Post: May 15, 2026

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The Science Behind Plant Partnerships

It’s not magic; it is ecology in action

Rae Barto

By Rae Barto, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Companion planting, the practice of growing different plant species together for mutual benefit, has long been part of gardening traditions across cultures. Historically, it has been framed through folklore, anecdote, and trial and error. But in the last two decades, scientific research has begun to validate, refine, and sometimes debunk these claims.

Modern researchers increasingly view gardens and farms as ecosystems rather than isolated plant beds. Companion planting is best understood as a form of polyculture, where multiple species create a more biodiverse and resilient environment. This biodiversity enhances nutrient cycling, reduces pest pressure, improves water retention, and carbon sequestration.

At its core, companion planting operates through several scientifically documented mechanisms.

Resource partitioning involves physical competition between plants. Plants with different growth habits, root depths, or nutrient requirements can coexist more efficiently than those competing for identical resources. Studies using isotope tracing have demonstrated that companion plantings access different soil layers and nutrient pools, thereby reducing competition.

Allelopathy — the chemical interaction between plants — represents one of the most studied aspects. Plants release various compounds through their roots, leaves, and decomposing matter that can either inhibit or promote the growth of nearby species. Research is identifying specific chemicals responsible for these interactions, providing a biochemical explanation for traditional planting combinations.

The attraction and repulsion of insects through companion planting is getting a lot of attention, and agricultural research proves plants produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can either deter harmful insects or attract beneficial predators and pollinators. Aromatic plants can confuse or mask host plant odors, reducing pest pressure. They are typically short-range, not garden-wide.

Nitrogen Fixation: The Three Sisters and Beyond

Perhaps the most scientifically validated companion planting system is the “Three Sisters” combination of corn, beans, and squash, practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Americas for centuries. Research has confirmed that leguminous beans form symbiotic relationships with rhizobia bacteria, converting atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available forms that benefit neighboring crops.

While these benefits come primarily after the legume decomposes, planting beans next to corn (a heavy nitrogen feeder) allows the corn roots to obtain a trickle of nitrogen from the beans during the growing season. The beans utilize the corn stalks as natural trellises, while the broad squash leaves create living mulch that suppresses weeds and retains soil moisture, effects quantified through controlled field experiments.

Pruning Shrubs for the Home Gardener

May Know & Grow

Free. No registration required.

Presentor: Anne Kurt, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener and Certified Master Pruner

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 ~ 1 p.m.

Sakuma Auditorium
16650 SR 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Come learn some simple seasonal pruning tips to encourage the health and appearance of your garden shrubs. Learn to identify growth habit and determine the right time to prune and how. You will gain confidence and your garden will thrive.

Photo © Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation

Modern research has expanded our understanding of nitrogen-fixing partnerships beyond traditional combinations. Studies have documented beneficial relationships between leguminous cover crops and subsequent plantings with measured increases in soil organic matter and nitrogen availability lasting multiple growing seasons.

Pest Management through Plant Chemistry

Scientific investigation of companion planting for pest control has revealed sophisticated chemical defense networks. Brassicas (cabbage family plants) produce glucosinolates — sulfur-containing compounds that break down into pest-deterrent chemicals. Research has shown that these compounds can reduce populations of aphids, flea beetles, and other common garden pests when brassicas are interplanted with susceptible crops.

Beneficial Insect Attraction and Habitat Creation

Companion planting’s role in supporting beneficial insects has been thoroughly documented through field studies and insect population surveys. Flowering companions provide nectar and pollen sources that sustain parasitic wasps, predatory beetles, and other natural pest controllers through the growing season.

Research has shown that gardens with diverse flowering plants maintain higher populations of beneficial insects, leading to measurable reductions in pest damage. Studies tracking parasitoid wasp populations have demonstrated direct correlations between the presence of nectar-producing plants and improved biological pest control.

Habitat diversification through companion planting creates microclimates that support beneficial species. Research has documented how varied plant heights, leaf textures, and bloom times provide overwintering sites, hunting grounds, and nesting opportunities for natural pest predators.

Aromatic herbs like basil, rosemary, and thyme have been studied extensively for their pest-repelling properties. Laboratory and field studies have identified specific essential oils and their concentrations that effectively deter insects. For example, research has demonstrated that basil planted near tomatoes can reduce populations of hornworms and whiteflies by releasing volatile compounds such as eugenol and linalool.

Save the Date:

Discovery Garden Open House

Celebrating 30 years of education, inspiration and dedication to the community

Saturday, June 27 ~ 10 am – 2 pm
Free Admission and Parking
Discovery Garden
16602 State Route 536, Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon

Soil Health and Nutrient Cycling

One of the most significant advances in understanding companion planting comes from soil microbial ecology. Plants shape the microbial communities around the roots, and when species are grown together, these communities interact in complex ways.

Scientific studies of companion planting’s effects on soil health reveal complex underground interactions.

Mycorrhizal networks
The symbiotic relationship between plant roots and beneficial fungi, called a mycorrhizal network, can be enhanced through strategic plant combinations. Research using molecular techniques has shown how certain companion plants can expand these fungal networks, improving nutrient uptake and plant resilience.
Root exudate interactions
The carbon-rich compounds released by roots have been studied extensively, revealing how different plants can modify soil chemistry to benefit neighbors. For example, research has shown that certain plants release organic acids that help solubilize phosphorus, making this essential nutrient more available to companion plants with different root chemistries.
Carbon sequestration
The process by which plants capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is called carbon sequestration. Studies have shown that soil organic matter improves with diverse plantings. Research demonstrates that polyculture systems often store more carbon in soil than monocultures, thereby contributing to long-term improvements in soil fertility and structure.

Limitations and Considerations

Scientific research also reveals important limitations of companion planting.

Allelopathic inhibition
A biological phenomenon where plants release chemical compounds (allelochemicals) into the environment that suppress the germination, growth, or reproduction of neighboring plants or microorganisms can occur when incompatible plants are grown together. Studies have documented how certain combinations can reduce yields rather than improve them.

Carrot and chive studies have shown that chives can repel carrot rust flies through the release of sulfur compounds; while differing root depths allow effective resource use. Photo © Adobe Stock

Competition
The effects of competition must be considered, as research shows that plants grown too closely can compete for water, nutrients, and light regardless of species compatibility. Scientific studies emphasize the importance of proper spacing and timing in companion planting systems.
Environmental variability
Research demonstrates that soil type, climate, and local pest populations can influence the effectiveness of plant combinations. This underscores the importance of adapting companion planting strategies to local conditions.
Evidence-Based Companion Combinations
Tomatoes and basil have been studied extensively, and research has confirmed that basil can deter certain pests.

Carrot and chive studies have shown that chives can repel carrot rust flies through the release of sulfur compounds; while differing root depths allow effective resource use.

Lettuce and tall plants demonstrate the shade tolerance principle, with research showing that partial shade can extend lettuce growing seasons and reduce bolting in hot weather.

Practical guidance:

• Focus on increasing diversity, not specific “magic” pairings. Polycultures reduce pest outbreaks and improve soil health.
• Include flowering plants to attract and support beneficial insects.
• Use legumes for nitrogen fixation and to build soil health; interplant beans, peas, or clover with nitrogen-demanding crops.
• Combine plants with complementary root systems; mix deep-rooted, shallow-rooted, and tap-rooted species.
• Use the plant’s physical structures — tall plants can support climbers or provide shade.
• Incorporate cover crops — oats, buckwheat, winter rye, and cowpeas improve soil structure and fertility.
• Focus on soil microbiology — choose combinations that enhance microbial diversity and nutrient cycling.
• Observe and adapt, local conditions matter.
• Combine with other practices, such as crop rotation and soil management.

The science of companion planting validates many traditional practices while providing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms involved. Through scientific research on plant chemistry, soil interaction, and ecological relationships, we now have evidence-based explanations for why certain plant combinations work effectively together.

By understanding the science behind companion planting, gardeners can harness these natural relationships to create thriving, resilient gardens that work with, rather than against, ecological principles. As research continues to reveal new insights into plant interactions, companion planting enables gardeners to combine traditional knowledge with modern science to create a more sustainable, productive garden.

Companion planting is a scientifically supported practice rooted in ecology, soil biology, and plant physiology. While not all traditional pairings hold up under scrutiny, many do, and modern research continues to uncover the mechanisms behind successful plant partnerships.

Companion planting works best as part of a holistic system rather than a standalone solution. Companion planting is not magic; it is ecology in action.

References and Resources

Chalker-Scott, L. (2023). Gardening with Companion Plants (Home Garden Series). Washington State University Extension.

Walliser, J. (2020). Plant Partners: Science-based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden. Storey Publishing, LLC.

James, D. (2014). Beneficial Insects, Spiders, and Other Mini-Creatures in Your Garden. Washington State University Extension., Pub. #EM0673.

University of California (2018). Insectary Plants, Integrated Pest Management, Agriculture and Natural Resources.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rae Barto is a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener, Class of 2023. Her love of plants includes anything green and growing, especially anything that can be used in cooking. She has been experimenting with companion planting for several years in her own garden. She is the coordinator of the medicinal section of the Herb Garden and is a frequent volunteer in the Plant Clinic in Burlington. 

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Post: May 1, 2026

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Ready to Go Shopping?

Know your yard’s microclimates before you head to the plant sale

 
Kari Ranten

Perhaps nothing thrills a home gardener more than the abundance of plants available for sale in spring. A walk through a nursery lures the gardener to marvel at beautiful perennial blooms; to desire the look, texture, and color of a tree or shrub; or to seek out the amazing native plants that call the Pacific Northwest home.

With so many beautiful choices, it’s easy to quickly fill a wagon with one (or three) of everything that looks beautiful in the moment. Before making those impulse buys, take some time to think about what will thrive in your landscape. A little homework will improve the success rate for your new plants. Research your local microclimates and keep the unique details of your yard in mind to make careful selections of the right plants for the right places – a standard master gardener mantra.

Home gardeners in northwest Washington share the Zone 8b assignment on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Plant Hardiness Zone map. Type in your zip code in the map tool to learn more. This resource provides an excellent overview of plants’ overall frost tolerance and offers a broad overview of the area’s climate.

Gardeners should pair this up with localized information and knowledge of their own property.

Sunset’s Western Garden Book defines a microclimate as “a small area (such as a backyard or even a portion of it) with a slightly different climate than that of its larger surroundings. . . Plants that might not survive in a specific climate zone may grow well in the right microclimate.”

Individual yards likely have one or more unique microclimates that the home gardener should learn about and understand. Microclimates include areas of shade, sun, wind, moisture, soil, and topographic features such as elevation. In northwest Washington, proximity to rivers, lakes, and the Puget Sound also plays a role. In addition, structures, pavement, and fences can create varying conditions.

Armed with this information, gardeners can review plant qualities online or at the library ahead of time, take a list of desired plants or qualities along for the shopping trip, and make smart purchases. Once at the nursery or plant sale, shoppers will benefit from a close evaluation of plant tags (with hardiness zone compatibility and other notes for proper planting conditions) and the option to talk to the experts.

Start by doing your research

Evaluate your yard by drawing a simple map and taking notes. Observe the direction each area faces, note any low-lying areas or slopes, and learn more about the soil quality. Pay attention to the location of structures or hard surfaces that may store heat on a sunny day, creating overnight warm spots, as well as large vegetation that may bring a sphere of shade and cooler temperatures. Perform timed checks every few hours (say 9 a.m., noon, and again at 3 p.m.) during the day to monitor sun and shade patterns. Be aware of elevation and rainfall.

32^nd Annual Plant Fair Set for
Saturday, May 9 ~ 8 am – 2 pm
at the Skagit County Fairgrounds

Kick off your spring plant-buying season at the Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation Plant Fair set for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon. The event will feature more than 10,000 plants grown or tended by Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners for success in northwest Washington. More than 50 varieties of tomatoes and thousands of annuals, vegetables, herbs, perennials, trees, shrubs, berries, and more will be available. In addition, dozens of vendors will be on site with many offering plants and garden-related items. Admission and parking are free. Read the full press release>

Customers can plan ahead and prepare a shopping list by reviewing lists of plants that master gardeners will offer:

• List of tomato varieties>
• Lists of greenhouse-grown annuals, flowers, and herbs and Perennial Plant House propagated and grown perennials, trees, berries, figs and grapes>

The Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Program helps our communities with their gardening needs by providing science-based education, answering plant questions, and helping with plant problems. Proceeds from the annual Plant Fair benefit the nonprofit Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation, which supports the Skagit County Master Gardener Program.

Soil tests from several locations in the yard will help you understand what your soil may need to support healthy plants.

Washington State University’s Ag Weather Net provides regional climate information from several locations in Skagit and surrounding counties about wind, temperature, and precipitation information. A home garden weather station can help gather and archive data at your specific location.

The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Marin County Master Gardeners provides a detailed spreadsheet to help assess microclimates and the factors to consider when planning a garden or landscape.

Another research opportunity is to observe thriving landscapes or yards in your neighborhood or community, and to visit botanical gardens in the region to see and learn about plants that thrive in the northwest environment. The 30-plus garden “rooms” of the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Discovery Garden on Memorial Highway west of Mount Vernon offer many ideas and inspiration for gardens with themes ranging from naturescape and shade to dryscape or succulents. The Discovery Garden is open daily from dawn until dusk.

Say you have a one-third-acre lot with a single-level home in central Skagit County: 

Watch the frost and snow patterns. It’s not uncommon for the north side of the house to harbor frost eight to 10 feet north of the structure for hours after the white frosty layer has melted from the rest of the yard. Snow can remain in place for days in that swath. Plants in that area must be cold and moisture-tolerant. That’s a microclimate. Well-established plants such as a June-blooming rhododendron or a David viburnum (Viburnum davidii) can continue to thrive. Adding shade-loving ferns like Asian saber fern (Polystichum neolobatum), western sword fern (Polystichum munitum), or dragon tail fern (Asplenium ebenoides) along with a couple of perennials like bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) and Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum) add texture and interest in the spring and appear year over year.

Pruning Shrubs for the Home Gardener

May Know & Grow

Free. No registration required.

Presentor: Anne Kurt, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener and Certified Master Pruner

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 ~ 1 p.m.

Sakuma Auditorium
16650 SR 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Come learn some simple seasonal pruning tips to encourage the health and appearance of your garden shrubs. Learn to identify growth habit and determine the right time to prune and how. You will gain confidence and your garden will thrive.

Photo © Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation

The south side of the house can be quite a different microclimate. A large, south-facing patio and the house’s siding would make a true hot spot, even on warm spring days, much less on a 90-degree summer afternoon. A few plants in hanging baskets could thrive through the summer without an irrigation system. A raised bed or large pots tucked next to a south-facing wall or fence provide warmth and light reflection that tomatoes love, yielding lots of delicious fruit, steps away from the kitchen.

With careful plant selection and regular (sometimes twice daily) watering, larger pots filled with annuals and perennials can produce a beautiful abundance of color for the season. Plants with bright red and orange flowers, such as firecracker plant (Cuphea hybrid), Mexican lobelia (Lobelia laxiflora), and lantana (Verbenaceae) attract a number of pollinators including hummingbirds.

Make good plant selections. Create a list of plants that suit the landscape’s microclimates. This includes trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals. Photos © Adobe Stock

Based on research and data gathered for your yard, you have options:

1. Make changes to manage a microclimate:

• Consider adding organic matter to improve soil moisture capacity or install an irrigation system for dry areas.
• Use raised beds for plants that need drainage and warmer soil temperature.
• Look into drains for slopes to allow water to flow in wet areas.
• Move and group plants that appreciate similar conditions.
• Protect more fragile plants with a shelter of tall plantings or a fence.

2. Make good plant selections. Create a list of plants that suit the landscape’s microclimates. This includes trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals. Gardeners have access to a variety of resources for plant lists, including:

• Sunset’s Western Garden Book offers 30 lengthy lists with photos and plant details based on climate qualities, including sun, shade, dry areas, moisture lovers, and wind resistance.
• Great Plant Picks, the educational program of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle, offers many lists to support plant selections for gardeners living west of the Cascade Mountains from Eugene, Oregon, to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Lists focus on drought tolerance, sun and shade, containers, and more.
• The Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board offers a printable list of noxious weeds.
• The Washington Native Plant Society provides information on invasive non-native plants that compete with native plants, plus lists on the plethora of Washington native plants that are special to Washington. 

Armed with details about your landscape, soil, light, and weather, along with a list of plants that are of interest, head out to the nursery or local plant sale with a disciplined plan to start with. Ask questions. Look at lots of plants. Make a measured selection of choices. Take those home, size up your status and, if needed, make another trip – oh, joy! The fun can stretch over a period of growing years as you watch and enjoy the maturation of your well-planned garden spaces tailored to your unique microclimates. 

