A late-to-arrive spring has caused delays for local farmers who are waiting on a weather warm-up in order to begin transplanting starters into the ground.
Another dose of wintry weather on Friday through Saturday has also made conditions not too promising either.
River Bean, owner of Arctic Organics in Palmer, has packed greenhouses full of starter produce plants that he has yet to move outside. He has moved some of the overflow greenery into one of his cold frames to make extra room. His fields remain bare since the ground has been too cold and still partially frozen and vegetables could be smaller.
Bean says May is typically the busy time of year, but this spring, the work continues indoors.
"Usually we're pretty determined to get stuff in the ground, but no, we'll have to wait. So we're getting a lot of other stuff done," said Bean.
Chilly temperatures also tend to keep some potential shoppers away from local farmers markets. Flowers, hanging baskets, and other plants sold at Arctic Organics, have not been in high demand yet. Bean says people are not thinking about gardening. He says it's difficult to determine the impact of the late planting and cold spring.
However, business at Bell's Nursery in South Anchorage appeared steady Friday morning. Owner Mike Mosesions says Alaskans are anxious to start gardening even though most will not begin planting until June 1st.
Bell's produces thousands of pounds of tomatoes every year. This spring, they're slow to ripen due to a lack of sun, said Mosesions, who still remains optimistic.
"This spring has been late but we've been doing this for 41 years, so we've seen a lot of late years," said Mosesions. "However, there's two more weeks until the traditional safe date to plant."
Contact Abby Hancock
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Late Spring Delays Palmer Farmers, Anchorage Growers Remain Optimistic
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