rader. "They did everything from planting, weeding and harvesting to building fences and composting. And they ate a lot of vegetables."

The school is funded by a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. This is the program's second year. Rader said it has been very successful so far, which bodes well for future Growers' grants.

Nordlum is back in Kotzebue now, where he was born and raised, applying the skills he learned to his own fledgling operation.

His garden so far consists of two raised boxes and a "retired boat" which houses his potatoes — a trick he learned from his grandfather. And his crop is getting better each year, he said.

"This is my third season gardening and I learn a lot each season," he said.

For example, Nordlum learned that with the abundance of summer sunlight in Kotzebue, spinach is prone to growing too fast and so consideration must be taken when starting seeds and planting. He did start a small portion of his veggies in the house but mostly started from seeds outside at the end of May — much earlier than most people start planting, he said.

"It pays to start early," Nordlum noted. "It's a challenge (to know exactly when) but we have the sunlight and a very intense growing season."

Nordlum and his family enjoy the products of his labor nearly every evening for dinner, but, he admitted, they do supplement fresh produce from Full Circle Farms out of Washington. Especially fruit.

And with daylight waning across the state, Nordlum said it's also a challenge to know when the growing season will end. His potatoes will remain in the boat-turned-garden until the first good frost — most likely in September.

Nordlum is not alone in his quest for abundant Arctic produce, there are many in the region that grow their own food. Martha Wells of Noorvik also participated in this year's Growers program.

And said Rader, the Alaska Growers School is additional tool for Alaska Natives to help remain self-sufficient.

"The Alaskan Growers School is an excellent opportunity for individuals who want to become more self-sufficient or start a small farm—wherever they live in Alaska," Rader said.

The goal of the Alaskan Growers School is to teach Alaska Native people the things they need to know to grow enough food for themselves and 10 other families. Advanced training provides information about starting a small agricultural business.

"We're trying to address that knowledge gap," Rader said.

Besides Kotzebue, students attended the hands-on portion of the course from Noorvik, Nome, Bethel, Unalakleet, Ugashik, Two Rivers and Craig.

Before his stint at Calypso, Nordlum had never been to a working farm.

He's looking to expand his growing opportunities and has started construction on a greenhouse. Organizing a local farmer's market would also be a "nice next step," he said.

"Although I am not a farmer now, I do hope to be someday."

The next Alaskan Growers School will start Sept. 26. Lessons will be offered by teleconference and online. To apply or learn more about the school, go to www.uaf.edu/ces/ags. The school is free and open to everyone; however Alaska Natives in the Tanana Chiefs Conference are given priority. For more information, contact instructor Glenna Gannon at 452-8251 ext. 3281 or Growers.School@alaska.edu.

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Green thumbs cultivated in Arctic