References and Resources

City of Seattle Public Utilities. (2010) Natural Lawn & Garden Series: Choosing the Right Plants for a Beautiful, Trouble-Free Garden.

Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden. (2026) Great Plant Picks.

McMoran, D, Huter, S. and Buller, S. (2015) How to Determine your Garden Microclimate. Washington State University Extension Bulletin FS181E.

Sunset Western Garden Book (2007) Sunset Publishing Corporation. Menlo Park, CA. 94025

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Marin County Master Gardeners. (2026) Garden Site Microclimate Evaluation Form.

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Plant Hardiness Zone Map. (2026) https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

Washington Native Plant Society

Washington State University’s Ag Weather Net

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kari Ranten is a retired journalist and health care communicator who became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener in 2024.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Post: April 17, 2026

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The Amazing World of Geophytes

Bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers: Plant ahead for joy in the future

Kari Ranten

By Kari Ranten, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

We’re in the middle of April, and the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is in full swing. It’s the time of year when visitors from across the globe descend on our valley to witness the marvel of acres and acres of color. Vibrant swaths of yellow, red, purple, and orange decorate the valley floor in commercial fields and exquisite display gardens.

Many home gardeners in our region also enjoy the pop of early color afforded by daffodils and tulips, and know it’s worth planting bulbs in the fall to get the reward of a spring color.

While these spring-blooming bulb plants are common to our region, home gardeners may not be as familiar with other options that start underground, such as corms, rhizomes, or tubers.

These are all geophytes, or “earth plants,” perennial plants with underground storage “containers” or systems. These underground storage containers are active and, when conditions are right, they grow, bloom, and reproduce after a period of dormancy. In general usage, all are referred to as “bulbs.”

Placing them all under the general category of bulbs, researchers note these plants have the common ability to store the plant’s complete life cycle in an underground storage structure. They all have a period of growth and flowering, followed by a period of dormancy.

The classification of these plants is based on their differing storage structures. True bulbs include tunicate bulbs (tulips) and imbricate bulbs (lilies). Corms (crocus, gladiolus), and tubers (dahlias) are referred to as bulbs, but have a different type of underground storage structure. Gardeners should pay attention to the bulb’s structure, the planting and emergence timetable, and planting recommendations to ensure blooming success.

Northwest Washington has been home to commercial bulb growers for decades, with more than 1,000 acres of tulips and daffodils grown annually in the Skagit Valley, yielding some 20 million bulbs and 75 million cut flowers.

While tulips are native to Central Asia, they were brought to the Netherlands by botanist Carolus Clusius in the late 1500s. Dutch immigrants to the Skagit Valley saw the potential of a maritime climate similar to Holland’s and began growing tulips and daffodils for commercial purposes in the 1940s and 1950s.

There are, however, many native bulbs in the region. The Puget Sound Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society lists varieties of allium, lily, camas, iris, and hyacinth as native bulb plants. (See References and Resources.)

For the Love of Hummingbirds: The Ecology of Anna and Other Hummingbirds

April Know & Grow

Free. No registration required.

With Greg Green, senior instructor at Western Washington University

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 ~ 1 p.m.

Sakuma Auditorium
16650 SR 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Want to learn more about hummingbirds and the ecology surrounding them?  WWU Instructor and wildlife biologist Greg Green has been studying hummingbirds for more than a decade. His presentation will include the story of the Anna’s hummingbird march north over the past 75 years. Come hear about  this fascinating relationship between plants and animals.

Photo © Greg Green

True Bulbs: 

Planted in fall as soil temperature drops to 60° F, September to December, daffodils and tulips lead the way for spring-blooming bulbs. Crocus, hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis), grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum), snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis), and ornamental onion (Allium) also fit into this category.

The structure features a basal plate, or the bottom of the bulb where the roots grow; flesh that shows storage “rings;” skin that covers the outside; and the “shoot,” where the developing flower and leaves begin.

Plant spring bulbs two to three times as deep as the bulb is tall. For most larger bulbs, such as tulips and daffodils, they are planted about eight inches deep, while small ones, such as crocus, are planted three to four inches deep.

Forgot to plant your bulbs? While not ideal, it’s still OK to get them in the ground in January or even February if the soil isn’t frozen.

Spring-blooming bulbs are winter hardy. After the plants bloom and die back, they typically need no attention before repeating the perennial cycle in the home landscape. Bonus about daffodils: They are deer and rabbit-resistant.

Summer-blooming gladiolus grow from corms which have a swollen base and should be arranged in the soil with buds protruding up. They are planted in the mid-spring after danger of frost has passed. Photos © Adobe Stock

Corms:

Plants that grow from corms include gladiolus, crocus, and freesia. The structure is solid and features a swollen stem base. Somewhat similar to bulbs, they lack the layers of flesh and covering. Spring-blooming crocus are corms, but fall-blooming crocus are not true crocus but a bulb in the lily family.

Gladiolus corms can be dug in the fall, separated, and stored for replanting, though many gardeners in our area can leave them in the ground with minimal or no loss.

Dahlias grow from tuberous roots which have buds or eyes near the crown. Photos © Adobe Stock

Rhizomes

Plants developing from rhizomes, such as lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria), canna lily, and iris, grow horizontally under the soil’s surface, which can result in the plant spreading.

Though not strictly botanically classified as rhizomes, the fleshy roots of daylilies and peonies appear very similar and are sometimes referred to as rhizomes and/or tubers. The roots of these plants can store nutrients. Peony root clumps should be divided in the fall, while daylilies can be divided in the spring or fall.

Depending on your USDA zone, summer bloomers may not be winter-hardy. Each bulb type has specific spring planting requirements for timing and depth, based on the last frost-free date in your zone.

Lily-of-the-Valley and bamboo both grow from another type of geophyte called rhizomes. These rhizomes can spread easily underground and can be managed with annual maintenance. Read our blog article growing bamboo Photos © Adobe Stock and Kay Torrance.

Tubers and Tuberous Roots

Caladium, Oxalis, Gloriosa, ranunculus, and anemone are all grown from tubers.

Structurally, a big difference between tubers and true bulbs or corms is the absence of a basal plate where roots develop or a tunic covering. They have “eyes” where the new plant will grow.

Dahlias fall into a slightly different category called tuberous roots. The plant’s energy is stored in an actual root, and it forms growth from buds at the top of the root or the base of the stem. Dahlias can be dug up in the fall and saved for planting the following spring, normally mid-May in northwest Washington. Other tuberous roots include all types of potatoes and daylilies.

This group of perennial plants, called geophytes-has the unique ability to store energy in their underground “storage containers” and burst forth with beautiful flowers throughout spring, summer, and fall. Identifying them as bulbs, corms, tubers, or rhizomes, helps a gardener understand what is required for successful growth. 

References and Resources

Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes and Tubers. (2026) Penn State Extension.

Pokorny, K. (2025) Plant spring-blooming bulbs in fall for years of low-maintenance color. Oregon State University Extension.

Streich, A., Janssen, D., and Cue, K. (August 2007) Spring Flower Bulbs. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

What is a Geophyte? (2024) Coastal Gardener. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Bulbs. (2026) Backyard Farmer. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Easy to grow native bulbs you should grow now. Washington Native Plant Society. Native Bulb Information

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kari Ranten is a retired journalist and health care communicator who became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener in 2024.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Post: April 3, 2026

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Cultivating Community: How local libraries help grow gardeners

You’ll find resources and inspiration at your local library

By Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

For many of us, gardening is more than just a hobby that brings us joy. It’s a way of life that puts fresh food on the table and connects us to our neighbors.

For both seasoned gardeners and curious beginners, local libraries provide a valuable resource on the path to greener thumbs. Beyond books, libraries offer a vibrant array of services tailored for gardeners: from seed libraries and expert-led workshops to curated gardening resources and community events.

Earlier in the year, a group of Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners set out with a list of questions to ask their local library about gardening services. The library staff at each library welcomed our questions and encouraged master gardeners’ participation in their programming and book selections.

What Libraries Have in Common for Gardeners

As expected, each library confirmed that it has a collection of non-fiction books related to gardening. They encourage questions and are happy to help with resource questions. When searching for books and DVDs in the library catalogs, they said to use multiple keywords to narrow your search; for instance, a book about learning to garden in a warming environment may be found under “Climate Change” rather than “Gardening.”

Online Resources: 

A library card from any library opens the door to Libby through the free statewide Washington Anytime digital library system. Along with hundreds of books, Libby has more than 700 magazines under the Home and Garden tab.

Events for Gardeners:

Checking or subscribing to each library’s e-newsletter, or following their social media, are the best ways to stay informed about presentations of interest to gardeners.

Library of Things: 

The Mount Vernon and Burlington Libraries offer a “Library of Things” for checkout. Items range from telescopes and microscopes to park passes and games, many of which are geared toward youth. Gardening items include seed starting kits, mats, seed blocks, and microscopes.

Seed Library: 

A community-driven, open-to-the-public resource, all libraries, except Central Skagit, offer a seed library. Each seed library operates differently. Mount Vernon and La Conner’s are shelved with access whenever the library is open. Others offer a seed exchange on a seasonal basis, or as a one-day event. Seed libraries are a great way to save money while trying a limited number of new varieties. Jars and packets are well-labeled with take-home envelopes provided.

Gale Research: 

For those wanting a deeper dive into a topic, all libraries subscribe to Gale Research, a renowned publishing company specializing in authoritative reference materials and digital resources for libraries, schools, and academic institutions. Its comprehensive digital research tools and collections support students, educators, and researchers in conducting in-depth research on many topics, including science and botany.

Specific Plant Questions:

The master gardeners who interviewed librarians at their local libraries noticed an interesting correlation: librarians are often avid gardeners in their off hours. That said, they can direct patrons to plant identification and other relevant resources, but plant-specific questions are best directed to the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Plant Clinic and resources.

A Note about
Skagit County Libraries:

Unlike the library systems in neighboring counties, the libraries in Skagit County are funded through each city or in some cases a local taxing district. Each library offers free cards to residents, property owners, business owners within their area of service, and all teachers and students no matter where they live. Residents in unincorporated areas can purchase a card. Cardholders have reciprocity with other libraries in the county for no extra fee. See the footnote below about reciprocal agreements between libraries.

For the Love of Hummingbirds: The Ecology of Anna and Other Hummingbirds

April Know & Grow

Free. No registration required.

With Greg Green, senior instructor at Western Washington University

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 ~ 1 p.m.

Sakuma Auditorium
16650 SR 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Want to learn more about hummingbirds and the ecology surrounding them?  WWU Instructor and wildlife biologist Greg Green has been studying hummingbirds for more than a decade. His presentation will include the story of the Anna’s hummingbird march north over the past 75 years. Come hear about  this fascinating relationship between plants and animals.

Photo © Greg Green

Anacortes Public Library

By Andrea Saxton, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The Anacortes Public Library offers a robust selection of gardening books in nonfiction, covering topics from general techniques to landscaping, indoor and outdoor gardening, and PNW-specific practices. Part of the collection is funded by a donation from the Jeane Thomson family to the Anacortes Library Foundation.

The library subscribes to Horticulture magazine, and issues are available for browsing and checkout.

The APL hosts a Seed Library, maintained and stocked by Transition Fidalgo’s Seed Share group. Transition Fidalgo is a non-profit organization committed to climate resiliency and occasionally hosts gardening-related workshops and educational programs at the library.

Burlington Public Library

By Kari Ranten, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The Burlington Public Library has a wide variety of gardening books ranging from bulbs to plant starts. The library has how-to books on creating different types of gardens, including cutting gardens, vegetable gardens, container gardening, and landscaping.

If a good afternoon for you includes perusing a magazine that you can hold in your hands, the BPL has subscriptions for Garden Gate, Mother Earth News, and Better Homes and Gardens. 

Every April, the Burlington Library holds a class on flower arranging, and in the summer, Sarah Wagstaff from SUOT Farm & Flowers hosts a story time for kids. Subscribe to the library’s newsletter to stay up-to-date about coming events at the library.

Central Skagit Library

By Cindy Bjorklund, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The Central Skagit Library in Sedro-Woolley offers a wide variety of publications for the home gardener including books on fruit and vegetable gardening, flowers, gardening in the Pacific Northwest, and homesteading.

The summer reading program is titled Nature. Their physical magazine subscriptions include Self-Reliance, Mother Earth News, Fine Gardening, and Mary Jane’s Farm.

La Conner Swinomish Library

By Aven Wright McIntosh, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The newest addition to the city library system, the La Conner Swinomish Library, reports a small but engaging adult non-fiction gardening section and a children’s section.

• For the past several years, LCSL has hosted workshops on eliminating food waste and Master Gardener Katryna Barber’s worm composting presentation.
• A small seed library with an ever-changing selection of seeds is open to the public for give-and-take. It is located in the community room and is open during library hours.

Library patrons learn how to easily research any topic on in-library computers, locate it on the shelves, or request a transfer from another in-district library. Burlington, Central Skagit, and Concrete share an in-district agreement. A La Conner Swinomish Library card still gives access to all six county libraries, it just works a bit differently for the libraries in Mount Vernon and Anacortes.

The library has the “Stay Sharp” Garden kit which can be checked out providing hands-on nature-inspired learning activities. The librarian also recommends the new “Steam Kits” program available online, which includes activities for kids’ gardening adventures.

Mount Vernon City Library

By Ginny Bode, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Mount Vernon City Library has an excellent seed library open to the public during library hours. The seed library along with the resources of the “Library of Things” are the inspiration behind this article. Beyond the books in the Dewey Decimal category 635 Gardening, librarians encourage patrons to look for garden-related books under all the 630 categories-Agriculture and Related Technologies, as well as under 580-Plants and Botany and 550-Earth Sciences. 

The collection of resources for gardeners depends on the size of the library; this factor is particularly important when discussing resources for children learning to garden. The Mount Vernon City Library, which boasts the largest children’s collection north of Seattle, includes many children’s books about science and gardening.

Along with hard-copy books and magazines for gardeners, the MVCL has a USDA-certified commercial kitchen which can be rented by the hour. Entrepreneurs starting food-certified businesses can rent space to make food for farmers’ markets, food trucks, and restaurants. The fees are affordable and a great resource for enterprising gardeners wanting to take their recipes to the next level. Learn more about the library’s kitchen facilities

Sno-Isle Regional Library System

By Linda Olmstead, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The Sno-Isle Library system includes 24 libraries located in Island and Snohomish Counties. Library membership allows residents access to all libraries within the system. A “Library on Wheels” option is also available. Sno-Isle has an extensive collection of gardening and related materials in a variety of formats, including books, DVDs, e-books, magazines, and academic journals. Multiple databases provide access to a wealth of materials. Sno-Isle hosts online and in-person events at many of its locations. Library staff can also help members with advanced research on topics of interest through an in-person or virtual session.

• More than 1,000 gardening-related traditional format books are available for checkout by library members.
• More than 1,200 online gardening-related e-books can be checked out on the library’s website.
• The library offers gardening courses on DVD, some of which can be checked out and the remainder accessed online. Examples include “The Great Courses: How to Grow Anything,” “The Science of Gardening,” containing 24 episodes on various gardening topics, and “The Botanist’s Eye: Identifying the Plants Around You.”
• More than 80 gardening magazines are available digitally, along with physical subscriptions to Fine Gardening, Garden Gate, Martha Stewart Gardening, Gardens Illustrated, and Gardeners’ World.

Upper Skagit Library, Concrete

By Ginny Bode, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The Upper Skagit Library reports “all sorts of gardening books from small-scale to market gardening how-to books,” along with several field guides on PNW native plants, including weeds.

The Upper Skagit Library occupies a storefront space in Concrete and works in concert with the Central Skagit, Burlington, and La Conner Libraries, so you can get any book from those libraries delivered to the Upper Skagit Library. Their physical magazine subscriptions include Mother Earth News, Fine Gardening, and Garden Gate.

Librarian Cody Johansen suggests “Secret Gardeners: Growing a Community and Healing the Earth” as a great book on sustainable gardening practices for children.

For online local resources, the librarian recommends: 

• “Sproutshare” is a Facebook group managed by Kerry Higgins at the Mansford Grange near Darrington. It hosts a community platform for posting available seeds, starts, and cuttings.
• “Seedtime” is a great app for planning and has educational courses as well.
• “Farm My Yard” is another great app for planning and shows which plants grow well in our area.

