Tomatoes come in all sorts of variations so it's no surprise you may feel a bit intimidated when making your decision on what type to grow in your garden. Luckily, we are here to guide you and keep it simple! When searching for your tomato, consider days to maturity...
Make growing plants fun and interactive by creating a sensory garden. Isn't it cool to know that an unsuspecting plant has edible leaves? And if there are edible berries growing, happy memories are sure to be made! Sensory gardens can cater to all five senses: sight,...
Fruit trees have a number of pests, but few are as widespread and damaging as codling moth. Best known as an apple pest - their preferred diet - codling moths can also damage pears and quince, larger stone fruits such as plums and peaches, and...
Even casual gardeners are familiar with the traditional small fruits for western Oregon - the summer sweetness of strawberries, the pleasant tartness of raspberries, the late summer-fall abundance of grapes, and the classic Pacific Northwest delights of blueberries...
Don't want to completely fail the first time you start growing vegetable plants? To help you figure out which plant(s) you want to grow first, and to help you get a little more prepared and feel confident that you can succeed, here are a few plant suggestions and tips...
When you’re companion planting, the goal is to encourage as many positive relationships between plants as possible while minimizing the natural competition they can have with one another. Plants often compete for root space, sunlight, and nutrients, so thoughtful...
What is mulch? Mulch refers to any material a gardener might use to cover the surface of the soil. There are many mulch options, all of which protect plants from severe temperatures, help retain water, and enhance the appearance of the landscape. Some can go further,...
It's Halloween tomorrow, so what better way to embrace the spooky season than to reflect upon our horrific plant experiences. A few of our staff members felt brave enough to go back to those dark times, and remember the hard lessons learned. So here we are sharing our...
Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, so expensive some refer to it as 'red gold'. The price of saffron reflects the relatively large amounts of plants required to grow significant volumes, and in particular the need for hand harvesting labor. A...
In a recent newsletter, we asked about what challenges you face while growing an edible garden in summer. The response was great! We look forward to creating more ways to help you overcome these challenges. For now, we've put together this blog that includes various...
Advice from Darren Morgan ~ As we finish out the days of June, look ahead to early July as a sort of mid-point in the gardening season in the Willamette Valley - the end of harvest for overwinter and spring crop plantings, and the last chance to plant main season...
Providing consistent nutrient supply to plants can be a challenge for the organic gardener. Increased selection and availability of complete organic granular fertilizers has helped, but one characteristic of all of these fertilizers is both their advantage, and their...