On Saturday, February 3, join us for an in-person get together with Vic Johanson.  Vic will be in Anchorage to meet and talk with members about what he has been doing in Fairbanks.  Vic is always fun to talk with.  He is constantly experimenting with cultivars, grafting, and rootstocks, in an effort to outsmart the climatic limitations of…

Presentation by Ilona Farr on Apricots is available on the website in the research tab.

The Dec 14th program about Apples and Cider Making by David Takush is now available on the website. The spreadsheet he shared is also available by clicking on the link. Please let me know if you come across any problems opening the links.

Results for the 1st and 2nd fruit tastings are available in the research tab.

Saturday, September 23:  Anchorage Apple/Fruit Tasting, Anchorage Begich Middle School 1:00-2:30 pm Saturday, September 30:  Valley Apple/Fruit Tasting, Mid-Valley Greenhouse, Wasilla 2:00-3:30 pm Both tastings are free and open to the public.  So, feel free to invite your friends to come discover the apple and fruit varieties that they want to grow or graft at the spring grafting…

The club has done away with the need for a password to access pages on the website. If you are prompted to enter a password please let Mark know.

The grafting workshop is this Saturday, April 15th at Begich Middle School. Check your latest Club newsletter for details. The doors open to non-members at 1:00 p.m.. Event clean up starts at 2:30.

The results for the late fruit tasting are available in PDF and Excel spread sheet formats in the research tab. Thank you to Caryn Tillman, Diane Schenker, Debra Blaylock for entering all those names and numbers. Thank you Mid Valley Garden and Greenhouse for opened up a greenhouse with plenty of room to spread out…

The results for the early fruit tasting are available in PDF and Excel spreed sheet formats in the research tab.

We are planning on two pressings this fall. Watch for a club email with instructions as to how to signup for a time slot in a few weeks. Sunday August 28th Sunday September 25th The plan is to run one grinder and two presses.  We are looking of 2 or 3 people to help with…

Our first public grafting workshop since the start of the pandemic will be on Saturday, April 23 in the All-Purpose Room at Begich Middle School in East Anchorage. The schedule will be as follows:             11 am – Volunteers arrive and set up             11:30 am – Open for members (bring scion wood,…

In the late 1970s, Creighton “Lee” Calhoun planted a couple of Red Delicious apple trees on his homestead in Pittsboro, North Carolina. When a neighbor suggested other traditional Southern varieties to add to his blossoming orchard and Calhoun couldn’t find them, he set out to discover where they’d gone. read more

The Board of Directors have made the decision to cancel the upcoming Pruning Workshop scheduled for March 28, and the Grafting Workshop scheduled for April 18. Those who placed bulk orders will be notified of when and where you may pick up your order.

Lisa Wasko DeVetter, Associate Professor of Horticulture WSU NWREC – Mount Vernon, WA Feb 13, 2020 presentation.

Ilona Farr’s presentation “Preserving Techniques and Recipes for Our Harvests” is now available on the website on the research tab.

You can to renew your membership online with a credit card by clicking “Join”.  Scroll down the page and select your membership option to add it to the cart.  You will see the cart icon at the top right.  Simply click on that to complete your membership form and payment.

Thursday, January 9th at the BP Energy Building.  The festivities begin at 6:30 pm with some refreshments and the opportunity to socialize with your fellow fruit growers.  Any food or drink that you might wish to contribute to our hospitality table would be much appreciated.At 7:00 pm we will have a short board meeting followed…

Thursday, December 12 at 7:00 pm in the BP Energy Center.  Join us at 6:30 pm for some refreshments and the opportunity to socialize.  Any food or drink that you might wish to contribute to our hospitality table would be much appreciated.Program: Annie Brownlee: Fruit Tree Physiology and Growth

Our first winter meeting is Thursday, November 14 at 7:00 pm at the BP Energy Center.  This is an important meeting that you should plan to attend.  This is our annual membership meeting where we present the president’s year-end review, the treasurer’s report, and we vote to fill openings on the board.  Usually, if time permits, everyone shares…

Results are located on the research page in PDF and Excel format.