Elisabeth C. Miller Library, Seattle, Washington

By Ginny Bode, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The Elisabeth C. Miller Library serves as a premier horticultural resource for both the public and professionals. Located near U-Village and UW Stadium, your Washington State Driver’s License qualifies you to receive a library card.

The library has more than 15,000 books and 400 magazine titles in-house. Managed by the Elisabeth C. Miller Foundation (not the UW Library system), the library is a welcome oasis for learning about all things horticultural. The large children’s library, with 1,090 books in the Youth Collection available for borrowing and another 449 in the Parent/Teacher Resource Collection. It is easy to many resources on specific areas of horticulture within the huge collection of books and periodicals focusing on gardening, botany, landscape design, and plant sciences. The library is a treasure trove of learning, offering community programs, garden walks, lectures, workshops, botanical art shows, and children’s activities.

The Miller Library website keeps an up-to-date calendar of local plant sales, garden tours, a plant answer line (much like the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Plant Clinic), and ongoing book reviews.

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or planting your first seeds, your local library is ready to support your journey. By connecting people, sharing resources, and nurturing curiosity, libraries help gardens-and communities-flourish.

Library Reciprocity in Skagit County
(as provided by Central Skagit Librarian Anne Booker)

A brief overview: 

• Skagit County does not have a countywide library system but rather six independent library districts. Many, but not all of the people living in Skagit County pay library-supporting taxes to one of these districts.  
• Four of the library districts in the county have formed a consortium (Burlington, La Conner, Upper Skagit, Central Skagit). Patrons living in any of these four districts can use a card from any of these four libraries to check out at any of these four libraries.
• These four libraries share a catalog and share materials.  
• Folks living in either the Mount Vernon Library district boundaries or the Anacortes Library district boundaries are able to get cards at any of the other libraries, but do require a separate card.

If someone lives outside the boundaries of any library district, they are still able to obtain a library card at any of the libraries in Skagit County, but will need to pay a fee directly to the library. The fee varies from library to library and grants access only to the library where it is paid.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

This article was researched by a team of Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners, and was compiled by Ginny Bode with Kari Ranten, Linda Olmstead, Aven Wright-McIntosh, Cynthia Bjorkland, and Andrea Saxton.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Post: March 20, 2026

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A successful, nutritious potato crop requires the right start

Certified potato seed will get the home gardener on the right track

Kari Ranten

By Kari Ranten, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Potatoes are a staple on many dinner tables, which may prompt home gardeners to try their hand at growing these nutritious, plentiful vegetables. With a few tips in hand, these tubers are straightforward to plant, tend, harvest, store, and enjoy – some say “easy,” which is the perfect combination for the home vegetable gardener.

The vital step in gaining a successful potato harvest takes place before you start.

Every resource consulted in the preparation of this article, including an interview with Chakradhar Mattupalli, assistant professor of plant pathology at Washington State University’s Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center (NWREC), points to one key action: Start with certified, disease-free potato seed.

“The main recommendation to any grower is to plant certified and clean seed to avoid as many diseases as possible,” said Mattupalli, who leads the Berry and Potato Pathology program at NWREC.

Mattupalli and fellow researchers at NWREC play a vital role in working with commercial growers to limit the impact of disease and pests on potato crops, plus work with developing new varieties that grow well in the temperate Pacific Northwest. In Skagit County, 11,000 acres were planted to potatoes in 2024, with most of the harvest sold in the fresh market. With that volume of commercial production, home gardeners can be assured that potatoes typically grow well in Skagit and the surrounding counties.

It’s also good to know that this vegetable, a member of the nightshade family, has nutritional benefits. Potatoes are a complex carbohydrate offering nutrients important to healthy eating such as minerals (potassium), fiber, and vitamins (antioxidant vitamin C, folic acid, and iron). More antioxidants are present in darker colored potatoes.¹

Researchers at WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Center (NWREC) play a vital role in working with potato growers in northwestern Washington. Chakradhar Mattupalli, assistant professor of plant pathology, leads the Berry and Potato Pathology program, conducting research and extension activities addressing the biology and management of diseases of highbush blueberry and potato crops. He provided guidance and resources in the preparation of this article. For more information about Mattupalli’s research, go to Berry and Potato Pathology | Washington State University.

NWREC is one of four WSU Research Centers operated by the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, housing nine research programs, extension outreach, and research affiliates. The research center works to solve plant-related problems and develop cost-effective and environmentally-sound plant production practices based directly on results from experimental field, greenhouse, and laboratory research trials.

Start with certified potato seed

Back to the beginning: Selecting certified potato seed from a reputable grower or seed distributor is the key. Home gardeners should not plant potatoes purchased at a grocery store, because the tubers are treated with sprout inhibitors. Neither should they use potatoes from the previous year’s harvest, to avoid transfer of potential pests and pathogens that will significantly reduce yield and quality.²

Certified seed potatoes are available from reputable retailers online, and in late February or early March, will begin to make their way to nursery and farm supply stores in Skagit County.

Home gardeners should think about the variety of potatoes to grow based on the desired use, the length of harvest season, and storability. The Pacific Northwest is known as a premier potato-producing region, where scientists in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho have developed 40 new varieties. Key varieties grown in the region include russets, those many think of as “baking” potatoes, with names like ‘Ranger’ and ‘Rainier’. Specialty or heirloom varieties also grow well in the region, including the ‘Makah Ozette’, a noteworthy historic fingerling variety. Others come with similarly interesting names including ‘Purple Majesty’ and ‘Russian Banana’. This list of potato varieties from the Northwest (Tri-State) Potato Variety Development Program and details on tuber qualities, yield, and disease resistance. Gardeners can choose varieties that span from early (65 days to harvest) to late season (more than 90 days to harvest).

Once a gardener has certified seed in hand, selecting a location to plant, watching soil temperatures and pH, and preparing the seed are the next steps to take before planting:

Location and rotation: Potatoes require full sun, meaning at least six hours of sun each day, and ideally eight to 10 hours per day, during the growing season. To prevent disease, use crop rotation techniques and choose a plot in the garden that has not been used to grow tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants, or tomatillos in the past three to four years. You may also use a raised bed.³

Soil pH and temperature: Check the pH of the selected garden location. Potatoes grow well in slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.0, high in organic matter. Tubers grown in more alkaline soil are more prone to developing common scab. Planting can take place four to six weeks before the last frost date, and when the soil temperature hits at least 50° F.² Soil should be well-drained, as tubers will rot if exposed to extended cold and wet conditions.

Preparing and curing the seed: Potato seed should be firm and without sprouts. Small seed potatoes (those smaller than a chicken egg) can be planted whole, while larger seed should be cut (using a clean knife) into 1.5-inch cubes with one to three buds or “eyes” on each piece. Once cut, seed potato pieces should be cured for a few days at 50 to 65° F, before planting. Cornell University’s Growing Guide for Potatoes recommends curing seed potatoes by putting the cut potatoes into a large, paper grocery bag and folding the top closed. Leave the bag at room temperature for two or three days, then shake the bag to make sure the pieces are not stuck together. Let them sit for two or three more days before planting.⁴

Next steps involve soil preparation, planting, “hilling,” and watering:

Soil preparation: Once the soil temperature has reached at least 50° F, modest tilling, six to eight inches into the soil, is recommended along with amending the soil with compost or aged manure, (not fresh, which may introduce soilborne pathogens). Add fertilizer as recommended from soil-test results.³

Planting: Create shallow, four-inch trenches and place seed spaced every 10 to 12 inches in the bottom of the furrow. Cover the seed with four inches of soil. Rows should be two to three feet apart. Gardeners should see sprouts emerge in three to four weeks.³

Hilling: A technique called “hilling” is commonly used when growing potatoes and requires covering the potatoes with additional soil as they grow. When plants reach six inches in height, gently mound soil from between the rows to cover the tubers. This will need to be repeated every two weeks as the growing potatoes are again exposed to sunlight.³

Keeping the tubers covered with soil will help prevent the potatoes from turning green due to chlorophyll responding to sunlight. While chlorophyll is harmless, the green color can indicate the presence of solanine, a toxic compound that can cause bitter taste or illness.⁵

The importance of water: To avoid seed rot, do not water potatoes before the plants sprout. Once plants are up, they will need about two inches of water per week to keep the top 18 inches of soil moistened. Watering is recommended in the evening.³ Reduce watering in mid-August and wait until the plants die back before harvesting.⁵

Pests and Diseases:

Potatoes can be prone to a variety of pests, diseases, and physiological disorders. Some, such as common scab or hollow heart, may not be known until harvest, as they affect the exterior or interior of the underground tubers respectively. Other issues, such as late blight, may affect the leaves and tubers. WSU’s Hortsense resource will help home gardeners learn more about the pests and diseases that may impact potato crops in the region. WSU’s comprehensive site features more than 1,000 fact sheets with photos to guide home gardeners, manage problems in hundreds of plants using integrated pest management (IPM), including cultural controls and Washington state registered pesticides.

Pests to watch for include Colorado potato beetles, aphids, flea beetles, and wireworms. Diseases can include early and late blight, common scab, black scurf, and Verticillium wilt. Potatoes also can suffer from viruses such as potato mop top virus and potato virus Y (PVY).

For detailed, comprehensive, science-based information about potato varieties, pests and diseases, read:

• Hortsense: Potato Varieties
• Hortsense: Potato Pests
• WSU Plant Pathology: Potato Diseases

Store potatoes in perforated plastic bags or in well-ventilated containers in a dark, well-ventilated location with high humidity. Good storage areas include a refrigerator set to 40-46° F, an insulated garage, or a cool, dark basement. © Adobe Stock

Harvest and storage:

It can be a surprise when it’s time to harvest potatoes as the season’s action takes place underground. Gardeners are hoping for unblemished, disease-free, uniform tubers that will contribute to menus for months to come.

Mature tubers may be harvested about two weeks after the foliage has dried, generally 70 to 120 days after planting. Stop watering after the plants have died back. Dig carefully with a garden fork to avoid injuring the potatoes.

Clean the potatoes after harvest, either by brushing or lightly rinsing away soil. Sort the tubers and dispose of those that are shriveled, blemished, or diseased. During cleaning and storage, potatoes should be kept away from light as “greening” can happen during these phases as well.

Storability is a quality based on variety and skin thickness. To store potatoes, place them in a warm, well-ventilated area to allow the skin to set. Keep potatoes under cover or in the dark and allow them to cure for 10 days before storage.³ Gradually lower the temperature to 40-46° F, placing potatoes in perforated plastic bags or well-ventilated containers in a dark location with good ventilation and high humidity.² Good storage areas include a refrigerator set to 40-46° F, an insulated garage, or a cool, dark basement.⁵

Thinking about sweet potatoes? Sweet potatoes fare well when grown in warmer southern U.S. states. However, NWREC scientists are working on trials to develop sweet potato varieties for commercial growers in Skagit County. The first commercially grown harvest from Hedlin’s Family Farm was sold at the Skagit Valley Food Co-op in Mount Vernon in November 2025. For more info, read Sweet Potatoes find their way to Washington 

FOOTNOTES AND REFERENCES:

1. Posner, A. (2022) “Potato health benefits and why you should eat more spuds.” University of California Davis Health.
2. Ophardt, M. (2015) “Vegetables: Growing Potatoes in Home Gardens.” Washington State University Extension Fact Sheet # FS165E.
3. Schuh, M. and Tong, C. (2022) “Growing Potatoes in home gardens.” University of Minnesota Extension.
4. Cornell University. (2006) “Growing Guide: Potatoes.”
5. Pokorny, K. (2023) “Best practices for harvesting and storing homegrown potatoes.” Oregon State University Extension Service.
6. Pokorny, K. (2024) “How to grow sweet potatoes successfully in Oregon’s climate.“ Oregon State University Extension Service.

University of Maryland Extension. (2023) “Growing Potatoes in a Home Garden.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kari Ranten is a retired journalist and health care communicator who became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener in 2024.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Post: March 6, 2026

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Noxious Weeds in Skagit County

What Gardeners and Landowners Need to Know

By Deanna Hofmann, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Author Deanna Hofmann

Weeds are a pain to all gardeners, but some are worse than others. By identifying and managing the noxious weeds (also known as invasive weeds) most likely to appear in home gardens, along roadsides, and on rural properties in Skagit County, you’ll save yourself a lot of work and protect your neighbors, farm pastures and livestock, forests, wetlands, and stream corridors.

Get Started:

• Understanding Washington’s Class A/B/C system
• Knowing when control is required vs. recommended (which can vary by county)
• Avoiding buying, selling, or trading plants that are illegal to distribute in Washington

In Washington state, “noxious weed” is a legal term for invasive plants that are so aggressive they harm local ecosystems or disrupt agricultural production. They crowd out native species that fish and wildlife depend on, and they can cost farmers millions of dollars in control efforts and lost production.

Why This Matters: The Scale of Invasive and Noxious Weeds

Many invasive weeds spread quietly for years before their impacts become obvious-by then, they are far more expensive (and sometimes impossible) to fully remove. Putting the problem in context helps explain why early detection, prevention, and coordinated control matter.

Introduced weeds are estimated to cost the U.S. agricultural economy more than $26 billion per year (crop losses plus herbicide use), and non-native plant pathogens are estimated to cost about $21.5 billion per year (crop losses plus fungicide use). These figures highlight why farms, rangelands, and other plant-dependent sectors bear a disproportionate share of the economic impacts from invasive plants.

With more than 200 invasive species documented in Washington, it can be hard to pin down a single, county-specific dollar figure for Skagit’s noxious weed impacts. To get a sense of the problem’s scale, it helps to look at WSDA-supported statewide estimates that model impacts for a subset of high-risk species. In just one leading example-Scotch broom-we can see just how large the stakes can be. WSDA’s analysis estimates that $142.8 million in statewide business activity could be at risk, along with about 660 jobs and more than $36 million in lost wages. These impacts are paid in many ways: crop yield loss and herbicide costs; reduced forage and toxic plant risks for livestock; impaired forest regeneration; and degraded recreational access and habitat.

Here in Skagit County, local control programs track the problem through concrete on-the- ground metrics-acres treated, plants removed, and sites cleared. Skagit County operates WSDA grant‑funded programs for Spartina (cordgrass) and knotweed. In a WSDA progress report, Skagit County had the third‑largest Spartina infestation in Puget Sound. County updates also highlight priority work on Spartina, knotweed, poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), and giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)-a reminder that Skagit’s noxious weed challenges include ecological damage, agricultural costs, and serious human and livestock health hazards. Weed laws establish all property owners’ responsibility for helping to prevent and control the spread of noxious weeds-because plants ignore property lines-home gardeners, farmers, public landowners, foresters, and ranchers all have a role to play.

Top Noxious Invasive Weeds in Skagit County

The following species are on the WSDA quarantine list:

• Common cordgrass (Spartina anglica) and other Spartina species (S. alterniflora, S. densiflora, S. patens). Considered one of the world’s most aggressive weeds, these species can displace native plants, destroy habitat, and convert estuaries into solid meadows. Eradication (that is, complete removal) of these Spartina species is required. (Class A).

Know & Grow Series

Composting and Vermiculture for the Home Gardener

Tues., March 17 , 2026 — 1 p.m.
— Free, no registration required —
at the NWREC Sakuma Auditorium
16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon, WA

• Knotweeds, including Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica; synonym Fallopia japonica) and Bohemian knotweed (Reynoutria x bohemica; synonym Fallopia x bohemica). These plants have a major impact along streams and in other riparian areas, completely displacing native plant communities, causing streambank erosion, and altering the nutrient cycle of salmon and other wildlife species. Control of these knotweed species is required in Skagit County. (Class B)
• Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum). All parts of this plant are extremely toxic to humans and livestock. Growing up to 8 feet tall, it has caused livestock deaths. It readily colonizes roadsides, vacant lots, pastures, and waterways. There are several similar-looking species, so proper identification is essential. Control of poison hemlock is required in Skagit County. (Class B).

• Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius). This plant displaces grassland habitat and outcompetes native and beneficial plants. Scotch broom is of particular concern to the timber industry and is commonly found along Washington roadways. The plant’s volatile oils also pose a fire hazard. Control of Scotch broom is required in Skagit County (Class B).
   
