Getting ready for growing season

April 29th, 2012

Sunrise: 5:53 am

Sunset: 11:51 pm

Temps (last 24 hrs): -12'C - -7'C

It's official; I'm a "plotter." (Sounds like I am conspiring and up to no good, doesn't it?)

The Inuvik Community Greenhouse is getting ready to open. This past week I registered, checked out my plot, took part in a new member orientation and selected seeds at "Seedy Saturday." My plot might be small, and still frozen solid, but I have big plans!

You might be surprised to read that Inuvik has a community greenhouse and that people are able to grow vegetables, berries and flowers north of the Arctic Circle. I know gardening might not be first on the list of things you associate with the Arctic, but apparently it is a very successful activity.

Why?

2 months of 24-hour sunlight. Things grow!

At the orientation I learned that, squished into mid-May to mid-September, Inuvik has two and a half growing seasons. (Truth be told, I don't really know how a growing season is measured or who calculated this, but it sure sounds like a lot of growing.) Last year, one plotter grew $900 worth of produce!

A group of motivated citizens converted the old hockey arena into the greenhouse in the late 1990s. The main space has been divided into 74 "plots," raised beds measuring approximately 10 feet by 4 feet each. Tools and wheelbarrows are available for members to use, and plotters make their own areas unique by putting up climbing trellises, garden gnomes, scarecrows and other decorations.

Apparently the greenhouse becomes quite a popular gathering place during the growing season. Plotters socialize while working and watering, sit at the picnic benches to have lunch and participate in garden markets where surpluses of vegetables and other goodies are sold. With temperatures climbing above 30'C, it is sure to be a little tropical haven, regardless of what the weather is doing outside!

For more info, check out: http://www.inuvikgreenhouse.com/

Over the next few months, I'll keep you posted as to my little plot's progress. For now, I am looking for tips to make the most of my small growing space. What can you suggest?