Thursday, September 19, 7:00 pm at the BP Energy Center will be an apple/fruit tasting for our members. Non-members may attend for a charge of $5 per person. Come to the tasting to find out what apple varieties to add to your orchard. Set-up for the tasting will begin at 6:30 pm

with Steve Masterman, OrchardistApril 25, 27, 28

Open to members and non-members. Root stock will be available for purchase. And over 20 varieties of scion wood will be available. Volunteers are still need so if you can help please show up at 12 noon.

3/23, 3/24 & 3/30

Please plan to attend the APFGA general membership meeting on Thursday, March 14th, at 7:00 pm in the BP Energy Center, 1014 Energy Court, Anchorage, AK 99508 (southwest of main office tower – west of the Marriott) . At 6:30 pm there will be refreshments and the opportunity to socialize before the meeting is called to order at…

Barbara is offering a $10.00 discount to APFGA members

Please plan to attend the APFGA general membership meeting on Thursday, February 14th, at 7:00 pm in the BP Energy Center, 1014 Energy Court, Anchorage, AK 99508 (southwest of main office tower – west of the Marriott) . At 6:30 pm there will be refreshments and the opportunity to socialize before the meeting is called to order at…

Please plan to attend the APFGA general membership meeting on Thursday, January 10th, at 7:00 pm in the BP Energy Center, 1014 Energy Court, Anchorage, AK 99508 (southwest of main office tower – west of the Marriott) . At 6:30 pm there will be refreshments and the opportunity to socialize before the meeting is called to order at…

Click on the research tab and then click on Meeting Program  Slides.

The results for the 2017 and 2018 club apple tastings in PDF form are now available for download. They are located in the research drop down menu. If you see any errors please send your corrections to Mark at mfin@gci.net  

Please plan to attend the APFGA general membership meeting on Thursday, December 13th, at 7:00 pm in the BP Energy Center, 1014 Energy Court, Anchorage, AK 99508 (southwest of main office tower – west of the Marriott) . At 6:30 pm there will be refreshments and the opportunity to socialize before the meeting is called to order at…

Do you have an apple or crab apple tree that produces apples that you don’t like?  Do you have limited space but would like more varieties of apples?  Then join us for Top-Working Demonstrations on Saturday, May 12, 2018 starting at 1:00 pm in the Valley. Apple grower Dan Elliot will demonstrate how to prune…

The Alaska Pioneer Fruit Growers Association (APFGA) will hold their annual Apple Grafting Workshop from 1:00-3:00 pm on Saturday, April 21, 2018 at the Spenard Church of Love, 3502 Spenard Rd, Anchorage.  This workshop is open to the general public and provides free grafting instruction and apple scion wood with the purchase of at least…

The annual APFGA pruning workshop will be held on Saturday, March 24 at 1:00 pm.  The workshop will be led by the club’s master pruner, Dan Elliot.  Pruning is essential to the health and vitality of fruit trees.  This is the perfect opportunity to watch and learn sound pruning techniques, practice, and/or get a refresher…

You are cordially invited to the March APFGA general membership meeting on Thursday, March 8, at 6:30 pm in the BP Energy Center, 900 E. Benson Blvd (southwest of main office tower – west of the Marriot) . Our evening program will be presented by Debbie Hinchey: Tree Science Applied to Buying, Planting, Pruning and Care of…

Add these dates to your calendar! March 8 – Monthly meeting, with a presentation on Tree Science Applied to Fruit Trees March 24 – Annual Pruning Workshop at Boyer’s Greenhouse: Get pruning tips and then help prune and clean up this pioneer fruit-growing establishment. No experience necessary. April 21 – Grafting Workshop: Get Alaska-suitable rootstock and…