  Scotch broom is a familiar sight along western Washington highways. It is a volatile fire hazard as well as displacing grassland habitat. It is estimated that Skagit County has 100 – 1000 acres of infestation. Image © Wendy DesCamp – WSDA
• Tansy ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris, formerly Senecio jacobaea) is toxic to livestock and capable of causing liver damage. Control of tansy ragwort is required in Skagit County. (Class B)
• Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is an aggressive, shade-tolerant plant that can completely dominate forest floors and displace native species. It releases compounds into the soil that inhibit the germination of other plants. Eradication of garlic mustard is required. (Class A)
• Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). It can grow up to 15-feet-tall and causes severe skin burning and blistering. It outcompetes native plants and can be mistaken for cow parsnip. Assistance with identification and removal is strongly recommended. Eradication of giant hogweed is required. Giant hogweed is on both the federal and WSDA quarantine lists. (Class A).
• Italian arum (Arum italicum), also known as lords-and-ladies, Italian lily, or cuckoo’s pint. This ornamental groundcover has proven nearly impossible to remove once established. It is toxic to humans and outcompetes native species in sensitive habitats. For more information, consult the WSNB pamphlet titled Italian Arum. Control of the Italian arum plant is required in Skagit County. (Class C). Read our blog post about Italian Arum.
• Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), displaces large areas of wetland and riparian native plants needed by waterfowl and other wildlife for food, nesting, and groundcover. It alters nutrient cycles and food webs and can clog irrigation canals and drainage ditches. Control of purple loosestrife is required in Skagit County. (Class B).

Noxious Weed Classifications in Washington State

Class A noxious weeds are defined as having very limited distribution, and the goal is to completely eradicate them before they get a foothold in WA. Class A noxious weeds are the ones you are least likely to see, but they are the most important to report. If you see a weed that may be in this category, note the exact location and, if possible, take photos. Eradication of all Class A plants is required by law.

Class B noxious weeds are considered abundant in some areas of the state. The goal is to contain and reduce their occurrence where they are widespread and to prevent them from spreading to other areas of the state where they are less common. Many of these species have escaped from cultivation, having been introduced from other parts of the world and, in some cases, from other parts of the US.

Class C noxious weeds are widespread and/or of special interest to agriculture; counties may choose to require control locally.

WSDA Quarantine List (Prohibited Plants List) identifies plants whose sale or distribution is prohibited in Washington. It is illegal to transport, buy, sell, distribute, or offer these plants (or their seeds/plant parts) for sale in or into Washington, including online.

Important: A plant can be classified “not required for control” in your county and still be illegal to sell, swap, or share if it’s on the WSDA quarantine list. It’s important to check before buying, selling, or trading plants. See these websites for information and help: NWCB or WSDA. For online help identifying a plant, see WSU’s Hortsense. 

If You Think You’ve Found a Regulated Weed
For suspected Class A weeds or any high‑risk infestation near streams, wetlands, or pasture, document the location, take photos, and contact the Skagit County Noxious Weed Board for confirmation and next steps. County designation matters for many Class B and Class C weeds, so “required” vs. “recommended” control can change from one county to the next.
Noxious Weeds by Class
This list highlights many weeds most likely to affect gardeners, homeowners, farmers, and landowners in Skagit County. This is not the full state or county list.

CLASS A-Eradication is required statewide

• French broom (Genista monspessulana)
• Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
• Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
• Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata)
• Spanish broom (Spartium junceum)
• Bighead knapweed (Centaurea macrocephala)

CLASS B–Control required in Skagit County unless otherwise specified

• Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii; synonym Buddleia davidii)-on the WSDA quarantine list except “accepted sterile cultivars” (≤2% viable seed).
• Garden loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris)-Control not required in Skagit County.
• Gorse (Ulex europaeus)-Control is required in Skagit County.
• Hawkweeds: Orange hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum) and yellow hawkweeds (Hieracium subgenus Pilosellaand hybrids)-Control is required in Skagit
• Hanging sedge (Carex pendula)-Control is not required in Skagit County
• Knotweeds-can spread by root and stem fragments; yard waste dumping and moving contaminated soil are common pathways. Control of the following species is required in Skagit County. Bohemian knotweed (Reynoutria × bohemica; synonyms Fallopia x bohemica and Polygonum × bohemicum)
• Giant knotweed (Reynoutria sachalinensis; synonyms Fallopia sachalinensis and Polygonum sachalinense
• Himalayan knotweed (Persicaria wallichii)
• Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica; synonyms Fallopia japonica and Polygonum cuspidatum
• Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna; synonym Ranunculus ficaria)-toxic to humans and livestock.
• Malta starthistle (Centaurea melitensis)
• Policeman’s helmet (Impatiens glandulifera)
• Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)-extremely toxic to humans and livestock; confirm identification because of similar-looking species.
• Rough chervil (Chaerophyllum temulum)-Control in Skagit County is required; it’s toxic to mammals.
• Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius)
• Spurge laurel (Daphne laureola)-toxic; shade‑tolerant and can form dense stands. Control is not required in Skagit County.
• Tansy ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris; synonym Senecio jacobaea)-toxic to livestock.
• Wild chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris)
• Yellow archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon)-Control is not required in Skagit County.

CLASS C-Infestation is widespread and/or of special interest; control of the following species is not required in Skagit County unless otherwise indicated

• Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
• Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
• Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)
• Common holly/English holly (Ilex aquifolium)
• Common St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum)-toxic to livestock.
• Common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
• English ivy-four cultivars only: Hedera helix ‘Baltica’, ‘Pittsburgh’, ‘Star’, and Hedera hibernica ‘Hibernica’.
• Evergreen/cutleaf blackberry (Rubus laciniatus)
• Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus; synonyms include Rubus bifrons)
• Italian arum (Arum italicum)-toxic; extremely difficult to eradicate once established. Control is required in Skagit County.
• Japanese eelgrass (Nanozostera japonica; synonym Zostera japonica)
• Norway maple (Acer platanoides)
• Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
• Shiny geranium (Geranium lucidum)
• Tree‑of‑heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
• Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus)

WSDA Quarantine List: The “Don’t Buy/Sell/Trade” List
WSDA’s Noxious Weed Seed and Plant Quarantine (WAC 16‑752) makes certain plants illegal to sell, distribute, or transport in or into the state-including internet sales and informal plant swaps. All Class A weeds and many Class B and Class C weeds are included, along with some additional plants added to prevent new introductions.
 
The free Western Washington Field Guide to Noxious Weeds is a helpful booklet with pictures.
Management Begins with Identification and Prevention
Know your noxious weeds. Friends don’t let friends share noxious weeds. What may be a nice ground cover in one area of the state may be an invasive weed in another. Choose non‑invasive plants. When you identify a noxious weed on your property, remove it and dispose of it in the garbage. Do not put it in the yard waste or compost. Report high‑risk weeds early. 

This article covers Washington’s A/B/C classification system, a selection of key terrestrial noxious weeds relevant to Skagit County, the NWCB monitor list of plants of concern, and why WSDA quarantine rules matter for gardeners and landowners. If you have water on your property, be aware of the need to control aquatic noxious weeds.

Detailed and site‑specific, step‑by‑step control prescriptions can be found in the resources listed below.

SOURCES:

Skagit County Noxious Weed Control Board. (n.d.). Skagit County noxious weed information and species lists.

Washington State Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Prohibited plants and seeds in Washington State: A summary of current regulations on sales of noxious weeds and other invasive exotic plants (brochure).

Washington State Department of Agriculture. (current). Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 16‑752-Noxious weed seed and plant quarantine (prohibited plants list). 

Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board. (n.d.). Noxious weed profiles and publications. 

Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board. (2025). Washington State noxious weed list (printable common and scientific name lists).

Pacific Northwest Weed Management Handbook. (current). Pacific Northwest Weed Management Handbook 

DiTomaso, J. M., Kyser, G. B. (Eds.). (2013). Weed control in natural areas in the western United States. University of California, Weed Research and Information Center.

Additional References for the “Scale and Scope” Section

1. Fantle-Lepczyk, J. E., Haubrock, P. J., Kramer, A. M., Cuthbert, R. N., et al. (2022). Economic costs of biological invasions in the United States. Science of the Total Environment, 806, 151318.

2. Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board. (n.d.). Economic impacts of invasive species in Washington State (report).

3. Skagit County Noxious Weed Control Board. (n.d.). Skagit County Noxious Weed Control Board program information (Spartina and knotweed programs).

4. Washington State Department of Agriculture. (2020). Spartina Eradication Program: 2020 Progress Report (Skagit County infestation and funding metrics).

5. Skagit County, Washington. (2022). County noxious weed program update identifying priority weeds (Spartina, knotweed, poison hemlock, giant hogweed) (commissioner meeting materials).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Deanna Hofmann is a retired interpretive naturalist who became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener in 2025. She has a degree in Environmental Science from Huxley College, Western Washington University.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Post: February 20, 2026

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Tips on Collecting Rain Water

A self-sufficient gardening practice

By Jane Billinghurst, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Originally published in April 13, 2018

Rain barrels are a low-cost, low-maintenance way for you to reduce your water bills and be more self-sufficient in your gardening practices. Rain might seem to be absent in the Skagit Valley over the summer, but Mount Vernon, for example, averages a little under one and three-quarter inches each month from May to September. If you have 1,000 square feet of roof draining into rain barrels, this comes to about 1,000 gallons of rainwater for each of these months-more than enough to fill an array of 55-gallon rain barrels around your house.

To put that into perspective, if you want to apply an extra inch of water to 500 square feet of garden each month in summer (in addition to rainfall), that will take just over 300 gallons of water a month or about half a dozen rain barrels’ worth, which means that one rain barrel is good, but multiple rain barrels are even better.

Site your rain barrels next to downspouts, then divert the downspout so the water flows directly into the barrel. Bear in mind that the barrel might overflow, which you definitely don’t want happening right next to your house. Therefore, you want to attach a hose pipe to an overflow spout at the top of the barrel and have it empty in a safe place (at least 15 square feet of porous ground is recommended at a minimum of 10 feet away from foundations or hard surfaces such as driveways or sidewalks and 5 feet away from neighboring property or rights of way).

Direct the downspout so it flows directly into a rain barrel with a mesh guard on top to keep debris and mosquitoes out of the barrel. Photo © Skagit Master Gardener Foundation

Multiple rain barrels at the Discovery Garden, west of Mount Vernon, provide all of the water needed for seed starting and plant propagation until mid-April.  Photo © Skagit Master Gardener Foundation

Alternatively, you can install a downspout diverter that temporarily diverts rainwater from the downspout into the barrel. When the barrel is full, the diverter shuts off access to the barrel, and the rainwater flows down the spout once again.

Once you have decided where you want to place your rain barrels, what next? A 55-gallon rain barrel full of water weighs over 400 pounds. You need a sturdy base to support such a heavy weight and keep it level. The barrel also needs to be elevated enough that you can fit your watering can under the spigot and enough to provide water pressure if you are using a hose to empty the barrel.

The Skagit PUD site listed at the end of this article includes some tips on connecting a series of rain barrels together to increase the amount of rainwater you can store. Other sites offer options, as well.

Make sure you put a mesh guard on top of your rain barrels to keep mosquitoes from laying eggs in them, and remember to clean off the guard regularly to prevent it from getting clogged with debris washed down the downspout.

Use a clean, food-grade container to ensure you start with a barrel free of pollutants. The container should be opaque to keep out sunlight and prevent algae growth. Since you won’t be irrigating your plants in the winter (they won’t be growing and will get plenty of rain anyway), take the opportunity to rinse out your barrels. If you store them upside down, you won’t have to worry about them collecting water and freezing over winter, which might cause them to crack. You can set them up again in March or April when temperatures warm, plants start to grow, and there’s still lots of rain to catch.

There are several factors that affect how clean the water coming off your roof is. These include your location, the composition of your roof, and whether your roof has recently been treated with chemicals to control moss or algae. WSU publication #FS280E, “Potential Contaminants in Residential Rain Barrel Water” (see resources at the end of this article), goes over these issues in detail. To be on the safe side, avoid irrigating vegetable gardens with rainwater collected from roofs. Reserve it instead for ornamental plants in your yard and containers.

A number of online sites have useful resources on rainwater collection for our region. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a page on rainwater and health. Washington State Department of Ecology covers rules for collecting rainwater. Skagit County Public Utility District has information on constructing, installing, and maintaining rain barrels. Washington State University Extension goes over potential contaminants in rain barrel water, and US Climate Data gives rainfall averages where you live if you want to calculate for yourself just how much rainwater you might be able to collect. Use the formula 0.623 gallons x square footage of the catchment area x inches of rain per month or year, depending on the length of time.

Know & Grow Series

Composting and Vermiculture for the Home Gardener

Tues., March 17 , 2026 — 1 p.m.
— Free, no registration required —
at the NWREC Sakuma Auditorium
16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon, WA

RESOURCES:

Collecting Rainwater and Your Health. (2024) US Centers for Disease Control

Soak up the Rain. US Environmental Protection Agency.

Rainwater Collection. Department of Ecology State of Washington

US Climate Data – Mount Vernon, Washington

Chalker-Scott, L. (Rev. 2025) Potential Contaminants in Residential Rain Barrel Water. WSU Extension Publications #FS280E Washington State University, Pullman, WA

Tate, K. Rain Barrels 101: DIY Tips & Tricks for Collecting Rainwater. Skagit Public Utility District, Mount Vernon, WA

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jane Billinghurst became Skagit County WSU Master Gardener in 2005. 

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Post: December 6, 2025

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Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! Gifts for gardeners

Choose tools, gadgets, and technology for gardeners based on their interests

By Kari Ranten, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

 
Kari Ranten

The holidays provide a great opportunity to give your favorite gardener something to serve as a helping hand to support their hobby.

While the ideas ranging from old school to high tech are endless, think about what the gardener in your life enjoys most and hone in on the tools of the trade that will help them in their growing endeavor. Do they want to start seeds indoors? Are they interested in propagating plants? Do they want to learn about pruning? Are they left-handed? What about tools for maintaining the garden? How about garments for the garden? Do they like to use technology?

To assist in your search for the perfect gift, here are a few ideas for tools, gadgets, and technology that can be procured at a local garden center or nursery, hardware store, or online.

The gardener interested in starting seeds or propagating plants ahead of the spring season can always use a few supplies:

• A log book or calendar can be a handy way to plan for the coming season and then record when and where planting took place, what seeds or starts were used, and track the progress and success to aid in growing seasons to come.
• Seeds, of course. Winter is a fun time to explore seed options and look forward to the possibilities presented by the coming growing season. To provide your gardener with options to peruse and dream over, order up a few seed catalogs from purveyors specializing in the Northwest growing environment.
• An air-tight seed saving system to help organize seeds by type, planting season, color, location, and other functions is another handy gift idea. Throw in some plant markers or tags to identify what’s sprouting and, ultimately, transplanted to the garden.
• A seed starting operation will benefit from a few basics, including trays for planting, proper seed-starting soil, and, of course, seeds. Several companies offer kits with everything a gardener needs to use soil blocking or other seed starting techniques, including some with self-watering options.
• For the seed starting trays, include humidity domes with space to keep the seedlings warm and moist and allow them to grow a bit after sprouting. A succession of small pot sizes will also support the plant growth progression.
• Depending on the space available – from a corner shelf in the garage to a full-on greenhouse setup – heat mats and lights come in all sizes with timers and programming options. Again, some companies offer small-scale seed starting kits, including LED lights, suitable for a shelf or tabletop in the house.
• A fan, such as a small battery-operated or electrical device, is helpful for air circulation for starting seeds and cuttings.
• For those who want to propagate plants from cuttings, such as geraniums, fuchsias, houseplants, and more, include the items for seed starting, plus some small, sharp clippers for trimming stems for planting.
• A soil thermometer and/or moisture meter can be handy too.

What will be helpful for pruning?

• To trim back grasses or cut small tree or shrub limbs, lightweight handsaws, and hand-held battery-operated chainsaws are available in a variety of models. Be sure to evaluate whether the blade is suitable for the intended use and the size of the limbs that will require trimming.
• On a smaller scale, a nice set of small, straight-blade, hand-held pruners make a great stocking stuffer. The more sets of pruners a gardener has, the merrier!
• If your favorite gardener is left-handed, manufacturers offer pruners and other hand tools tailored to their needs.

What’s most helpful to maintain the established garden? There are a variety of ways to look at garden maintenance, which can be aided by the right tools.

