Garden Conference Report

The 2018 Southeast Gardening Conference did not disappoint (see Southeast Garden Conference 2018 ). About 120 people attended from Ketchikan, Petersburg, Sitka, Haines, Skagway and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada.

Speakers ranged from a Haines locavore, Rebecca Brewer, who chronicled her year of eating locally to the keynote, Jeff Lowenfels, with information about soil microbes and how to team up with them to grow a better garden.

Zeiger family homestead garden in winter

The homestead garden sleeps, awaiting Michelle’s inspiration (Photo: Michelle L. Zeiger).

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Things to Do, Places to Go, Things to See!

Tuesday, snow fell in a wonderful fashion. Large, light flakes covered the ground like sequins. By the next morning’s sunrise, an inch and a quarter of snow lay on the homestead so lightly, it seemed as if we’d been inundated with dust bunnies.

When I went out to measure the snow and look at the sky, I found an interesting track way on the path.

I think it’s a shrew track, but a different one than I’ve ever seen before. Instead of a tiny line of footprints on top of the snow (I’ve seen these tiny creatures run around on top of rhubarb leaves without weighing them down much) this animal appeared to push his way through what for it was shoulder-deep snow!

shrew track way in snow

The shrew track way, seen as a diagonal line across this photograph (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

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