Freshly planted and carefully tended, vegetable gardens can quickly become a magnet for trouble. Problems seem to spring up overnight. Weeds, for instance, can overtake a garden in days. Slugs munch on seedlings. Aphids suck the juices from any number of plants. And that white butterfly you see fluttering around? It’s a cabbage white butterfly […]
Author: Kym Pokorny
Kym Pokorny is a garden writer with more than 20 years of experience writing for The Oregonian and other publications. She is currently a communications specialist with Oregon State University Extension Service. Kym can be reached at kym.pokorny@oregonstate.edu.
OSU Extension’s Food Hero to distribute 80,000 seeds as part of Grow This! Oregon Garden Challenge
Interest in home gardening has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the Food Hero team at Oregon State University Extension Service is offering Oregonians a unique opportunity to grow vegetables and fruits at home. Food Hero, a social marketing campaign that empowers families to make food choices that are healthy, fun and tasty, is […]
Learn about pruning berries, kiwifruit and grapes in online classes
When homeowners set out to prune grapes, kiwifruit and other berry crops, they often stand in front of the plant at a complete loss. Just getting started is intimidating. “Over my many years at OSU, pruning has been the single most common question and challenge for home gardeners,” said Bernadine Strik, professor and Oregon State […]
Ornamental or edible, artichokes have a place in the garden
With deeply lobed silver leaves and a 3-foot stature, the artichoke unfolds as much mystery in the garden as it does on the dinner table. The can be used to set off any color in a perennial border, as a striking specimen plant or as the flagship of a vegetable garden. But the reason most […]
Don’t let lack of room discourage you from gardening
The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired millions of people to grow vegetables, but many don’t have room for traditional gardening. Don’t let lack of yard space keep you from gardening this spring and summer. Many vegetables grow well in containers on a patio, porch, balcony or windowsill. Small spaces make it hard to grow some of […]
OSU Extension continues gardening education during COVID-19
For decades, Oregon State University Extension Service relied on face-to-face interactions to provide gardening education to Oregonians. That all changed with the COVID-19 crisis and Oregon’s actions to limit the spread of the virus. To satisfy a public that has become keenly interested in gardening, particularly edible gardening, OSU Extension Master Gardeners are answering questions […]
OSU Extension Master Gardener discovers novel way to control cabbage white worm
Jesse Garcia likes kale – he really likes kale. So, when his crop got infested with cabbage worms, he came up with a novel approach to pest control. Garcia, an Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener, moved to the Willamette Valley in 2016 and planted a substantial vegetable garden two years later. Late that […]
Carefree succulents continue to grow in popularity
About 10 years ago, succulents began an extraordinary rise in popularity. They turned up everywhere – on windowsills, in wreaths and centerpieces, arranged in frames, even dyed. Nowadays, succulents are hipper than ever. Everyone seems to have at least one. Marcia Sherry, an Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener since 1999, has many more […]
Wildflowers give the garden a charming, informal look
Annuals live a short, sweet life. They bloom, make seed and die. Fortunately for us, they return year after year if left to go to seed. Besides being lovely to look at, annuals attract pollinators that sip their nectar and/or cart off their pollen, feeding the insects, butterflies and hummingbirds who, in turn, pollinate the […]
Add strawberries to the garden for a sweet harvest
Now that many people are staying home, interest in gardening – especially edible gardening – has skyrocketed. Strawberries are a no brainer for both beginning and experienced gardeners and you’ll find nurseries well stocked in spring with potted plants. Recognizing how important gardening is in times of crisis, many nurseries have remained open, at least […]