• An overwhelming choice among Skagit County Extension Master Gardeners for a must-have garden tool is a hori hori knife. This tool can be handy for weeding, planting bulbs, dividing perennials, cutting roots, and more. Be sure to include a sheath for safe transport in the garden and storage.
• For weeding, a stirrup hoe aids in the task, separating roots and leaves with a scrubbing action, allowing the gardener to remain standing for the job.
• For dividing, moving, or removing plants, the “Root Slayer” gets high marks from Skagit County Extension Master Gardeners and others. The tool is a V-shaped shovel with serrated edges that helps cut through roots and soil.
• A garden cart or wagon always comes in handy for moving plants, pots, soil, or delivering garden debris to the compost pile.
• Watering is an important job for the gardener, and a variety of tools:
  • Watering cans in the appropriate sizes for doing the job manually. The gardener should have at least one with a long, extended spout to reach into small spaces and make sure everything gets moisture.
  • Hoses in the required length to reach plants that will routinely need watering are helpful, along with the proper attachment or wand to reach pots, hanging plants, and beds.
  • If a gardener is interested in an automated watering system, do some research into potential DIY options or consider hiring a professional to install a system.
• Combination garden kneeler and stools have become popular to improve accessibility and comfort when weeding and planting.

What are the best garden garments?

• Garden gloves are always welcome, and preferred materials can vary by the season. From waterproof models for fall and winter to lighter-weight options for summer, a gardener can always use another pair.
• It may seem cliché, however, overalls are a popular choice for the busy, bending-over, hard-working gardener. Bib overalls offer comfort, flexibility, and breathability along with a plentiful number of pockets for tools, tough, soil-resistant fabrics in plain colors and fun patterns, and reinforcement at the knees.
• For overalls or shirts that go with them, many gardening garments offer UPF sun protection, which is a nice feature to prevent sunburn.
• An apron with pockets for lighter duty gardening chores is also useful.
• On the sun-protection front, a wide-brimmed hat for the garden is a must, to keep the rays off the neck and face.
• If you don’t have your gardener’s size, remember that a gift card is a one-size-fits-all solution.

For the gardener who enjoys technology:

• A wide variety of small weather stations for the home are available for those who want to know about rainfall, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, and temperatures in their garden that include a real-time wireless feed to deliver data to your phone and indoor console.
• Monitors for the greenhouse can provide information on temperature, humidity, and more. Similar systems are available for watering systems.
• Compact countertop seed starting and herb growing units can bring the gardening to the kitchen all year round.
• Apps for the phone include a wide range of options from alerting gardeners to an impending frost, reminders to water, and a fertilizer calculator.

As you can see, there is no shortage of gift ideas to support your favorite gardener. Happy holidays!

Resources for more information:

Compagnucci, S. (2025) This $28 Garden Tool Cut My Weeding Time in Half. The New York Times Wirecutter.

Kumar, G. (2016) Propagating Shrubs, Vines, and Trees from Stem Cuttings. Oregon State University Extension. PNW 152.

Kumar, G., Larsen, F. and Shekel, K. (2009) Propagating Plants from Seed. Oregon State University Extension. PNW 1i70.

Murgel, J. (2025) Simple Plant Propagation: How to divide plants and conquer hearts. Colorado State University Extension.

Rennie, A. (2023) The Best Pruning Saws to Keep Your Trees and Shrubbery Neat and Tidy. Popular Mechanics.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kari Ranten is a retired journalist and health care communicator who became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener in 2024.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Post: November 21, 2025

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Dreaming and decision-making for a greenhouse

Questions and options to consider if a greenhouse is right for you

By Kari Ranten, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

 
Kari Ranten

The short days of the coming winter have gardeners missing the abundant growth, harvest, and busy days of the summer just past. Many are already dreaming about the potential of the upcoming growing season.

At this time of year, characterized by shortened days and gray skies in the Northwest, the opportunities for spring seem endless: What to grow? What seeds to buy? What were the favorites from seasons past that could be wintered over? Is there something new to try? More vegetables? More flowers? Something tropical?

With all of this potential, it makes sense that many gardeners’ thoughts turn to ways to fill the gardening void of winter. The likely answer may be to add a greenhouse to extend the growing season or make gardening a more year-round enterprise.

“When people make something by hand – with their own hands – it takes on a different level of value. So, it is with the food and flowers that we grow with our own hands. Having a greenhouse enables you to enjoy this therapy on a daily basis in any season,” writes Shane Smith, author of Greenhouse Gardener’s Companion, Growing Food & Flowers in Your Greenhouse or Sunspace (2000). Smith’s book is considered by many to be a must-have for those who desire or use a greenhouse. The Chicago Review Press notes Smith’s book is “The most comprehensive book on greenhouse gardening available today.”

The extension of the joy of gardening throughout the year is certainly a big draw. However, adding a “hobby” greenhouse requires considerable planning, decision-making, and resources. Winter may be just the season to spend time researching the idea of a greenhouse and to learn more about a potential project for the coming year. It takes some time to evaluate the right option for your specific goals, location, and budget, as well as address the myriad of questions that will come up. This column will pose some of the key questions you will want to ponder before moving forward with a greenhouse or other structure, such as a lean-to, cold frame, or tunnels. (Beddes, et al. 2022)

The most fundamental questions to start with are: What do you want to grow? How do you plan to use a greenhouse? Answers to these questions will help you get started as you dig into the details of location, space, materials, size, power, and lighting needs for a growing space.

A greenhouse can be used in a variety of ways. Before making a decision, know that each option presents a decision-making path to get to the ultimate plan for a structure that is right for you.

Here are a few considerations:

Want to start seeds? The first use that naturally comes to mind when thinking about adding a greenhouse is its use as a venue to get a head start on seeding flowers and vegetables, including tomatoes, squash, beans, and others, in early spring. Here, you will need to consider whether you want a heated or unheated space, based on the plants you plan to start.

“Because seeds like warm temperatures to germinate (often in the 65 to 75°F range), you will have to provide heat and light to help get your seeds to germinate. This can be done with LED grow lights and a heat mat, but that also means that you will need electricity in your greenhouse.” (Marshall, 2022).

Extending the season? A greenhouse can also be used as a season extender beyond summer, with fall planting of vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, and other greens, for harvest and enjoyment throughout the winter months. Heat and light requirements will also apply in this case. (Beddes, et al. 2022).

Protecting fragile plants? Suppose you want a protected place for delicate plants to spend the winter out of the cold, including cuttings of favorite perennials such as fuchsias, clematis, or herbs. In that case, a greenhouse can be a handy solution. Additional candidates may include geraniums and other annuals you want to hold over for another season. Some may not require a greenhouse; instead, they may need a garage or basement (Howard, 2025).

Tropical plants require a different environment than growing vegetables. Knowing which types of plants you want to grow helps you make decisions. Photo:© Adobe Stock

Tropical ideas? A greenhouse can be a year-round place for plants that may need a slightly warmer environment than our Zone 8b provides (https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/), such as citrus trees and orchids. “For example, it is said that George Washington grew lemon, limes, pineapples, and other tropical fruit in a greenhouse in 1787 at Mount Vernon. Glasshouses, as they were originally called, became the rage in England and later in America. They eventually came to be called greenhouses because the plants inside stayed green all winter long.” (Marshall, 2022)

Free-standing or lean-to? Designs and materials? Take advantage of resources on design options and materials to build with, including fiberglass, plastic, polycarbonate, and glass. Floor materials can also vary, including a slab, pavers, or gravel. Many do-it-yourself kits are available on the market, offering a wide range of sizes and amenity options. Design plans are also available online, offering options for building with recycled materials, including windows, doors, shelving, and other reusable building supplies.

Power? Heat? Lights? Ventilation? Research the climate and weather patterns where you live and match them with the desired use for the space to determine if you need access to power for heating, lighting, fans, or ventilation. An extension cord from the house may be enough. Otherwise, running power to the facility may be the right choice. Options can include space heaters, heat mats, and grow lights, which can be set to timers and scaled as needed. Technology also enables in-home, real-time monitoring linked to your cell phone, allowing you to view 24/7 conditions in the greenhouse, including humidity and temperature. Thermally activated automatic vents can also be installed and adjusted for temperature control. A drip watering system on a timer is also an option, or you can rely on rain barrels and watering cans.

Where will you put the greenhouse? How big should it be? A greenhouse requires a level area (or space that can be leveled) and meets the size and light needs. Many greenhouse owners caution gardeners to be honest about the space they need, based on their goals for use, to avoid an undersized project. Also, consider whether storage for gardening items, as well as plants, is needed.

What is the correct exposure? Ideally, the space will afford a south or southwest exposure to meet the daily sunlight needs of a greenhouse, which acts as a collector of solar heat. (Smith, 2000).

What about shelving or spaces to hang baskets? Plants, including seed starts and succulents, require more shelf space compared to plants in large pots. Pay attention to the materials used in greenhouse construction or the kit to make sure additional shelving or a bar for hanging plants is included or can be easily added. Gardeners recommend allowing for maximum flexibility to move plants, lights, and heat mats around as needed, while avoiding overcrowding.

Have a budget based on your decisions: With all these considerations in mind, they must match up with the project budget. “Before spending time and money, it is best to define your crop production goals, budget, and local climate challenges.” (Beddes, et al. 2022).

It takes work! Remember, once in place, the greenhouse requires ongoing maintenance, cleaning, watching for evidence of pests (like aphids, scale, etc.), disease (fungal and bacterial) and over- or under-watering (like edema or damping off), as well as regular time and attention – even with timers and automation.

For now, enjoy the dreaming and promise of spring.

Resources for more information:

Extending the Garden Season from Utah State University Yard and Garden Extension. 

The Hobby Greenhouse by Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

References:

Beddes, T., Caron, M., Hansen, S., and Gunnell, J. (2022) Extending the Garden Season. Utah State University Yard and Garden Extension.

Chicago Review Press. (2025)The Greenhouse Gardener’s Companion 

Howard, D. (2025). How to Overwinter Plants: Protect Geraniums, Roses, Herbs & Tropicals From Frost. The Old Farmer’s Almanac. 

Marshall, R. (2022) A Greenhouse for Everyone. Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 

Schnelle, M., Dobbs, S., Needham, D., and Dole J. (2017) The Hobby Greenhouse. Oklahoma State University Extension Fact Sheet HLA-6705. 

Smith, S. (2000) Greenhouse Gardener’s Companion: Growing Food & Flowers in Your Greenhouse or Sunspace. Fulcrum Publishing. Golden, CO.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kari Ranten is a retired journalist and health care communicator who became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener in 2024.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Post: November 7, 2025

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Compost structures combine science, nature, and art

How to take an artistic approach to compost structures

By Kari Ranten, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

 
Kari Ranten

Showing home gardeners how to compost yard and garden waste successfully is a cornerstone of the teaching priorities embraced by the WSU Extension Master Gardener program. It’s an age-old concept of allowing naturally occurring microbes to convert leaves, grass clippings, and other garden materials into a soil amendment and home for beneficial insects, worms, and other creatures.

“Gardeners have used compost for centuries to improve their soil and help plant growth. Incorporating compost into light, sandy soil helps it hold both moisture and nutrients, while adding it to heavy soil improves drainage.” (Rosen et al. 2018).

About Master Gardener Herta Kurp

Herta Kurp has served as a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener volunteer since 1995 and, in addition to helping lead the composting program, is responsible for many of the creative installations throughout the Discovery Garden. Her projects include the archways at the main entrance and northwest corner of the garden; the plant house shade structure; a tall fence camouflaging the greenhouse and various benches, trellises, fences, and gates to individual gardens.

She also created the design for the dogwood sculpture near the main entrance, which was fabricated by the Skagit Valley College 2022-23 Weld Club. She also designed and helped construct the new worm chalet at the Skagit County WSU Extension office. Kurp grew up in Germany, where she developed a deep appreciation for agriculture and the environment. She studied architecture, came to the United States while in her 30s, and owned her own architectural firm specializing in residential design. Her latest projects have focused on building creative, attractive, and small-scale compost structures in the garden.

The process also reduces the burden on the environment. “Composting reduces the flow of wastes to landfills or burn piles and produces valuable organic matter for the soil at the same time… Composting is a simple, yet important way to improve our communities and the environment.” (Cogger et al. 2017)

Despite the proven benefits, a compost pile may not be the homeowner’s favorite thing to tend to or look at all year long. Gardeners often contain compost in an enclosure using wire or wood fencing, cement blocks, bricks, or a commercially available bin to prevent the materials from spreading or blowing away.

The good news is: There are more artistic options. The Skagit County Master Gardeners’ Discovery Garden provides examples of small-scale composting structures that take an attractive and creative approach, thanks to longtime Master Gardener Herta Kurp.

Kurp has been involved with the Discovery Garden since the mid-1990s, before trees were planted and structures built. She helped shape the plan and built environments of the garden and led the composting program. Until the past couple of years, a centralized system of bins was in use to support composting for the entire 1.5-acre garden.

More recently, Kurp and other master gardeners have started to explore the use of smaller composting stations within the 30 different garden “rooms” at the garden. So far, about 10 percent of the material generated for compost has been redirected to the individual gardens’ smaller compost stations, creating efficiency and points of interest.

Know & Grow

Creating Outdoor Holiday Arrangements

Free, no registration required
Just in time for the holiday season, Skagit County Extension Master Gardener Karen Bruce will demonstrate how to create a festive outdoor container display using a variety of readily available greenery and berries from the landscape, such as evergreen branches from fir, pine, cedar, spruce, and other greenery. If you have greenery to share with others, you may bring some along for attendees to take home for an arrangement.

Join us for this free, pre-holiday event!

Tuesday, November 18, 2025 – 1 pm – 2:30 pm

NWREC Sakuma Auditorium 16650 State Highway 536, Mount Vernon

At the Discovery Garden, Kurp has always focused on her keen interest in composting, permaculture, and caring for the environment, while also nurturing her creative side through hands-on design and building structures. The outcome is the development of a series of informal “habitat heaps” within individual gardens that carry an artistic flair, using materials readily available within the garden.

Kurp collects items pruned from the garden during routine maintenance and uses those supplies to construct interesting compost structures that blend into the garden landscape. Twigs, vines, branches, and raspberry canes are turned into small-scale compost piles, creating a natural, artistic look that blends into the landscape. This approach supports the insects, birds, and other creatures of the garden, is less expensive, and more attractive.

© Kari Ranten

“This stirred my imagination and creativity,” she said. “We can use all of the materials that would go into a burn pile or compost. The structure itself is organic and can become compost in the end.”

In the Meadow area of the Discovery Garden, a tall structure built of larger branches complements a nearby 15-foot tree snag that was intentionally left to support the environment. On a late spring day, a fledgling robin took a break on the compost structure during an early flying lesson. 

In other areas, a teepee shape is built and enhanced with wreaths made of dogwood branches that are pliable when first pruned and easily fashioned into a circle.

“It becomes a part of the personality of the garden and every season it looks different,” Kurp said of the natural structures. “In winter, the structure comes to the fore, like the skeleton of the garden. In other seasons, it blends more into the surrounding growth, providing a screen for the compost pile.”

The artistic compost piles have a serious, science-based task, but also create “whimsical, playful” shapes in the garden, she said. “We have some nice examples, and it’s a good demonstration, which is what we are all about at master gardeners. It’s an invitation to be creative in the garden in a new way.”

Visit the Discovery Garden, which is open to the public daily from dawn until dusk, to see examples of a variety of composting options:

• The creative compost structures made of branches, twigs, vines, and stumps can be found in Naturescape, the Children’s Garden, and the Meadow.
• The main, centralized compost station features a series of bins where master gardeners separate branches and green material, which is chopped into smaller pieces to expedite organic breakdown. Interpretive signs provide information, and master gardener volunteers are often on hand on Tuesday mornings from March through October to explain the process.
• A few small, classic wire enclosures are tucked into individual gardens, including one along the path in the Fall/Winter garden with explanatory signage that showcases the different colors of the layers of compost as it breaks down, with the dark mulch at the bottom and the latest additions on top.

Resources:

Resources readily available about how to get started with home composting; the benefits, different methods (including hot and cold), and storage structures include:

• Skagit County Public Works Solid Waste Division’s Home Composting
• University of Maryland: How to Make Compost at Home: 
• University of Minnesota Extension’s Composting in Home Gardens.
• Washington State University Extension’s Home Garden Series: Backyard Composting

References:

Cogger, C., Sullivan, D., and Bary, A. (2017) Backyard Composting. Washington State University Extension. Publication #EB1784E.

Rosen, C., Brown, D., Mugaas, R. and Halback, T. (2018) Composting in Home Gardens. University of Minnesota Extension.

Shell, L. (2020) How to Make Compost at Home. Based on HG 35 Backyard Composting. University of Maryland Extension

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kari Ranten is a retired journalist and health care communicator who became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener in 2024.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Post: September 19, 2025

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The Joys of a Cut Flower Garden

How to plan, grow, and protect a wide variety of beautiful blooms

Editor’s Note: Author Karen Bruce is passionate about growing a cut flower garden. Over the past ten years, she has honed her skills and enlarged her Camano Island garden to be able to cut 100 – 150 blooms each week for events and giving to others. Like so many cut flower gardeners, she is grateful for the beauty of the flowers blooming and the joy she finds in sharing the results of her passion with others.

