Oceanview grows into larger operation to fill community’s flower and food basket
- Wrangell Sentinel
- Jun 25
- 3 min read
Oceanview grows into larger operation to fill community’s flower and food basket
Oceanview Gardens started as a hobby farm when Dwane and Laura Ballou bought the land in 2020, but it has grown into a multifaceted enterprise, filling a variety of community needs.
When Skagit Gardens, the Washington state-based supplier of starter plants to Wrangell stores and others across Southeast Alaska closed down in spring 2024, the Ballous responded by expanding their operations to fill the need locally.
This year, they offered 300 hanging baskets and 600 flats of flower and plant starts. They also brought in 4,500 tulip bulbs.
The list of what’s growing at 5.9-Mile Zimovia Highway keeps growing in the ever-expanding grounds. The long, white plastic-covered buildings, called tunnels, are filled with garlic, varieties of lettuce, broccoli, pumpkins, zucchini, green beans and chives.
One tunnel has nothing but strawberries — they’ve already harvested 100 pounds of strawberries this season.
“There is just something that says summer, even if it’s still 50 degrees out, when you bite into a strawberry in June that you’ve just picked,” said Laura. “We finally had enough to sell this year, and watching people devour them before they even get to their car is the best.”
The nursery, a separate building, holds shelves and shelves of microgreens.
It’s been a process of experimenting and building on what works, Dwane explained. They use filtered rainwater, stored in 25,000-gallon tanks, and make their own compost to avoid using pesticides or herbicides.
There is an extensive section dedicated to a commercial peony crop. Alaska peonies are in great demand through the Alaska Peony Cooperative, as they come into bloom later than those in the Lower 48 and extend the availability for the seasonal flower.
Some things flourish in the gardens, and others don’t do as well. Test beds for varieties of roses and grapes haven’t succeeded this year. Finding the right mix of what can tolerate Wrangell weather is part of the learning and expanding process.
This year has been cold, and cold soil causes problems with nitrogen conversion, which means outside plants like broccoli and cabbage haven’t done well so far. “We just need to replant and hope it gets better for a late summer crop,” Laura explained.
The weather isn’t the only factor — managing slugs, deer and even ravens is part of the challenge.
“If I turn my back clearing weeds and trimmings, the ravens are right there. One deer walked into a tunnel door when I had left for just a minute,” Dwane said. “I told her, no, this wasn’t breakfast, but she was in no hurry to leave.”
One experiment that has filled a tunnel is evaporating filtered ocean water to produce sea salt.
The current method, which involves boiling the water, requires a significant amount of propane to produce the salts they sell. The experimental process of filled tubs evaporating in the sun-enhanced natural heat of the plastic tunnel only requires time. Dwane is hoping the process will create flake salt. “Nothing else tastes like that. It is something special.”
The Ballous consider providing fresh produce and lovely flowers a way of serving the community. “We listen to what they want and need and try to do our best.”
They are working to introduce shrubs into the mix, a popular request. They hope next year to have flats of starter plants available throughout the month of May, based on community feedback. Their bouquets and arrangements are available from February through October.
A particular community project is about to get underway: On Aug. 1, an anticipated 400 poinsettia starts will arrive. They will tend them as they grow and mature, and then in November hand them over to student athletes/AAU for their fundraising sales.
Future plans include creating a tunnel just to harden off plants before selling them, and building a dedicated gift shop.
There is a nursery in Juneau that is a cruise ship excursion destination; there is the possibility of using that model for Oceanview Gardens.
Dwane is also working on building planters for hanging baskets from scrap cedar, rather than buying plastic ones. “That will be a great winter project,” he said.
For now, their chocolates, salts and sometimes cut flowers are available at Cooper’s Corner and at the community Saturday markets at the Nolan Center. Their on-site market is open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and orders for any of their products can be placed through oceanviewgardens.com.
• This story originally appeared in the Wrangell Sentinel.
