Hopefully all of you gardeners have planted all of your seeds, vegetable plants, and flowers, as well as loaded your greenhouses this past weekend. I did, and thoroughly enjoyed it! Now you are well-practiced to help us plant the Butrovich Gardens.
     As you may have noticed, our garden beds have not yet been rototilled. Facilities Services was repairing a leak near one of the terrace walls recently, and has only recently been able to send a work-crew to begin the rototilling process. Today's job was weeding around the Peony and Iris flowers to make it easier to see them. Other crews this week will rototill and add compost. As it is such a big job, we have been informed that they may not have the gardens ready by this coming Wednesday for Planting Day. If this is the case, our plants will remain safely in the greenhouse until the beds are ready for planting. 
     A few volunteers helped to relocate some Jacob's Ladder flowers to save them from the rototiller. They have been transferred to the flag-pole area just behind the block wall. This area is always open to volunteers who want to work off some calories and stress by pulling some weeds. We are also looking for more flowers to add to this area, so let us know if you are thinning irises, lilies, or other perennials.
 
     Mark your calendar! The UAF Planting Day 2012 is scheduled for Wednesday, June 6. The Butrovich Gardens are scheduled to be rototilled before then, and our plants delivered. We are looking for volunteers to help place the plants into the gardens on June 6. If you are interested, please e-mail Jocelyn Martin at [email protected].
 
If you are not already aware, the Plant Kingdom Greenhouse distributes a great on-line news letter with lots of enjoyable photos. Check it out, and sign up on their website at   http://www.theplantkingdom.com/.
 
      We received a donation of six Early Girl Tomatoes today from Doris Mercer (Cal Mercer's Mom). She started these plants from seed in March, and they are now about 8-inches high and very healthy. Cal informed us that she is an avid gardener, and currently has about 100 tomato plants in her greenhouse.

Thank you, Doris!
 
Here is some information that Jane Vohden wanted to share with all of us about a seed exchange: 


     In Ester this year they held a seed exchange. Different people brought seeds that they had harvested last fall for planting this spring. Have you ever heard of Borage? I haven't googled it yet but my understanding is that it is a leafy green with a pretty blue flower. Would you like any of those seeds?   I think that's all I have extra of for now.  Let me know.  I don't know anything else about the borage. Is there anyone interesting in trying to harvest seeds from the gardens in the fall?  
Thanks again!    - Jane Vohden 

I found some information about Borage on the following website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borage
Add your comments about harvesting seeds in the fall, and a seed exchange for next spring. Contact Jane directly if you are interested in some of her Borage seeds <[email protected]>.
 
Greetings, Fellow Butrovich Gardeners!
     Good for you! You found our BLOG! Feel free to visit often, and share your comments, suggestions, and recipes with all of us. I will pop on here periodically with updates. 
     The snow is melting (though slowly from my yard on the hill), and the temperatures are getting (a little) warmer. Thoughts are turning to gardening, and some of us have even started seeds inside. I currently have eight tomato plants that are a foot high, as well as a flat with a variety of vegetable seedlings under my grow lights. 
     The 2012 season for the Butrovich Gardens has begun, and if you are new to our site, I'll pause to give you a bit of history. The Butrovich Gardens are those located on the cement terraces just across the parking lot at the front of the Butrovich Building on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. We have enjoyed the beautiful Peony flowers that bloom each year, and a couple of years ago a few employees began planting some vegetables to share. We are now into our third year of the gardens, with plans for the best one yet!
     Plans for the 2012 season actually began this past January with a small group of volunteers selecting the layout and seeds to plant. A copy of the plan is attached at the end of today's blog (just after the photos). The seeds were ordered in January by UAF Facilities Services, and planted just a few weeks ago. They have now emerged into sprouting seedlings, and a few of us recently had the pleasure of visiting the greenhouse to snap a few photos. 
    The garden beds are scheduled to be rototiled sometime during the week of May 14. Our plants will be delivered around the annual UAF Planting Day (yet to be determined) for us to set them into the beds, and we will be looking for some volunteers who want to have some fun in the dirt! 



   Photos by: Jocelyn Martin & Sharon Gramstad   
Picture
ABOVE: Tray of herb seedlings reserved for the Butrovich Gardens.


LEFT: Paula holds a tray of the Butrovich Garden seedlings.










BELOW: Paula & Sharon observe the squash plants for the Butrovich Gardens.



BOTTOM: Blooming Geraniums

ua_garden_plan_2012_-_final.pdf
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     Welcome to the BLOG site of the University of Alaska Butrovich Gardens! The Butrovich Gardens are the shared-effort and shared-enjoyment of the staff of the Butrovich Building on the campus. This site is how we keep all of our fellow gardeners and volunteers updated on the status of the gardens, as well as additional gardening news. Glad you could join us, and hope you enjoy the BLOG. 

    Author

    Jocelyn Martin, 
    I am one of several Master Gardeners who work at Statewide, and enjoy playing in the dirt at the Butrovich Gardens.

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