By Karen Bruce, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

 
Karen Bruce

A cut flower garden brings not only colorful flowers throughout the growing season, but also bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other beneficial visitors that come to enjoy the blooms. Gardening in general can teach us lessons if we pay attention. A cut flower garden’s lessons are vibrant in color and design. Planning a cutting garden begins in the fall with an assessment of this year’s garden and gathering seeds for next season.

The cut flower garden can consist of both annuals and perennials. Annuals grow and bloom for one year (occasionally they can overwinter but typically do not). Annuals can be planted from seed (most economical) or with starts or plugs from your local nursery, online sources, or the Master Gardener Plant Fair! Examples of annuals are sunflowers, zinnias, lisianthus, snapdragons, statice, Queen Anne’s lace, stock, and amaranthus.

‘Chantilly Bronze’ and ‘Madame Butterfly Bronze’ snapdragons © Photo: Karen Bruce

‘Love-lies-bleeding’ Amaranth and ‘Green Tails’ Amaranth © Photo: Karen Bruce

Perennials come back year after year; their initial investment is higher, but they will produce flowers that can be cut for many years. Examples of perennials that grow each year are alstroemerias, hydrangeas, hypericum berries, peonies, weigela, and astilbe.

Bulbs, tubers, and corms, if properly cared for, will come back each year. Examples of these are daffodils, tulips, anemones, ranunculus, lilies, gladiolas, and dahlias.

‘Bracken Sarah’ dahlia © Photo: Karen Bruce

Floral arrangement with lilies, dahlias, peach hypericum berries, apricot alstroemeria, ‘Spring Bouquet’ viburnum greenery © Photo: Karen Bruce
So you want to start a cutting garden of your own.
Things to consider when deciding what and how much to purchase:

• Why are you growing cut flowers? Is it for personal enjoyment? Are you creating bouquets and arrangements for special events such as weddings or memorial services? Are you growing to sell your flower bouquets at a farmer’s market or other venue?
• Are you are growing flowers for a special event next year? What colors, varieties and how many stems do you need? Consider the event date and which flowers will be in bloom at that time.
• What is your budget? Seeds can be purchased for as low as $4 to $6 per packet. Established plants will cost more but may be more predictable.
• How much space do you have? Will you incorporate the plantings into an existing garden? Are you going to create raised beds to grow your plants? Do you have a fenced area to protect your plants from deer or other critters?
• Do you have a greenhouse or area to start seeds, or do you need to purchase seeds that can be directly sown into your garden space?
• How much time and energy will you have to devote to your cutting garden?
  • Do you have the several months of time it takes to tend the growing seedlings?
  • Will you be around to take care of your plants, or do you have extensive travel plans?
  • Do you have adequate watering available?

Answers to these questions and your goals for your flower garden will help you plan for the season ahead.

Bells of Ireland © Photo: Karen Bruce

Peach Hypericum berry bush © Photo: Karen Bruce

Hops plant growing in garden. © Photo: Karen Bruce

There are many books available that can provide you with information about flowers you can grow to create beautiful cut bouquets. It is a good idea to look for an author who lives in your general growing area who will have an idea of what grows well in your gardening zone. A local favorite is Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms by Erin Benzakein, a well-known flower farmer and writer. Benzakein’s flower farm is located right here in Skagit Valley, and her New York Times best-selling book provides information on all types of flowers, along with photos of each flower. She also covers topics such as soil, tools, and techniques for seed starting and caring for your flowers once they have been harvested.

This Month in Your Garden

– September –

• Prune bamboo culms to thin your bamboo. Prune older (without sheaths), leaning, or damaged culms and cut them close to the ground. Prune any culms encroaching into an undesired area, and don’t forget root pruning to contain your grove.
• Stop dead-heading your roses and allow them to begin developing rose hips. The shortening hours of sunlight, along with allowing the rose hips to develop, lets the rose bush know it has done its job of making seed and can now prepare for dormancy. Remove wilted petals and any leaves with black spot, rust or mildew to keep any developing fungus away from plant.
• Deadhead perennials that self-seed, such as calla lilies, Shasta daisy, and crocosmia to prevent propagation.

Planning for next year’s cutting garden begins in the fall with the process of journaling and collecting pictures of what was successful, then making lists and ordering seeds, bulbs, tubers, corms, and plant starts and plugs.

In looking back at May/June, some favorite flowers were:

• Sweet peas
• Peonies – all colors
• Lilies
• Ranunculus – ‘Champagne’ and ‘Chamallow’

In assessing the July/August flower gardens, some current standouts this year are:

• Dahlias – Peach/coral and blush colors such as ‘Café au Lait’, ‘Sweet Nathalie’, ‘Castle Drive’, ‘Clearview Peachy’, ‘Nicholas’, ‘Ferncliff Copper’, and ‘Breakout’ are beautiful for event bouquets
• Snapdragons – This year, favorites are the ‘Madame Butterfly’ bronze/white and the ‘Chantilly’ pink snapdragons.
• Bells of Ireland
• Zinnias – The ‘Queeny’ series and ‘Benary’s Giant Mix’ provide big blooms in a variety of beautiful colors.
• Lisianthus – Because lisianthus can be challenging to start from seed, ordering plugs helps make growing them less anxiety producing. Farmer Bailey  is an online brokerage for starter plants and plugs for cut flower varieties suited to the United States. Here, lisianthus begin blooming in late August. If you want to try your hand at growing lisianthus from seed, check out our blog post Growing Lisianthus. 
• Alstroemerias
• Veronica
• Hypericum Berries – The peach hypericum (Hypericum inodorum ‘Kolmades’) or Magical® Desire St. John’s wort works well with other flowers from a cutting garden.

And don’t forget to have an ample supply of greenery to add to the look, color, and texture of an arrangement. These can include:

• Eucalyptus
• Viburnum ‘Spring Bouquet’
• Salal

October/November blooms will include chrysanthemums that are starting to form buds now. One of the first to bloom is a golden decorative chrysanthemum called ‘Honeyglow’.

Light pink lisianthus (or prairie gentian) © Photo: Karen Bruce

Floral arrangement with pink dogwood and mock orange © Photo: Karen Bruce
Every gardener benefits from reviewing and documenting successes and challenges.
To have continual blooms from June to October requires planning. Flower gardeners, such as myself, who grow flowers for events and sharing require 100 – 150 blooms per week. How is this possible you ask? Many flowers are cut-and-come-again. This means that you can cut from the plant, and new growth will provide additional flowers. For cut-and-come-again flowers to be successful, you must continually cut blooms from the plant and/or deadhead the ones that you do not use. Examples of cut-and-come-again flowers are dahlias, zinnias, cosmos, scabiosa, sweet peas, strawflower and statice.

Most cut flowers need to be planted in a sunny location with six to eight hours of sun per day. They also need to be watered on a consistent basis. A drip watering system saves time and avoids the need for much hand-watering. The consistency and deeper watering that comes from a drip system is helpful. Cut flowers also need regular fertilizing. Some years, annuals like snapdragons can survive our temperate winters. This past winter, many snapdragons survived, so that was an added success, providing many beautiful blooms earlier than usual in early May. As the snapdragons that overwintered finished blooming, the snapdragon seedlings started in the greenhouse provided new blooms later in the season.

Staking and plant supports are critical to protect flower stems from unexpected wind and rain storms.

Save the seeds of the flowers you like, this will increase your seed stock for next year at no additional cost. Some of the easiest seeds to save are sweet peas. After sweet peas are finished blooming, they form a pod that looks like a pea pod. When this pod turns brown and the outside feels like sandpaper, pick the pods and store them in a paper bag. If you open the pod, there will be several dark brown seeds per pod. Save these seeds to plant early next year. Other easy seeds to save are scabiosa, Bells of Ireland, Queen Anne’s lace, and zinnias. Be aware, some flowers, like zinnias are cross-pollinated and the seeds may result in a mix of colors and traits in the new plants. Learn more about seed saving at: Seed Saving 101

The greatest challenges to a cut flower garden tend to be deer, bunnies and slugs

If your property is situated next to the woods, you may have many resident deer. Gardeners protect their beloved flowers in various ways. The surest preventive measure is to build a fence around the areas devoted to flowers (and edibles.) For this gardener, a seven-foot-high fence was a good first start. Some gardeners even erect two parallel fences to thwart the most athletic deer. After discovering that the local deer do not seem to eat my dahlias, my dahlia beds are outside of the fence. Often, not all plants can be planted inside a fence, and scent-based repellents like Liquid Fence may also be helpful. Learn what deer like to eat and spray repellent around those plants about once a week (and after a rain) during the growing season. For more information see Washington State University fact sheet > Deer Damage

Know & Grow: Conifers in the Home Landscape

Free, no registration required
Listen to Master Gardener Alison Hitchcock speak on caring for conifers in the home garden. Alison Hitchcock has been a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2001. Prior to retirement, she worked for the Department of Natural Resources as the Northwest Regional Silviculturist.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
1 pm – 2:30 pm
Sakuma Auditorium – NWREC WSU
16650 WA-536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Rabbits can also be a problem and some years can be worse than others. Fencing can work, but only if the fencing material is buried 6-12 inches deep and stands at least 2 to 3 feet high. Chicken wire cages around plants are helpful but also must be buried like fencing. Applying a pet- and child-safe rabbit repellent, such as Liquid Fence, is helpful, though it may take several weeks of attention. It also helps to have a dog or cat roaming the property to chase them away. WSU’s Hortsense website offers more tips and methods for protecting plants from rabbits> Rabbits

Healthy slug and snail populations are ever-present in western Washington gardens. Sluggo and Sluggo Plus are organic iron phosphate products that can be your best friend. Neither is harmful to animals or children and have been the effective way to deal with slugs and snails when applied according to their label directions. Some gardeners manage slugs and snails with early morning or late evening garden checks, manually picking and disposing of them. For more information check out:

• Skagit Master Gardener Blog article: Midnight Marauders≥ Midnight Mauradors: Managing Slugs and Snails

As summer is winding down and fall approaches, I am thankful for the flower season and the joy it has provided, as the giver and to those receiving flowers this season. Start small if you have never grown flowers before. See what you like and keep track of what grows well in your space and microclimate. Flowers provide joy to many and you will not be disappointed!

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES :

Benzakein, E. (2017) Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms. Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

Managing Slugs and Snails. Oregon State University Extension Service. 10-Minute University™. (2025). Oregon Master Gardener™ Association – Clackamas County Chapter in Cooperation with Oregon State University Extension Service University. 

Vertebrate: Deer Damage. Washington State University (WSU) College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS). (2025). WSU Extension Hortsense Fact Sheet. 

Vertebrate: Rabbits. WSU. CAHNRS. (2025). WSU Extension Hortsense Fact Sheet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Karen Bruce has been a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2019. She is co-manager of the Cottage Garden at the Discovery Garden on SR 536, west of Mount Vernon.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Post: September 6, 2025

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Gearing Up for Garlic Planting Season ~

A Few Tips to Ensure a Successful Harvest Next Year

By Laura Kuhn, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Author: Laura Kuhn

As our long days of summer wane, now is the time to consider if garlic is a contender for your garden space. For many Pacific Northwest gardeners, garlic (Allium sativum) is a staple crop. Washington state is well known for its commercial garlic production as the climate is suitable for growing a variety of garlic types. And, thankfully, garlic is simple to grow, easy to harvest, and stores for many months.

For those gardeners who want to have more information about growing garlic, many online sources accurately capture information about the types of garlic, planting methods, and related information. The Washington State University Extension fact sheet (# FS162E) Vegetables: Growing Garlic in Home Gardens discusses types of garlic, planting sites, pest management, common problems, as well as tips for harvesting and storage. To supplement the information found in this free fact sheet, here we will focus on specific tips related to local sources for buying garlic for planting, selecting where to plant, and preparing your beds for planting.

The WSU Extension fact sheet discusses types of garlic, planting sites, pest management, common problems, as well as tips for harvesting and storage.

A single row of garlic in a raised bed. Photo © Laura Kuhn
Sourcing Garlic to Plant –
Local sources for finding quality garlic to grow in your garden

When shopping for garlic seed, you will notice a distinct difference between the garlic you see in the grocery store and that sold for planting-namely, the price. Garlic seed is more expensive than culinary garlic. Many home gardeners are tempted to plant culinary garlic for this reason; however, this is not recommended. Culinary garlic can introduce disease into your garden. Grocery store garlic typically lacks much information, if any, on where it is from, the variety of garlic that it is, and therefore its suitability for planting in your climate. Purchasing garlic seed allows you to know all these things, which helps to ensure the most successful harvest next year.

“Seed garlic” is for planting and sells by weight as full bulbs. An individual “seed” is what chefs refer to as a clove. Once planted, a clove or seed will grow into a bulb of garlic, which has multiple cloves. Many online sources sell garlic in the early summer for shipment in the late summer or early fall, depending on the climate zone and the type of garlic you buy. There are several sources for garlic seed online right here in Washington. Online pre-sales often lead to sold-out stock by planting time. The good news is that even if your favorite online seed source sells out, there are locally sourced garlic seeds to plant.

A harvest of Music hardneck garlic. Photo © Laura Kuhn

Two bulbs of garlic, same variety. Plant the seed from the larger bulb on the left. The larger the seed garlic, the larger the resulting bulb. Photo © Laura Kuhn

The top sources include your local co-operative markets, garden centers, farmers market, or gardening enthusiasts you already know. When shopping at your farmers markets, ask about the garlic they sell, where they grew it, and the qualities of the varieties they carry. Talk to staff at the co-operative or garden centers, and ask the same questions. A final and often overlooked source is your gardening community or neighbors who already have a stash of garlic seed ready to plant from this summer’s harvest.

The biggest consideration in selecting varieties (besides compatibility with your growing conditions) is to ask yourself how you plan to use the garlic. This question helps you refine your choices and determine whether to choose hardneck or softneck garlic. Another consideration is the level of garlic flavor or spiciness. The mildest form of “garlic” is known as elephant garlic, which is an onion. This type produces exceptionally large cloves in a huge bulb.

The Pacific Northwest is particularly suited to growing hardneck varieties that generate a tasty scape in June. (A scape is the flower stalk of the garlic). If removed when the flower head points downward, the plant will focus on bulb development, making for a larger bulb. Scapes are also tasty to eat and can enhance any culinary dishes that call for a garlic flavor. Hardneck varieties also have large cloves that are easy to clean and use for cooking. Softneck garlic is a crop that produces smaller cloves without a scape. Softnecks offer a longer storage life and the potential for creating a garlic braid.

A final word on selecting your garlic-bigger is better. When picking amongst various garlic bulbs, select the largest bulbs you can find. The larger the garlic seed planted, the larger the bulb it will produce. Larger cloves of garlic are easy to peel and use in recipes.

Garlic seed or cloves. Top Row (left to right): Hardneck elephant garlic; Magic, Georgian Fire, German Porcelain, Blanak, Chinese Red/White, and Vincent. Bottom Row (left to right): Softneck; Sicilian, Inchellium Red, Messidor. Photo © Laura Kuhn

Selecting and Preparing Garden Beds for Garlic
Once you are ready to grow garlic, September and October are the best months to prepare the beds. Select a spot that will receive full sun (minimum of 6-8 hours a day) and has good drainage (too much moisture and the seed will rot).

Alliums are a crop that requires rotation to reduce the potential for problems like rust. Onions, leeks, or garlic should not be planted in the same location for three years. Rotating crops can avoid certain diseases and viruses that linger in your soil. Rust (Puccinia allii) is a problem particular to the Pacific Northwest, where higher rates of humidity are present. Rotating crop locations helps to alleviate the problem; however, other tactics can be used in combination with rotation.

Spacing of seed is typically four to six inches, with a minimum of 12 inches between planting rows. Spacing out your garlic seed to increase air flow can help, so use the widest spacing possible. Using a single row of garlic as a border around a planting bed can allow for interplanting other crops. When it comes time to harvest your garlic in July, pulling the garlic will not affect the plants nearby. If you end up doing multiple rows of garlic in one area, wider spacing (such as 18 or more inches) will improve air flow. Given the high amount of precipitation in our area, it may be impossible to avoid rust altogether. Rust certainly looks bad, but it does not affect the garlic crop itself. When removing the stalks after harvest, be careful not to spread rust spores.

