All posts by Ashley

About Ashley

With a background in marketing communications, Ashley decided to take her interest in plants and gardening to the next level through The Alaska Urban Soil Project blog. As a newly self-proclaimed gardener, she's ready to blaze the trail for other wanna-be backyard vegetable gardeners and start an online community for fellow organic, local food lovers.

Pumpkin BOO-berry Muffins (Fun Halloween Toddler Snacktivity!)

Here’s a delicious fall-time spin on classic blueberry muffins. If you’re a solo adult who likes good food, this recipe is for you. Or if you’ve got extra kitchen “helpers” around (read: kids who need entertainment), turn baking these Halloween muffins into a fun toddler snacktivity.

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comparing mint plant varieties

Comparing Mint Plants: Spearmint, Apple & Chocolate

Mint is a reasonably cold-hardy perennial, meaning it grows back every year under the right conditions. Just like there are many different kinds of tomatoes (cherry, beefsteak, roma, etc.), there are plenty different varieties of mint, too.

Here’s an overview comparison of three different kinds of mints that grow well for me in Anchorage, Alaska: spearmint, apple mint & chocolate mint.

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Planting Perennial Edibles in the Frontyard

Transforming Our Yard With Edible Perennials

In late July, we stumbled upon a seasonal clearance sale for edible perennial plants (meaning plants that come back every year).

We walked into the hardware store needing a part for a miscellaneous house project, and we walked out purchasing 2 apple trees, 1 sour cherry tree, 4 blueberry bushes, 8 strawberry plants & 5 haskap berry bushes.

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rhubarb in early spring and late summer

Spring Rhubarb: an early edible perennial in Alaska

Winters in Alaska are long, cold & dark. At the end of December, most Alaskans only see 5-6 hours of sun each day. By March, the daylight hours have made significant enough gains for Alaskans to start looking forward to summer months in the land of the midnight sun.

In Alaska, one of the surest signs that spring has officially sprung is the sight of rhubarb’s annual crowning from the barely-thawed earth.

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Small blonde puppy with antibiotics bottle

Giving a 5-Week Old Puppy Liquid Antibiotics

I recently started fostering a litter of 5-week old, husky mix puppies. When I picked them up from the cargo plane, there was a note taped to the kennel, along with a small box of liquid antibiotics. 

The note said the ‘blonde boy’ needs .5ml of antibiotics, twice a day. Once I got the puppies home, it was antibiotics time.

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