If you missed the APFGA meeting last night, which featured Scott Lammers talking about his dad’s historic Fairbanks apple orchard, here is a link to a video about the orchard on FaceBook. Clair was a true Alaskan fruit pioneer! https://www.facebook.com/pg/ClairsCultivations/videos/?ref=page_internal

You are cordially invited to our February general membership meeting on Thursday, February 15, at 6:30 pm in the BP Energy Center. Please note the change of date from our usual meeting day.  It was decided at the January membership meeting to change the meeting date to accommodate our presenter, Scott Lammers. Scott is the…

You are cordially invited to our first meeting of the year on Thursday, January 11, at 6:30 pm in the BP Energy Center. There will be refreshments and the opportunity to talk and socialize with other members before the meeting is called to order at 7:00 pm.  Please bring any cookies or light refreshments that…

APFGA’s annual apple grafting workshop will be held April 15th at Dimond Greenhouse from 1pm-3pm. The event is free, but you must buy the rootstock you’ll graft onto. Rootstock will cost $3. APFGA members will be there to demonstrate or assist you with grafting your own apple tree(s)! Consider bringing the following items: A plastic…

There will be multiple apple grafting clinics in Fairbanks. Information on this event is below. Time: BEGINNER May 4 Thursday 6-9 p.m. BEGINNER May 6 Saturday 10 a.m.-1 p.m. INTERMEDIATE For those with previous grafting experience. May 7 Sunday 10 a.m.–1 p.m Location: UAF Arctic Health Research Building, 901 S. Koyukuk Drive, Room 1W05. Free…

We need high-quality pictures of different apple varieties for the website. Please send them to Erik Johnson (johnson_erik@hotmail.com)

This month’s meeting (February) will be held at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Chugiak on February 9th from 6:30-8:45pm. The church is located at 18444 Old Glenn Hwy. Enter through the main doors and you’ll see the meeting room on your left.

At this meeting, we will be voting on some amendments to the Bylaws of the Club.  The proposed changes were sent to you with the December meeting announcement emailed on 12/01/16;  another copy was emailed last week.  The second major part of our meeting agenda will be a presentation of some fruit tree pruning videos…

General meetings are suspended from March through October. During this time APFGA has tours, workshops, and other such events. Should any business come up that requires a meeting, the membership will be notified as per the Bylaws. Please note, dates and times subject to change. 2017 Schedule of Meetings and Tours Alaska Pioneer Fruit Growers…

Shannon has volunteered to take over as Newsletter Editor. Join us in saying Thank You to her!

General meetings are suspended from March through September. During this time APFGA has tours, workshops, and other such events. Should any business come up that requires a meeting, the membership will be notified as per the Bylaws.

Please note, dates and times subject to change.

Don’t forget to send interesting Gardening articles, ideas, and recipes to Shannon Kesting editor@apfga.org for the newsletter. Our Gallery page could use more pictures of plants, fruit and APFGA events. Send those digital photos to our webmaster with a brief caption for posting.

It is with great sadness I report that Founding and Lifetime member Bob Boyer passed away on June 20, 2014. Bob’s passion for Fruit Growing never waned over the years. His enthusiasm and willingness to share his knowledge on fruit growing will be hard to replace. Our deepest Sympathy go out to his wife Marianne…

Don’t forget to use the forum. Find info, seek info or ask a question on fruit growing

Here is the Fruit Census Form – 25th Anniversary Project   When you have completed it, please attach it to an email and send it to Debbie Hinchey at dhinchey@alaskan.com

Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of Clair Lammers and Alice Brewer, life time members and true Pioneers of fruit growing in Alaska. Clair passed away on December 24, 2012 and Alice on December 30, 2012. They both will be greatly missed.

(article continued from October)   It is worth mentioning the cherries – which were not ripe. ‘Stella’ which is self- fertile, was not ripe, and neither were ‘Yellow Glass’ or ‘Gold’, two extremely hardy yellow sweet cherries. ‘Hedelfingen’, an old German Variety, was barely ripe (it ripens ahead of ‘Stella’). The tree of ‘Lapins’ in…