This Month in Your Garden

– September –

• Prune bamboo culms to thin your bamboo. Prune older (without sheaths), leaning, or damaged culms and cut them close to the ground. Prune any culms encroaching into an undesired area, and don’t forget root pruning to contain your grove.
• Stop dead-heading your roses and allow them to begin developing rose hips. The shortening hours of sunlight, along with allowing the rose hips to develop, lets the rose bush know it has done its job of making seed and can now prepare for dormancy. Remove wilted petals and any leaves with black spot, rust or mildew to keep any developing fungus away from plant.
• Deadhead perennials that self-seed, such as calla lilies, Shasta daisy, and crocosmia to prevent propagation.

Garlic is a root crop that grows underground, and like all alliums, is a heavy feeder. Preparing your beds to create workable soil supplemented with organic matter takes a bit of work. Root crops require the soil to be loose to allow for bulb formation. Working compost into the soil helps loosen the soil and adds nutrients.

Local sources of compost include your local garden and landscape supply centers. Using organic compost is particularly important for garden beds that will grow plants that you will eat. Since your garlic will grow through winter, mulching your beds to protect from erosion is important to retain topsoil. If you mulch with compost after planting, remember to consider this in the overall depth of seed planting.

A recently cured harvest of garlic, graded by size. Next year’s crop will come from the bulbs on the left because they are larger. Photo © Laura Kuhn

Garlic infected with rust. Photo © Laura Kuhn

A cost-effective way to promote soil health and nutrition is to add composted manure to your beds. Using bagged organic compost from a garden center is costly unless you can generate your own. If not, look for a local farmer in your area who can provide a responsible and clean source of composted manure. Ask about the use of herbicides and pesticides before taking home any farm products to ensure you do not add unwanted chemicals to your soil. Work the compost into the top six inches of soil to create the perfect environment for planting your garlic seed. You can mulch with composted manure as well.

Locally sourced, clean composted manure from Valleyview Farm Stand near Big Lake, WA. Photo courtesy: Linda Lanting, Valleyview Farmstand

Once your beds are ready, plant your seed and add your mulch. The best time to plant is in late October, but earlier and later can work, or even planting in the spring. Spring garlic will be much smaller in size than fall-planted garlic. You will get to see your garlic tops come up in early spring for a spectacular harvest come summertime. Adding garlic to your collection or trying new varieties can spark some great culinary experiences next year.

Know & Grow: Houseplants

Free, no registration required
Come hear local houseplant expert Lily Hirdler speak on how to keep your houseplants in tip-top condition.
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
1 pm – 2:30 pm
NWREC Sakuma Auditorium
16650 State Highway 536, Mount Vernon

New Certificate Programs in Skagit County

Washington Gardener Certificate Program is designed to provide comprehensive research-based horticulture and environmental stewardship education. This option is ideal for individuals seeking to enhance their gardening skills without the commitment of volunteering. This self-paced, online-only course provides a certificate upon successful completion. Registration deadline: Sept. 30, 2025. For more information, go to Washington Green School.

Climate Stewards Certificate Program is a collaborative, multi-institutional group working across disciplines to promote climate awareness, education, and action. Registration deadline: Sept. 16, 2025. Learn more about the Skagit Climate Steward Program. 

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES :

Martini, N. (2025) Vegetables: Growing Garlic in Home Gardens. WSU Extension Fact Sheet #FS162E

Hodges, L. (2013) Garlic Production in the Home Garden. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Extension Publication G2221

Page-Mann, P. (2019) Six Mistakes to Avoid When Planting Garlic and Shallots. Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Small Farms Quarterly, October 2019

Garlic (allium sativum) Rust. Oregon State University, Pacific Northwest Pest Management website.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Laura is new to the Skagit Valley but has more than 30 years of experience growing in coastal, inland valley, and desert climates. She had fun trying to grow herbs while traveling full-time in an RV. Laura is a 2023 graduate of the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener program.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Planting, growing and maintaining blueberries

Growing blueberries: Start with the right soil to get “superfood” results

How to choose blueberries well suited for success in the Pacific Northwest

Posted July 4, 2025

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By Kari Ranten, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Kari Ranten

Blueberries are a staple of Skagit County’s thriving commercial agricultural economy and are an increasingly popular plant and crop for northwest home gardeners.

Commercially, Washington leads the nation in blueberry production, with 26 percent of U.S. blueberries generating a revenue of $205 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA-NASS.2025). Blueberry acreage in Skagit County increased eightfold since 2000. In 2023, 4,800 acres of blueberries were grown commercially in Skagit County, ranking third in crop acreage behind only field crops and potatoes, according to Washington State University Extension Skagit County’s Crop Acreage and Yield Report.

These strong statistics show that northwest Washington is an excellent growing environment for home and commercial production of blueberries, yielding a delicious summertime fruit crop or serving as a sturdy, attractive ornamental addition to the home landscape.

Blueberries have gained popularity among consumers for their nutritional qualities and are recognized as a “superfood,” offering an excellent source of essential nutrients, vitamins C and K, and dietary fiber. Blueberries are also a nutritional source of valuable “phyto-components,” contributing to antioxidants and anti-inflammatory qualities.

For those interested in growing blueberries in the home garden, there are some decisions and preparatory steps to take to get ready for planting from January to March.

Common varieties
Of the five main types of blueberries grown in the United States, northern highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) are most common in Washington. These deciduous, perennial shrubs are shallow-rooted, take six to eight years to reach full production, and varieties can reach five to nine feet in height.

Researchers at WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Center (NWREC) play a vital role in working with commercial blueberry growers. Chakradhar Mattupalli, assistant professor of plant pathology, leads the Berry and Potato Pathology Program, conducting research and extension activities addressing the biology and management of diseases of highbush blueberry and potato crops. He provided guidance and resources in the preparation of this article. For more information about Mattupalli’s research, go to Berry and Potato Pathology | Washington State University

NWREC is one of four WSU Research Centers operated by the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, housing nine research programs, extension outreach, and research affiliates. The research center works to solve plant-related problems and develop cost-effective and environmentally sound plant production practices based directly on results from experimental field, greenhouse, and laboratory research trials.

The publication “Blueberry Cultivars for the Pacific Northwest” notes that half-high blueberries, the result of crosses between northern highbush and lowbush blueberries, can also grow in the region and reach three to four feet tall. The cultivars are also used as attractive landscape plants and are suited to container production.

The NW Fruit Garden, next to the Discovery Garden on Memorial Highway in Mount Vernon, provides home gardeners with an excellent illustration of 30 blueberry varieties suitable to the local environment. The garden is maintained by volunteers, including Beth Jones, a NW Fruit volunteer since 2019, who leads the blueberry team charged with caring for 122 plants, some more than 20 years old.

Northern Highbush “Duke”

Northern Highbush “Draper”

Northern Highbush “Bluejay”

Start by selecting a location and testing soil acidity

Home gardeners can start by selecting the right location and soil for blueberry bushes. Blueberries require acidic soil with a pH of 4.2 to 5.5, similar to rhododendrons and azaleas, according to a 2025 presentation to Skagit County Master Gardeners trainees by Lisa Wasko DeVetter, associate professor of small fruit horticulture at Washington State University’s NWREC in Mount Vernon. Soil can be lab tested for pH, and if needed, acidification can be enhanced. A publication by Oregon State University Extension titled “Acidifying Soil for Crop Production West of the Cascade Mountains” provides a good resource on evaluating and enhancing soil acidity.

Because of the acidic soil needs of blueberries, home gardeners will need to plan ahead and prepare the space and soil before the arrival of the early spring planting season.

Blueberries can also be grown in containers and flourish in the full sun.

Plant selection, pollination, and care
Home gardeners should select two- to three-year-old plants (when shopping, ask at the nursery about plant age) and be on the lookout for those that are disease and heat-resistant “Legacy”, “Rubel”, and “Liberty”, have shown resistance to common diseases and rising summer temperatures in the NW Fruit Garden.

Plant blueberries from January to March, spacing three feet apart, in holes large enough to handle all of the shallow roots and allow three to four inches of soil to cover. Once established, blueberry plants are quite sturdy, with most producing fruit for 20 years.

While northern highbush blueberries are self-fertile, experts advise home gardeners to plant at least two different cultivars with overlapping bloom times in proximity to one another to benefit from cross-pollination and larger, earlier fruit.

All northern highbush blueberries are compatible with each other for cross-pollination.

Remove all flowers during the first year or two after planting to prevent fruit from setting and to give plants time to mature and enhance future yield.

Fertilize annually with a focus on nitrogen. For more information, see Oregon State University Extension publication EM 8857 titled “Nutrient Management for Blueberries in Oregon.” 

Blueberries require regular, supplemental watering from May to August and annual mulching with untreated wood chips.

Interested in Becoming a Master Gardener?

Application period is now open through August 15, 2025.

WSU has recently launched a new training platform called Washington Green School, designed to provide comprehensive research-based horticulture and environmental stewardship education. The Washington Green School offers two distinct tracks:

• Washington Gardener Certificate Track
  This option is ideal for individuals seeking to enhance their gardening skills without the commitment of volunteering. This self-paced, online-only course provides a certificate upon successful completion.
• Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Track
  This track is for those interested in becoming certified WSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers and includes the Green School online coursework, in-person, local volunteer training, and a commitment to volunteer service hours.

For more information, go to https://skagitmg.org/home/green-school/

To apply for the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Program, go to https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/mg/apply/

Prune each year in winter or early spring to eliminate any dead or weak shoots and select two to three new canes to retain for the next season. Prune carefully to retain the desired shoots, creating a vase shape that opens up the middle of the plant to provide air and light. Half-high cultivars do not need to be pruned as severely or as regularly as highbush types.

Healthy, established blueberry plants can yield more than one gallon of fruit per plant.

Blueberry plants can decline over time and should be replaced when they stop sending up new shoots during the growing season.

Pests and common diseases
A variety of pests and diseases can impact blueberry bushes and fruit.

Birds enjoy feasting on blueberries. To protect the fruit harvest from birds, home gardeners may want to cover plants with fine netting mounted on a frame and anchored to the ground from mid-June through harvest completion in August. If the bushes are growing for landscape purposes, let the birds have a summer snack.

Spotted wing drosophila, aphids, scale insects, root weevils, inchworms, and fruit worms can damage blueberry plants and fruit. To prevent or manage such infestations, refer to WSU’s publication “Growing Small Fruits in the Garden.”

In northwest Washington, blueberries are impacted primarily by two diseases: mummy berry and botrytis blight or gray mold.

Mummy berry is easily identified by the home gardener in the mid- to late- stages as the mature mummified fruit appears gray, shriveled, hard, and inedible. The disease is caused by a fungus that infects young flowers and vegetative buds in spring. About three weeks after primary infection, a brownish-gray mass of spores develops on blighted flower stalks and leaves that are spread by wind, rain, and honeybees (pollinators) to healthy flowers.

To manage the disease, the home gardener must remove the mummified fruit from the plant and lift it off the ground, add about two inches of mulch around the plants, and regularly disturb the soil during the spring. Healthy fruit can be harvested and used. At season’s end, clean the area to prevent infected berries from overwintering.

Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries, especially on the west side of the Cascades, are affected by botrytis blight and gray mold. The cool and wet weather in western Washington is conducive to the development of this disease. Pruning creates airflow in the plant canopy, and reduced moisture on the foliage or fruit can help slow down the fungal growth.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Brun, C. A., DeVetter, L., and Benedicts, C. (2016) Growing Small Fruits in the Home Garden. Washington State University Extension Home Garden Series. Publication #EM103E

Finn, C., Strik, B., and Moore, P. (2024) Blueberry Cultivars for the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University Extension Service. PNW #656

Hart, J., Strik, B., White, L., and Yang, W. (2020) Nutrient Management for Blueberries in Oregon. Oregon State University Extension Service. EM 8918. 

Horneck, D., Hart, J. Stevens, R., Petrie, S., and Altland, J. (2004) Acidifying Soil for Crop Production West of the Cascade Mountains (Western Oregon and Washington). Oregon State University Extension Service. EM 8857. 

Pscheidt, J.W., and Ocamb, C.M. (2025a). Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)-Mummy Berry.  Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Management Handbook. Oregon State University. 

Pscheidt, J.W., and Ocamb, C.M. (2025b). Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)-Botrytis blight. Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Management Handbook. Oregon State University.

Washington State University Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center. (2025) Berry and Potato Pathology.

Washington State University Skagit County Extension Skagit County Agricultural Statistics. (2024) Crop Acreage and Yield Report.

Yan, L. (2023) Blueberries and Health. USDA Agricultural Research Service.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kari Ranten is a retired journalist and health care communicator who became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener in 2024. 

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Garden Open House and Ask a Master Gardener Day:

Eight acres, three gardens, infinite inspiration

Open House to Showcase Master Gardeners, Native Plant Society, and NW Fruit

May 1, 2025

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By Kari Ranten, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Kari Ranten

Want to know about gardening – from roses to vegetables? Want to learn more about including native plants in your landscape? Ever wonder how to grow, graft, and prune fruit trees? Learn about all of this and more at the annual Garden Open House on Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Mount Vernon.

Eight acres of gardens showcase amazing trees and native plants at the event slated for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 16602 State Route 536 (Memorial Highway), just west of the Washington State University Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center.

The event, sponsored by the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Program, takes place at gardens maintained by volunteers representing the Master Gardener Program, NW Fruit, and the Salal Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society. In addition, several partner organizations will present interactive displays and information on clean water, noxious weeds, maintaining healthy landscapes, and promoting pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

This annual event offers home gardeners in Northwest Washington the opportunity to experience a wide range of gardening skills, view hundreds of plants and trees, and learn ways to respect the environment. Master gardeners and many partners enjoy this opportunity to share the gardens and educate our neighbors. And it’s a great, free summer event for the whole family.

Join Us for a Three Garden Open House

Saturday, June 28, 2025
10 am – 2 pm
Discovery Garden
16602 State Route 536 (Memorial Hwy.)
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Fun Activities for Kids  ~  Plant Sale
Water Conservation Experts  ~  Noxious Weed Information
30+ Garden Rooms  ~  Plant Clinic and Gardening Help
Native Plants  ~  Pollinators
Talk to Fruit Tree Experts

The open house is a great venue to talk about the mission of the Master Gardener Program and to provide evidence-based scientific information for the home gardener. It is also a wonderful event and very rewarding to meet and exchange ideas with local gardeners.

The open house will feature three gardens:

The Discovery Garden

The Salal Garden

The NW Fruit Garden

Discovery Garden:
This is truly a hidden gem in Skagit County that merits discovery! Nearly half of the guests at the 2024 open house said it was their very first visit – including those who live locally! June is a great time to experience the garden where visitors will find beautiful blooming colors, including many perennials and dozens of rose varieties, all selected to thrive in the Pacific Northwest.

This amazing 1.5-acre oasis is maintained by the volunteers of the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Program. The Discovery Garden features 30 garden “rooms” ranging from herbs and heathers to roses and vegetables. The garden paths are ADA-accessible paths and include the Enabling Garden to illustrate ways to adapt the joy of gardening for those with mobility issues. Master gardeners will be on site to answer questions, demonstrate best practices, and inspire home gardeners.

Salal Native Plant Garden:
Adjacent to the Discovery Garden, this half-acre oasis of native plants is maintained by volunteers of the Washington Native Plant Society’s Salal Chapter to demonstrate how native plants can be incorporated into the home landscape. A shaded trail leads visitors into a natural setting featuring dogwood, salal, cascara, vine maple, ferns, trillium, and more. Volunteers, representing north Snohomish, Skagit, and Island counties, will be on hand to guide garden tours and answer questions. For information, go to https://www.wnps.org/salal.
NW Fruit Garden:
Adjacent to the Discovery Garden, the NW Fruit Garden encompasses six acres of fruit trees, berry bushes, and other fruit-bearing plants, along with nut trees. Altogether, the garden features 606 plants – from peach and persimmon to apples and Asian pears. The garden features a growing collection of larger antique apples, many of which were grown during the 1960s and 70s. The mission of the NW Fruit Garden is “to advance fruit horticultural practices for the unique Western Washington maritime climate through advocacy, research, education, and demonstration for the benefit of the general public and the small farmer.” Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions, offer tours, and provide demonstrations.

A popular feature and photo op at the NW Fruit Garden is the welcome espalier – using grafted and supported fruit tree limbs to spell out the word WELCOME. The welcome and the entire tree fruit garden were designed in the 1990s by the late Kristan Johnson, https://nwfruit.org/fruit-garden-designer/ a landscape architect.

