Ask a Master Gardener – Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation

The Winter Garden

This winter, look at your garden’s potential and where you can contribute to its winter beauty by adding a tree, shrub, or grasses.

Gift Ideas

Gardeners are fortunate to have an abundance of great titles on the market, including some new volumes, some old favorites, and many offerings specific to growing in the Pacific Northwest.

Tool Maintenance

person in boots digging a garden fork nto soil

The last job of the gardening season is tool clean-up. Master Gardener Kathy Wolfe covers the reasons why and how to make quick work of garden tool maintenance.

Holiday Floral Arrangements

Creating floral arrangements with foraged natural materials is a rewarding way to bring seasonal cheer into your home.

Growing Grapes

Dream of having your own vineyard? Begin planning now. By choosing the right location and varietal, you can enjoy home-grown grapes in Western Washington.

Cover Crops

Rebuild your garden soil with a winter cover crop which is considered a green, plant-based fertilizer that feeds the soil without animal products.

Growing Figs

Enjoy the sweet, aromatic flavor of homegrown figs in the Pacific Northwest with these select varieties.

Drying Herbs

Capture the seasonal flavors by preserving fresh herbs. Get started drying, freezing, dehydrating and enhance your meals deep into the winter.

Trees Not to Plant

Before buying and planting a tree, Master Gardener Alison Hitchcock outlines species to avoid due to their vulnerability to current and looming threats.

Sale Plants

Plants purchased off the sale rack are only a bargain if you follow these basic rules for all plant purchases.

Fall Planting

July is the time to plant a fall/winter garden. A little work now will set you up for a fresh, delicious vegetables to brighten your autumn and winter meals.

Western Redcedars

The best action today’s gardeners and homeowners can take to prevent redcedar dieback is to keep the soil around their trees weed-free and mulched and to discourage heavy foot traffic.

Open House 2024

picture of Discovery Garden entrance apples, Salal Native Garden sign

Join us for this year’s Open House at the Discovery Garden, the Salal Native Plant Garden, and the NW Fruit Garden

Hypertufa Containers

Alpine gardening enthusiasts have found a solution to recreate the beauty they see in the alpine regions by using hypertufa containers

Memorial Gardens

The very act of envisioning, planning, and creating a memorial garden can help you focus on things beautiful and symbolic that capture the essence of your lost loved one.

Plant Clinics

person diagnosing disease on tree branch

Visit a Master Gardener Plant Clinic and get answers to your questions from WSU Extension-trained experts.

30th Annual Plant Fair

Plants, education, food, music. Kick off your gardening season at the 30th Annual Skagit Master Gardener Plant Fair – Saturday, May 11 – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Potting Soil

Successful container gardening depends on the attributes of your potting soil. Take a deep dive into how it is made and how to make it better.

Tent Caterpillars

During this time of year, tent caterpillar egg casings on the branches of deciduous trees are easy to spot. Remove them now, or leave them as an important part of the ecosystem.

Gardening Fitness

As you plan for the gardening season ahead, tune-up with these at-home stretches and exercises so you’ll be up to the gardening chores ahead.

Gardening for All Abilities

shows multiple raised bed gardens and terrlis

Whatever the physical challenge, take heart and continue to enjoy gardening by implementing some of these adaptive methods.

Gardening for Wildlife

Explore the benefits of using keystone plants to create a wildlife-friendly ecosystem in your own garden.

Pollinators

Learn about pollinators and open your eyes to the beauty and intricate connectivity of nature. As gardeners, we can make choices that will enhance or inhibit pollinators.

Veggie Gardening for Rookies

Interested in growing vegetables but wondering where to start? Master gardeners walk you through what to consider when starting a vegetable garden for the first time.

Indoor Grow Stand

Grow herbs and vegetables in the middle of the winter with an indoor growing stand.

Raised Beds

Winter is a great time to plan for next season and explore the many advantages of building raised gardening beds.

Season Extenders

An early frost quickly brings a close to the gardening season. Here, Master Gardener Hallie Kintner discusses tools and techniques to extend the season.

The Health Benefits of Gardening

Gardening has long been considered good for the soul. Here Master Gardener Kathy Wolfe writes about the many ways gardening improves mental health.

Plant Spring Blooming Bulbs Now

Master Gardener Jessamyn Tuttle explores the many wonderful bulbs which, if planted now, will bloom as early as late January.

Seed Saving 101

Master Gardener Sheri Rylaarsdam shares the fun of getting started saving and sharing seeds from your garden.

Cider Making

Get started pressing apple juice and making cider. Learn about the excellent resources here in Skagit County and how to get started pressing apple juice and making fermented apple cider.

Restoring Nature

Recently certified Master Gardener Joan Stamm writes about how Douglas Tallamay’s book, Nature’s Best Hope changed her gardening perspective.

Be Firewise

Former wildland firefighter and Master Gardener Marlene Finley outlines key elements to making your home defensible in a wildfire.

USDA Zones and Microclimates

Master Gardener Claudia Wells discusses the various USDA Zones in Skagit County and microclimates and how they affect your garden’s success.

DIY Drip Irrigation

Master Gardener Bob Bryan helps homeowners set-up their own drip irrigation, helping them save money and time, and their plants thrive.

Celebrating 50 Years of Master Gardeners

The statewide WSU Extension Master Gardeners celebrate 50 years. The first program in the US was started by WSU extension agents in King and Pierce County.

Discovery Garden Open House June 24, 2023

Join us for a day of discovery and learning at the Skagit Master Gardener’s Discovery Garden in Mount Vernon

Italian Arum

Don’t be deceived by the beauty of Italian Arum, though it is sold by many companies, it is an invasive plant in most areas of Western Washington.

Visit UW Botanic Gardens

Skagit Master Gardeners spend a day touring and learning about the plants at the UW Botanic Garden.

Northwest Tree Squirrels

Author Kathy Wolfe explores the ambiguity of Pacific Northwest tree squirrels: At times entertaining and at other times very destructive.

2023 Master Gardener Plant Fair

Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners are preparing for their 2023 Plant Fair at the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon on May 13. Free Admission

By composting at home, either in a pile or with a worm bin, we can stop the cycle by feeding worms our food scraps and letting them convert them into high-quality nutrients that can be used by plants and other life forms that live in the soil.

Midnight Marauders

Master Gardener Diana Wisen discusses slug damage and eradication, one of the most discussed topics among PNW gardeners.

Cool Weather Vegetables

The marine-influenced weather in the Pacific Northwest is the perfect climate for growing cool-season vegetables.

Heathers and Heaths

Heathers and heaths, common in our area, have a multitude of characteristics and are well-adapted to the Pacific Northwest landscape. Ericaceae is the family of the heather plants, but it also includes rhododendrons, blueberries, mountain laurels, and more.

Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation

Grow Your Own Natural Dyes