Palmer Alaska - Matanuska Valley

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Palmer is the home of world record cabbages, carrots and other vegetables grown in the Matanuska Valley's deep loamy silt. The combination of glaciers, wind, water and lots of summer sunlight give Palmer unique qualities to grow giant vegetables. Cabbage is one of Alaska's most reliable crops, because it thrives even under cold, rainy conditions. Other vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, radishes, rutabagas, turnips, potatoes, and beets are also big growers in Alaska. Spinach and lettuce mature uncommonly fast in Alaska. All of these vegetables are well adapted to cool temperatures, so they keep growing even if it gets near freeezing. Lettuce is a spring or fall crop in warmer parts of the U.S., but in the Matanuska Valley it seldom gets hot enough even in midsummer to cause unsightly tip-burn. I took a picture of head lettuce because I had never seen it growing in a garden. Cool temperatures alone don't encourage giant growth. Glacial soils help because they have good structure and plenty of organic matter to keep nutrients in the root zone. Also, Alaska is insulated from most of the insect pests, diseases and weeds that plague more southerly farms, although chickweed is a problem. The biggest reason for the giant vegetables is daylight. The Valley gets 19 hours of daylight in June, allowing plants to continue to grow until midnight. All that sun makes for sweeter results. The carrots spend 75% of their time making sugar, and only 25% turning that sugar into starch. Here is a list of some vegetables with their record world weights. Green cabbage 127 lbs., Cantaloupe 64.80 lbs., Turnip 39.20 lbs., Carrot 18.99 lbs. We went to the visitor center in Palmer. They had a beautiful flower and vegetable garden called the Metanuska Valley Agricultural Showcase. Hopefully, some of the pictures will be added to the blog.

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