Starting A Vegetable Garden

Whether you’re planning your first vegetable garden or you’ve already got one going, there are several things to remember.

Varities, zones, seeds, location, methods

To ensure a bountiful harvest, plant seeds in the correct growing season. Check with your local extension agent to learn which crops need to be planted at what times.

Terra Nova Plant Sale

Saturday, May 6, 9-noon, Terra Nova Science & Sustainability Campus, 10351 NW Thompson Rd

We are selling basil, cilantro, tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, eggplant, cucumber, squash and more! Terra Nova is an alternative High School program of BSD. All proceeds support Terra Nova student projects. Cash & check only.

Beaverton Garden Club plant sale

Saturday, May 13, 8:30-2, Nexus Church, 12555 SW 22nd St near Hall, Beaverton

Browse 1500+ perennials, shrubs, trees, veggie and herb starts, planted containers, native plants and more. For more information, email beavgardenclub01@gmail.com

Weed Watchers Workshops

Wednesday, May 10, 6 pm, Forest Grove Community Center, 2037 Douglas St. and Monday, May 22, 6 pm, online. For details and to register, click here

In case you missed Tualatin SWCD’s April Weed Watcher Workshop, there’s still time to sign up for the May workshops. Learn how you can help prevent the spread of invasive species in our community. This workshop highlights Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR) weeds in the Tualatin River watershed.

May garden news from WCMGA

Gardenfest Plant Sale

Saturday May 6, 9 am-1 pm, PCC Rock Creek Campus Hoop House area near Building 4, 17705 NW Springville Road, free parking

Great prices and large selection! Join Washington County Master Gardeners for a fun-filled day shopping from a selection of thousands of plants expertly selected for the Pacific Northwest. You can also get ideas from our Education garden and ask gardening questions at our “Let’s Talk Plants” booth.

Oregon native plants, perennials, shrubs, vegetables, houseplants and more for flower-filled gardens and bountiful harvests. Our Master Gardeners are delighted to welcome you, inspire you, and help you succeed in your garden by providing practical knowledge on plants, garden care and diagnosing problems. There will be kids’ activities and Gifts for Gardeners, too. OK to bring wagons, Please, no pets. For more information, please visit our website.

Venerable Veggies!

Saturday, May 27, 10 am- noon, WCMGA Learning Garden at Jenkins Estate, 8005 SW Grabhorn Rd. No registration needed for the free in-person class

OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers Dan McDonald and Jeannine Rychlik will demonstrate innovative methods for watering, and a variety of beds and trellising they use for growing veggies. Dan and Jeannine are co-leads for the vegetable garden at WCMGA Learning Garden at Jenkins Estate where they grow a large variety of vegetables with varied resources such as raised beds, trugs, lasagna beds, tented beds, key hole beds, cloches, and trellises.

Gardening for Birds with *optional birding hike

Saturday, May 13, 10 am-noon, PCC Rock Creek Campus Building 4, Room 103, 17705 NW Springville Rd, free (birding hike starts at 8 am)

Gardening for Birds is part of our In The Garden Series. OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Eric Butler will present an introduction to creating a safe and supportive landscape for birds in your yard. It covers bird biology and behavior, what birds need to survive and raise their young, how best to provide food, water, and shelter; dangers to birds and how to prevent them, and resources for further learning.

*Optional birding hike: Meet the presenter, Eric Butler, at 8 am in the WCMGA Education Garden at PCC Rock Creek (just south of Building 9). Eric will lead a one-hour guided birding hike starting in the Ed Garden and then continuing to the natural area at the north end of the PCC Rock Creek campus (weather permitting). The Ed Garden has gravel paths that are easily navigated but the natural area has dirt pathways that may be a bit muddy. There is a slight downhill area for part of the path. Dress accordingly and bring binoculars if you have them!

Dwarf Conifers for the Small Garden: Selection, Siting and Care (IGS)

Saturday, May 20,10 am-noon, PCC Rock Creek Campus Building 4, Room 103 and WCMGA Education Garden at PCC Rock Creek, 17705 NW Springville Rd, free. No registration needed for this in-person class

Join Lisa Hansen and Elizabeth Price, OSU Extension MG Volunteers, who will help you explore some of the myriad dwarf conifers for the home garden. You will learn proper siting and planting practices, observe techniques for ‘candling’ pines to control size, and review general care of dwarf conifers.

Elizabeth Price is the author of Native and Ornamental Conifers in the Pacific Northwest: Identification, Botany, and Natural History, published by Oregon State University Press in 2022. An avid hiker, researcher, and photographer, she has resided among the conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest for almost twenty- five years. Lisa Hansen has been gardening and collecting plants in Oregon for nearly 4 decades. Her primary interests are organic vegetable gardening, shade gardens, small conifers, and garden design. Her science background draws her to seek out research-based best practices outdoors in the garden and indoors under the grow lights.

Conserving Our World: One Plant at a Time

Tuesday, May 2, 7-8 pm, via Zoom. For details and to register click here.

Dr. Lauri Reinhold will give an overview of the National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) in Corvallis and the clonally propagated collections conserved there. Dr. Nahla Bassil will describe what we learn from using the DNA tools her team develops with examples in black raspberry, blackberry, mint, blueberry, strawberry and pear. Dr. Reinhold is the Temperate Fruit and Nut, Hops and Mint curator at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) NCGR. Dr. Bassil is a Plant Geneticist at the NCGR with a primary focus on DNA marker development and application to genetic resources management. The ARS is the USDA’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Their mission is to deliver scientific solutions to national and global agricultural challenges.

The Washington County Master Gardener™ Association (WCMGA) sponsors a wide variety of gardening–related demonstrations, lectures, seminars and workshops in various Washington County Oregon locations. Most of our events are free and open to the public. The WCMGA is a 501c3 non-profit supported by hundreds of volunteers, who work to educate the public about sustainable, affordable gardening.

Cornell Farm Houseplant Swap at Bethany Village

Thursday, May 25, 3-6 pm, Bethany Village Center, 15160 NW Laidlaw

At Cornell Farm, we believe in the power of plants to connect people. And that’s why we’re excited to take one of our famous Houseplant Swaps on the road! Any and all indoor plants are welcome, from common finds to coveted collector varieties, but please keep in mind that this is an event about exchanging plants and knowledge, not cash.

All plants should be labeled, healthy, and pest-free! In general, cuttings should be rooted, but if you have fresh cuttings to share from easy-to-root plants, these could be acceptable offerings for the free table (more info below). Be sure to bring cuttings in containers that you don’t care to get back—recycled mason jars, plastic cups, and baggies work great!

Learn more on the Facebook event page here. No sales. This event aims to celebrate the spirit of generosity between plant enthusiasts. Please don’t offer to buy or sell. We encourage trading and giving! What if I don’t have anything to trade? Bring your questions! We all have to start somewhere, and you might just go home with a plant or cutting in addition to your new knowledge.

Source: cedarmillnews.com