Backyard Gardening in Anchorage: A Feasiblity Study

1. Backyard Gardening in Anchorage: A Feasiblity Study ENGL 212: Technical Writing Tashina Duttle

2. Overview • Introduction • Criteria • Methods • Research Results • Conclusions • Recommendations

3. Introduction • Examined the feasibility of Anchorage residents growing produce in their own backyard gardens • Researched what would need to be done to prepare an average backyard in Anchorage for gardening • Soil preparation • Starter plants

4. Introduction • Determined how backyard farming reduces a person’s carbon footprint • Less travel between farm and plate • Organic farming reduces pesticide/herbicide use • Plants consume CO2 • Identified financial considerations • Startup costs of preparing the site • Operations and maintenance • Farming cost vs. grocery store cost

5. Critieria for Feasibility • Is backyard farming affordable? • Will backyard farming in Anchorage reduce a family’s carbon footprint? • Will the public interested in backyard farming? • Is it less expensive to grow produce in Anchorage that it is to purchase it?

6. Methods • Researched examples of backyard gardens in the U.S. • Interviewed an Anchorage resident who is a backyard gardener • Analyzed growing conditions for Anchorage • Compared cost of growing food as opposed to buying at the local grocery store • Distributed a questionnaire to 20 classmates

7. High Cost of Food in Alaska • 98% of Alaska’s food is imported • Alaska food prices averages 27.8% - 49.4% higher than the U.S average • Rising petroleum costs raises cost of transportation of food

8. Financial Considerations when starting a garden • Soil Mending • Starter plants • Greenhouse/hoop-house (optional) • Maintenance

9. Other considerations • Cold climate hardy plants • Consult a local grower for tips • Proper drainage • Pest control • Short 105 day growing season • Long daylight hours • Seed vs. starters from a green hosue

10. Primary Research

11. Primary Research

12. Perceived challenges

13. Cost of Starters • Often expensive • Cost of growing from starter plants is more than buying it at the local grocery store • There are alternatives • Co-op growing and sharing of starts • Starting from seed indoors

14. Learning from other people’s backyard gardens • Often costs much more than buying groceries • Knowledge of local growing techniques and plant selection is crucial • Using recycled materials and free materials can greatly reduce cost • Craigslist • Free-cycle • Re-store

15. Conclusions • Based on growing from starter plants, it is not cost effective to produce food in a backyard garden in Anchorage • Perhaps it would be affordable if costs could be reduced *see recommendations.

16. Recommendations • More research is recommended • Determine public interest through larger pool for survey • A larger feasibility study should be conducted. I suggest further research in the following areas: • Start from seed • Possibility of local co-op growers sharing starts • Using free or inexpensive materials to build greenhouses or hoop-houses to improve productivity