The homesteader's tale
September 14, 2010
907-474-5042
9/14/10
Getting to the Tanana Valley Farmers’ Market twice a week all summer is no picnic for Gary and Barb McLean. First they load their vegetables in a boat and make a 20-minute ride on the Tanana River, then they have to re-package everything into a truck and drive for over an hour to get to town, but seeing their regular customers and providing them with fresh produce makes it worthwhile.
The McLeans have been vendors at the market for 11 years and have resided on a homestead north of Delta Junction since the 1980s.
Gary’s grandfather was a homesteader in Washington’s Yakima Valley in the late 1800s and his progeny continued to farm the land. “It’s kind of in his blood,” Barb said. She, on the other hand, was a city girl, hailing from Puyallup, Wash. The two met soon after Gary completed his service in the Marines; they eloped and have been married 37 years.
In 1974 they arrived in Alaska. Gary’s father had worked here in the 1940s, inspiring Gary to try living in the Last Frontier. The McLeans landed in Juneau where they got jobs with the city government. All the while they kept their eyes on homesteading opportunities and selected their current spot because its isolation promised plenty of privacy. Originally they thought other families would move to the area but it never happened. “Twenty five would have been allowed,” Gary said. “But we are the only ones.”
Raising their three children on the homestead, the McLeans grew massive amounts of potatoes and carrots each year, caught fish and hunted moose to survive. They have about four of their 45 acres in farmland. They did the back-breaking work of clearing the land by hand and to this day have minimal equipment to do the farm work. When asked what the future holds, Barb wished for a tractor but Gary said that wasn’t in their plans. “We live pretty frugally,” Gary said.
“We get by with the Rototiller and our back and muscles,” Barb said.
A key to their success has been the excellent sandy loam soil found on their property. “It is great land,” Gary said. Another is that they are willing to take the risk of planting early. “We get everything out early,” Gary said. “We take the chance. There’s only so long to grow things.” As soon as the ground thaws the McLeans begin planting, ignoring the local lore to never plant outdoors before June 1. They would start even sooner if they didn’t have the mud to fight in the spring during breakup, but instead start plants in cold frames to get a head start.
While it might be a challenge for many married couples to work side by side constantly, it pleases the McLeans. “We just work together,” Barb said. “We brainstorm and we complement each other. The only way this works is to enjoy each other’s company.”
When they are not in the fields or at the market, the couple enjoys reading and hiking. They relish the changing of seasons, observing closely the geese and the animals; they even had a black bear raid their zucchini patch. “I never had to kill a bear before that,” Gary said.
There are no televisions or computers at the McLean cabin and only a few years ago they got a cell phone to keep in touch with their children and grandchildren. The hardest part of the remoteness is being away from their kids, although they do visit the homestead when possible. “We don’t get a lot of people dropping by,” Gary said.
Farmers always face unpredictable weather, but Barb added that keeping abreast of the desires of customers is also challenging. “Every year our customers are looking for something else,” she said. This year shelled peas were in demand, whereas in the past they didn’t seem to be high on anyone’s list. “We just have to guess,” Barb said, although they read current agriculture and farmers’ market publications to keep up with new trends.
The happy couple has no plans for lifestyle changes and they intend to keep farming. “This all started with a houseplant on the counter; look how it’s blossomed,” Barb said.
Homegrown Agriculture is provided as a public service by the UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences.