Mary, I'm not an expert on Alaska weather but seems like 0 is a bit cold for bulbs in a pot. Think I would wait. Nice to meet you. What else do you grow?

All kinds of stuff both vegie and flowers. Kind of a long list but very similar to everyone else except no tender flowers except as annuals. I have some azaleas and one rhody that seem to make it through all winter. I am working on figuring how to extend the vegie growing season with raised beds and hoop covers as well as getting seeds for plants that are more cold tolerant for planting and harvesting further into fall. I also plant vegies into my flower gardens along with herbs. I have my first asparagus bed to see this spring. Three year plants as well as some mint (contained in large pots with open bottoms of chocolate mint. Hoping some oregano I planted last year will return.

great!! Hope you will share some pictures with us this year. Typically when do you have your first and last frost? Do you grow any of the blue poppies?

First is May 15 to 31 depending on how much a risk take you are and I would say end of Sept first part of Oct for last. Or vice versa. I had blue poppies for several years but the clumps rot from the middle and then they are unsightly. So after the newness wore off I let them go. I did plant some yellow meconopsis and they self seeded cute little yellow poppies in a shady area with foam flowers and such. I am okay with them. Kind like a ground cover.

Spigariello Liscia (Broccolo Spigariello or Brassica oleracea var. 'Spigariello') is an heirloom Italian leaf broccoli that is less bitter than raab. It's claimed to be cold hardy down to 25 F after seedlings are established, but mine overwintered a few years ago and then burst into bloom and produced seeds. I'm sure we went below 25 at least a few times!

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea 'Spigariello')


Tasoi is very cold tolerant - allegedly down to 15 F once established. Like a ruffled Bok Choy with no stems (a low rosette). It doesn't grow as fast as Bok Choy, and is more for salad than soup.

Tah Tsai (Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa 'Tatsoi')

'Tyfon' or Holland Greens are even more cold hardy - allegedly down to 10 F once the seedlings are established. It's VERY productive and very mild - so much so that boiled greens have only the flavor of what you cook them with! They are a stabilized cross between stubble turnips & Chinese cabbage, so you can save your own seeds.

Holland Greens (Brassica rapa 'Tyfon')

Mary,
Love to see a picture of the yellow poppies and foam flower this spring. Sounds beautiful. Seems your frost dates are just a bit later and earlier than Washington.

Great ideas on the veggies!

Will try to remember to post pics of that spot. Not an over the top part of the bed but I do take pics of them just for my reference as to when they start to grow and bloom