Previously, I have discussed some of the effects of the very dry summer season, not only in the Pacific Northwest, but in much of the western United States. Many readers and other gardeners commented about the article. Looking around my neighborhood in the Portland area in early September, I could see many mature trees that […]
Category: Home
Seize some seeds from the garden for planting next year
As the gardening season winds down and you pick the season’s last vegetables, you can let some plants go to seed and harvest them for planting next year. “Saving seed can be really fun and is a great way to learn about plants,” said Weston Miller, a horticulturist with Oregon State University Extension Service. “If […]
How to rebuild healthy soil this winter
You can rejuvenate and replenish your soil’s fertility and structure at the end of the growing season by planting cover crops. With the first chill of fall, many gardeners sigh with relief. Sweltering summer days filled with watering, weeding, and harvesting seems like a distant memory, while the promise of a winter rest entices gardeners […]
Flower Power in the Pollinator Victory Garden
Originally appeared in Nation Garden Bureau Flowers are some of the most important food sources for pollinators, but there’s more to it than planting flowers and waiting for pollinators to appear. A successful Pollinator Victory Garden achieves a balance between two seemingly disparate principles: plant diversity and plant sufficiency. Your garden needs to have a wide […]
Get your garlic on: A primer on planting, growing and harvesting
Fall is a time to enjoy the harvest of summer, but don’t hang up your trowel and pull off your gloves just yet – September through November is the best time to plant garlic. Garlic roots develop in the fall and winter, and by early spring they can support the rapid leaf growth that is […]
Give plants a head start by planting in fall
Come spring, excited gardeners drive to nurseries, load up their cars and go home to plant. That’s tradition. But fall planting also ranks high as a time to put plants in the ground. Nurseries may not be as jam packed with plants in fall, but as more people push to plant in autumn, garden stores […]
How to Grow Hyacinths in the Garden
Hyacinths are spring-flowering bulbs that are treasured by gardeners for their heavenly fragrance. Overview and History Flower lovers began cultivating hyacinths more than 400 years ago. During the 18th century, they were the most popular spring bulbs in the world, and Dutch growers offered more than 2000 named cultivars. Today, there are less than 50 cultivars […]
10 trees for fiery fall color
When trees get dressed with the colors of fall, it’s time to go shopping for a new addition to the garden. “If you’re specifically interested in fall color, it will soon be the time to start looking,” said Neil Bell, horticulturist with Oregon State University’s Extension Service. “Trees will start to display color in the […]
Beneficial wasps and you
Originally appeared in Nation Garden Bureau Don’t be scared! Did you know…Wasp pollination and predatory efforts are signs of a healthy ecosystem!?! What is the first thing you think of when you hear, “wasp”? Was it a yellow jacket, hornet, fear, nuisance, pain? What about beneficial wasps? Have you heard of them? What do you think they do? […]
Now’s the time to start planning for cover crops
No one wants to think of harvest’s end as the vegetable garden reaches peak, but now’s the time to plan for cover crops to be planted in fall. Cover crops, also called green manure, include grains like winter oats and cereal rye. Legumes, such as commonly used crimson clover, Austrian field pea and common vetch, […]