🍓Berries of Change🍓

After last month's event of the season, maybe that should be our new name?

Just kidding (as much we love berries here, it just doesn't have the same ring to it)!

If you were unable to attend or missed the announcement, during the month of August, our hydroponic greenhouse hosted a famous guest speaker. Josh Smith, a local social media influencer and owner of Bear Mountain Forest Nursery, presented on all things berry production in Alaska. Josh taught us his system of berry collection and berry seed germination. Over thirty berry-lovers attended the event and berry much fun was had!

Hydrolab Highlights: Multitudes of Millet and Lychee for Life!

If you have visited our greenhouse, you may have been shown a special area called the "Hydrolab". Within this area, our youth apprentices are encouraged to complete a agricultural experiment. The experiment could look like growing a plant we've never tried to grow before or testing out different nutrient mixtures on a crop. Ultimately, it is whatever the apprentice wants to do. After they come up with an idea, they must outline a credible hypothesis using the scientific method. We want our youth to use critical thinking skills while they develop a plan, create a timeline, and infer possible outcomes. All skills used during Hydrolab experiments are transferable to future career or schooling opportunities. Recently, we've had two experiments wrap up and wanted to showcase them here.

First off, there is the millet experiment completed by current apprentice, Zeke. After filling up his bird feeder at home, Zeke started to wonder where bird seed comes from and what it actually looks like in its adult form. The next day, he brought in a handful of the seed and the experiment began! Based on some research and sleuthing, Zeke hypothesized that the seed may grow into a type of grain and that it may not grow very effectively within a hydroponic system. He planted the seeds and installed them into our hydroponic grow towers, then the wait began. It turned out that the seed grew into millet! The millet ended up growing exceptionally fast, remained resistant to pest damage, and started to produce more seeds by the end of it's life cycle. The circle was complete! Way to go Zeke!

For the next experiment, a former apprentice and current volunteer, Clover, wanted to experiment with growing tropical fruit from seed. Clover procured a dragon fruit and some lychee from a local grocery store to collect seeds from. This meant the first part of the experiment involved eating these tasty fruits! Next, Clover diligently cleaned the seeds, planted them, and awaited germination. Clover hypothesized that both fruits would germinate in our extra humid and warm germination station, since it mimics the fruits native habitat. As it turned out, the lychee did germinate and started growing fast! The dragon fruit, however, remained unsuccessful. Perhaps another experiment is needed? For now, we will celebrate the lychee success! Awesome job, Clover!

As a volunteer, you can assist with a variety of greenhouse tasks including, but not limited to seeding, transplanting, and harvesting.

Do you need a job or know someone who does? We offer paid apprenticeships to local youth. Learn transferable skills and gain valuable experience.