In the In Between
(Seasons, That Is)
Officially, we are in the latter half of “the big dark”, the period of gray skies, rain, and dark days that starts in October in the northwest. We are headed towards the spring equinox, where the days and nights share equal time in our 24 hour day and the earth’s axis tilts neither away nor […]
Embrace Beneficial Insect Allies in Your Garden
pollinators and predators, oh my!
The summer solstice is nigh and we are happily gardening these days with a little more warmth and sunshine than we encountered this past spring. Many plants have finished blooming and many others are just making an appearance. Along with all those fabulous flowers follows a plethora of amazing and beneficial garden allies in the […]
Edible Spring Weeds
Katie Vincent, Garden Hotline Educator Emeritus
Frustrated with your weeds? This year, consider a new plan for revenge: tossing them in a salad and eating them! As the garden starts to send out signs of life this spring, so do all of the herbaceous weeds that hid out of sight all winter long. Mulching in late winter or early spring […]
Planting Peas!
Cultivating the Pisum sativum
Melissa McGinn and Laura Matter – Garden Hotline Educators Peas are annual plants (grow, bloom, flower and set seed within one growing season) that grow like a vine and can be planted in the cooler part of spring. Peas can be planted from March through May in the northwest for a reliable crop. We sometimes […]
Medicinal Native Plants
Katie Vincent, – Garden Hotline Educator Oregon grape and cascara may not be as bright or showy as the dahlias in your garden, but don’t be fooled—these humble, hardy plants are merely downplaying the many benefits they offer to our world. Besides drought tolerance, preexisting climate adaptation and acting as wildlife food sources, most plants […]