Denali Seeds: Locally Available + Tested/Bred in Alaska for Alaskan Growers = Good Choice!

"Why," I asked myself, " am I spending money on postage for seeds out of Washington and Oregon when I could buy seeds in Haines? Do I believe enough in a 'buy local' campaign to overcome a decades long habit of mail ordering seeds from Outside?"

I decided that the answers to my questions really depended on the quality of the seeds locally available. I investigated and found the quality to be just fine. So today I am going to talk to you about Denali Seed stocked by Haines Home Building. If you like what you hear, maybe you will end up doing what I did and buy locally too; if not this year - because you already ordered in February - then next year.

Alaska has two conditions that tend to make it horticulturally challenging: cold soils and long days. Denali Seed breeds plants and their seeds for characteristics that make them perform better in cool climates. They call these specially bred seeds "specialized." But all the seeds they offer have been tested and proven not to be adversely affected by those long days.

Blackjack zucchini seed is an example of their specialized seed. It is bred to germinate when the soil temperature is in the upper 30s. Most squash varieties require warmer soils.

Denali sells specialized tomato seeds too. These tomatoes set fruit when the night temperature is in the mid-40s. Standard varieties require night temps in the upper 50s and 60s. (Hmmm - maybe that's why my tomatoes wouldn't set - wrong seed variety.) Try Denali's Subarctic 25, Polar Baby, and Early Tanana.

Ever get an itch to grow corn? Check out Denali's specialized Polar Vee or Yukon Chief. Both varieties begin forming ears when the plant is just 2-feet tall, so the ears can mature in a short growing season.

If you have ever used Denali seeds, you might have noticed that the seeds produce small plants. According to Denali, this is on purpose: Many of the other varieties we offer produce only a small plant, so the plants do not waste the whole growing season producing large, lush vegetative tops before they set fruit.

Given all this good news about Denali seeds, I wondered why I hadn't caught on before this. I asked around. One long time Haines resident brought up the "force of habit" argument which I mentioned at the outset. They don't ship until February 15th, so it's not possible to drool over their colorful seed packets dreaming of lush gardens in the dead of winter. The last barrier may be this: Denali is only available through a retailer. They are a wholesale outfit. Sometimes the retailer runs out. That can happened. But right now the supply is plentiful. Run down before they run out!