Booths and more features of the open house:

Get your “passport” and enjoy the open house:
Upon arrival at the open house, guests will receive a “passport” to track their visits to each of the activities offered at the event. Complete the passport and take home a prize!
Check out the Children’s Garden:
A wonderland of activities for children of all ages awaits visitors to the Children’s Garden with fun surprises and interactive features. During the open house, children can enjoy free rock painting and bubble blowing within the whimsical garden space.
Container gardening display:
Using pots and containers for gardening – from flowers to vegetables – is a popular method in the northwest. Containers can be useful options for gardeners with limited space or accessibility issues. The demonstration will feature containers for growing food as well as decorative elements, show how containers can allow hardy indoor plants to spend months outdoors, and provide opportunities for children to have their own mini gardens.

Nearly anything can provide a home to successfully grow plants, and volunteers will show examples to stimulate visitors’ creativity. The educational display will also feature information on soil types and amendments, as well as what contents to look for in commercial soil products.

Interested in Becoming a Master Gardener?

Application period is now open through August 15, 2025.

Stop by the WSU Extension booth to learn more about the new Washington Green School, the newly launched training platform designed to provide comprehensive research-based horticulture and environmental stewardship education. The Washington Green School offers two distinct tracks:

• Washington Gardener Certificate Track
  This option is ideal for individuals seeking to enhance their gardening skills without the commitment of volunteering. This self-paced, online-only course provides a certificate upon successful completion.
• Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Track
  This track is for those interested in becoming certified WSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers and includes the Green School online coursework, in-person, local volunteer training, and a commitment to volunteer service hours.

For more information, go to https://skagitmg.org/home/green-school/

To apply for the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Program, go to https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/mg/apply/

Master Gardener Plant Clinic:
The plant clinic, located in the Pavilion structure at the center of the Discovery Garden, is a popular part of the annual open house and the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners Program’s year-round outreach to assist home gardeners in diagnosing plant problems. The variety of issues routinely brought to the clinics include identification of poison hemlock; treatment of rust on red raspberries; tent caterpillars; powdery mildew on grapes; how to mitigate damage by deer; and questions about soil testing. Guests may bring a plant sample and photos to the plant clinic to help the master gardeners identify the problem and provide advice.

The certified master gardeners provide science-based information to home gardeners about sound and sustainable gardening practices, including integrated pest management, efficient watering technologies, recycling garden waste, and cultural methods for preventing and treating plant disease.

Ask a Master Gardener Blog:
Master gardener volunteers who write, edit, and take photos for the twice monthly “Ask a Master Gardener” blog will staff a booth where guests can sign up to receive blog posts, pick up copies of popular articles, and offer suggestions for future articles. The blog features a wide range of articles written by Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners on topics relevant to gardeners in the North Puget Sound area.
Plant Sale:
Master gardeners will offer a variety of perennial plants for sale at the open house, all propagated and nurtured over the past months. Ferns, figs, grapes, native trees and shrubs, epimedium, Douglas fir, and more will be available for sale.
Skagit County Noxious Weed Program:
Skagit County’s Noxious Weeds program surveys, treats, and supports landowners in treating invasive plants around the county. The program has a particular focus on knotweed, which often infests river and streambanks, and spartina, an invasive grass that grows in salt marshes.

County program staff will be on hand to show photos of and information on many of Skagit County’s most notorious and harmful noxious weeds. Staff will answer questions about what weeds may have infested visitors’ properties, offer suggestions for treating them, and provide informational materials to take home.

Skagit County Clean Water Program:
Skagit County’s Clean Water Program uses a variety of efforts to keep pollution out of local waters. The program team works to reduce stormwater pollution and monitors local waterways to spot bacterial pollution from dogs, failing septic systems, and farms. Their projects reduce dirty runoff into streams and work with the public to help protect water.

At the Garden Open House, Skagit County Clean Water staff will focus on how beautiful gardening and landscaping can go hand in hand with protecting our water. The booth will include a display and information on permeable pavement (paved surfaces that still allow rainwater to soak into the ground underneath). Educational materials will address how to garden without adding harmful chemicals and excess nutrients to local waters, as well as how planting native plants can create a habitat, protect water, and look amazing in the garden.

Skagit Conservation District
The Skagit Conservation District’s mission is to bring voluntary, incentive-based natural resource solutions to the citizens of Skagit County and beyond by providing technical, financial, and educational resources.
​The district works with landowners and farm operators to plan and implement conservation practices on private land. The district is a non-regulatory agency, which means that all practices implemented by landowners and farm operators who participate in its programs (cooperators) are voluntary.

The district’s booth will feature information on creating and maintaining healthy landscapes, rainscaping, and planting for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

For home gardeners who can’t make it to the open house, master gardeners have work sessions at the Discovery Garden from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays through September, and visitors are welcome to stop by, ask questions, and learn some tips from the experts.

All three gardens are open year-round and are free to the public seven days a week from dawn to dusk. Visitors are invited to stop by throughout the year to view the seasonal changes, colors, and blooms. Signage in each garden identifies the plants, making for interesting and educational self-guided tours.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Kenny, E. (2007) Bob Norton, the king of apples, brings his passion for fruit to Vashon.

NW Fruit. (2025)

Skagit Conservation District. (2025)

Skagit County Clean Water Program. (2025)

Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation. (2025).

Skagit County Noxious Weed Program. (2025) 

Washington Native Plant Society Salal Chapter. (2025)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kari Ranten is a retired journalist and health care communicator who became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener in 2024. 

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Why I became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

It all starts with a passion for the garden.

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By Kari Ranten, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Kari Ranten

I am a newly certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener and a proud member of the class of 2024. The past 18 months have been a wonderful experience filled with learning, sharing my love of gardening with the community, meeting and working alongside a welcoming team of fellow gardeners, volunteering my time in a great program focused on valued priorities, and gaining insights and inspiration.

Fellow gardening enthusiasts need to take a hard look at the options offered through WSU’s new Washington Green School. Two tracks are now offered: becoming a Certified WSU Extension Master Gardener or earning a Washington Gardener Certificate for home or professional advancement. Becoming a certified master gardener expands my knowledge while fulfilling a commitment to community engagement, outreach, and volunteerism.

Interested in Becoming a Master Gardener?

Application period is now open through August 15, 2025.

WSU is introducing a new program called Washington Green School which will include WSU Extension Master Gardener training. Beginning this fall, Green School will offer two distinct tracks in its online course: one for individuals looking to enhance their gardening skills through research-based horticultural and environmental stewardship, the Washington Gardener course, and another for those who wish to take it further by becoming a WSU Extension Master Gardener Program volunteer.

Jump over to a full description and links at: skagitmg.org/home/green-school/

While there are countless reasons to become a master gardener, or “garden geek” as the 2024 classmates say, here the focus is on the top 10 reasons why I chose to become a certified master gardener and volunteer in my community:

1. Loving plants and gardening.
It all starts with a passion for the garden. “I LOVE gardening!” I marvel at the variety, beauty, simplicity yet complexity, and benefits of plants growing in the Northwest and desire to learn more.

2. Learning with formal classes and hands-on training.
While I genuinely love plants and appreciate a beautiful garden, I did not have any education on the basics and science of plants. That said, for life-long learners the Master Gardener Program as an opportunity to learn science-based details about botany, how to propagate, nurture, grow, and maintain a wide variety of plants for the landscape, and to produce food.

As a former newspaper reporter and editor, I have a constant curiosity. The field of gardening provides an endless supply of questions and answers. It was while working in the newsroom at the Skagit Valley Herald in the 1980s that I became familiar with the program. Legendary Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Joe Dupree would drop by the office each week to bring a hard copy of his “Ask a Master Gardener” column for publication. I can still see the bearded, grinning sprite of a man, always clad in overalls, regaling the news staff with the joys of gardening. These days, I walk through “Joe’s Place,” a memorial space in the Discovery Garden, with fond memories of the man who planted the seed for my future participation.

I enjoyed the formal learning and a return to studying and quizzes afforded by the program. Even more enjoyable is putting that learning to work during the practical “boots on the ground” education in the Discovery Garden with veteran master gardeners who are always willing to answer any question and provide important how-to instruction and advice.

3. Benefiting from a science-driven, well-respected program.
All master gardener training and programs are based on science, a tenet that volunteers carry forward as they advise and assist local home gardeners. The program’s longevity, credibility in science and research, and overarching leadership of Washington State University garner respect in the community and across the state.

In 2024, Niche, a college ranking and review website, ranked WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS) as one of the 15 best agricultural sciences colleges. In an article in the WSU Insider in October 2023 about the ranking, author Angela Sams writes, “Encompassing 13 academic departments and schools, 22 majors, and 27 graduate programs, CAHNRS leads WSU’s land-grant mission of service through education and research,” which affirms the foundation of the Master Gardener Program.

4. Desiring to volunteer and serve the community.
Volunteerism has always been part of my life. My parents were excellent role models and showed me the importance of giving time to serve the community. Over the past 40 years, much of my volunteer work has been in governance, serving on several boards of non-profit organizations in Skagit County. In retirement, I desired to exchange board meetings for work in the dirt of the Discovery Garden, to weed, plant, water, and prune.

The benefits of volunteering are well documented, including in a Mayo Health System article titled “Helping people, changing lives: 3 health benefits of volunteering” by Angela Thoreson, LICSW of the system’s Psychiatry and Psychology department, published in 2023.

“The work that volunteers provide is essential to everyday activities, giving volunteers a sense of purpose, especially when giving their time and talent in the areas they find meaningful,” Thoreson writes, noting that volunteers experience greater increases in life satisfaction and self-esteem.

The WSU Master Gardener Program addresses important sociologic and environmental issues by teaching research-based horticulture information.

5. Supporting shared priorities.
Master gardeners have a foundation of nine priorities to provide focus for the program and participants. The list spotlights climate change, clean water, water conservation, soil health, pollinators, local food (growing food to improve individual and community health and wellness), plant biodiversity, nearby nature, and wildlife preparedness.

The training program dives deeply into all nine, and the practices recommended by master gardeners support these important tenets. In training and activities, we tie our projects and advice back to one or more of these priorities. Learn more about the priorities here: https://mastergardener.wsu.edu/priorities/

In my home gardening, I especially enjoyed learning more about the importance of promoting pollinators because of their important role in the ecosystem. Through my training and research, I have added many plants to our home landscape to draw bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies purposefully. While only anecdotal evidence, I noted increasing pollinator numbers in our landscape last summer and have added more pollinator-friendly perennials and annuals again this year, including bee balm, Black-eyed Susan, heuchera, cuphea, coneflower, lilac, sunflowers, zinnias, and more.

6. Protecting the environment and reducing waste.
The science-based curriculum and nine priorities focus on showing respect and responsibility for the environment, reducing waste, understanding our impact on climate change, clean water and water conservation, soil health, and plant biodiversity. Master gardeners are focused on teaching research-based gardening and environmental stewardship practices. https://mastergardener.wsu.edu/

Know & Grow
Vines and Clematis: Grow the Heck Up

Free, no registration required
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
1 pm – 2:30 pm
NWREC Sakuma Auditorium
16650 State Highway 536, Mount Vernon

Mark Your Calendar:
Annual Three Garden Open House
Saturday, June 28, 2025
10 am – 2 pm
Discovery Garden
16602 State Route 536 (Memorial Highway)
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Fun Activities for Kids  ~  Plant Sale
Water Conservation Experts  ~  Noxious Weed Information
30+ Garden Rooms  ~  Plant Clinic and Gardening Help
Native Plants  ~  Pollinators
Talk to Fruit Tree Experts

“WSU’s Master Gardener Program addresses important sociological and environmental issues by teaching research-based horticulture information. We want people to have important skills and abilities that help mitigate challenges and to understand that everyone has a role to play in creating and sustaining healthy and resilient communities,” according to the program website.

7. Meeting like-minded people and making new friends.
As a fellow 2024 classmate wrote: “I felt that I wanted to find a group of like-minded diggers and sowers who see the world as I do, understanding how we are all interconnected and rely on each other to support life on earth.”

Likewise, as soon as I interviewed for a position in the class, I knew I had found a group of comrades with similar interests, goals, and priorities. Research shows the importance of having a strong social circle.

Stanford University authors Tanya Thakur, MBBS and Sharon Brock, Med, write “Researchers have linked volunteering with improved mental health, not only due to the feelings of social connection with the other volunteers, but also due to a boost in self-esteem that results from offering time and energy for the good of others.”

8. Gaining inspiration and embracing creativity.
American abstract painter Elizabeth Murray stated: “Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas.”

I am inspired by the art of beautiful gardens – both formal and informal – and seek to bring small glimpses of creativity, color, and textures into my home landscape. In addition, there is also a sense of accomplishment. A fellow classmate has found that nothing is better than working in the garden either at home or the Discovery Garden, be it vegetable, native, or ornamental, and then sitting back and admiring your handiwork and hard work.

The Discovery Garden on Memorial Highway west of Mount Vernon is filled with inspiration for the home gardener. With 30 themed “rooms” or gardens, master gardeners and visitors alike learn from experienced master gardeners on the nuances of caring for roses, growing in a greenhouse, how to raise vegetables, designing a Japanese garden, the use of color and texture in the naturescape, or the formality of an herb garden. Each is a piece of art that grows and changes with the seasons.

9. Enjoying the health benefits of gardening.
Research shows that gardening has many benefits for physical and mental health. In an article titled “Does gardening have health benefits?” Pamela J. Bennett, MS, and Josh Winn, MS, of Ohio State University note a wide range of health benefits, including reducing stress, improving activity levels, and supporting a healthy diet with homegrown fresh vegetables and fruits.

The authors write, “Gardening also can boost your mood. Studies show cytokine levels rise, which in turn activates the ‘feel-good’ hormone serotonin when working in the soil. Specific bacteria in the soil also can boost your serotonin levels.”

Another classmate noted, “Maybe it is the endorphins that are released as I play in the soil, or maybe it is the meditative state that I find myself in while gardening,” that contribute to her overall well-being.

10. Having fun!
On any given Tuesday morning, from March through October, the Discovery Garden is a true “beehive of activity” as master gardeners gather to tend the display garden. The scene is punctuated by laughter, smiles, hugs, and teamwork, known as Fun.

A piece aired on NPR sheds light on the value of joy and fun. The story quotes a book titled “The Fun Habit: How the Disciplined Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life,” by psychologist Mike Rucker in 2023. Rucker’s book “makes the case that pursuit of fun experiences may be even more valuable than seeking the sometimes-abstract goal of happiness,” according to NPR. “Happiness is a state of mind,” Rucker writes. “But fun is something you can do. It doesn’t require education, money, or power. All it requires is intentionality. If happiness is a mirage, fun is your backyard oasis.”

And I love spending time in my backyard oasis, now, more than ever.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Bennett, P.  and Winn, J. (2023) Does Gardening Have Health Benefits? The Ohio State University.

Fulton, A. (2023) Here’s Why You Should Make a Habit of Having More Fun. NPR. 

Janovich, A. (2023) 50 Years, 50 States, WSU’s Master Gardeners Program Became a National – and Global – Model. Washington State Magazine. Pullman, WA. Washington State University.

Marquis, J. (2025) Impacting Communities: Cultivating Plants, People, and Communities Since 1973. Washington State University Extension Master Gardener Program. 

Sams, A. (2023) CAHNRS Lands Top 15 Ranking for Best U.S. Agricultural Sciences College. College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University.

Thakur, T. and Brock, S. (2024) Volunteering as a Way to Make Friends. Stanford Lifestyle Medicine.

Thoreson, A. (2023) Helping People, Changing Lives: 3 Health Benefits of Volunteering. Mayo Clinic Health System Psychiatry and Psychology Department. 

Washington State University. (2025) Our Priorities Inform Our Efforts. Washington State University Extension Master Gardener Program.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kari Ranten is a retired journalist and health care communicator who became a certified WSU Extension Skagit County Master Gardener in 2024. 

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Pets and Home Gardens

Protecting your pets from the plants and your plants from your pets!

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By Deborah Leitner, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Deborah Leitner

Several years ago, when we adopted our beloved black lab Shadow from the Seattle Humane Society, I had visions of my new best friend spending hours with me in the garden, frolicking by my side, as I weeded, puttered, planted, pondered, and pruned my way through my fenced-in urban backyard oasis. Shortly after we got him home, it became clear that Shadow had a different plan.

Shadow’s propensity for joyful exuberance posed specific gardening challenges, as he loved to dig, eat strawberries and vegetables, and generally disturb any carefully laid out plans. Some plants were lost, but I found a new focus in creating an environment where he could frolic and play, and we could enjoy him while not stressing too much if any plant or shrub got injured in the process. Both pets and gardening require planning, patience, and a healthy dose of reality.

What to Avoid
The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) offers a comprehensive list of toxic plants for dogs, cats, and horses on their website. (See reference below.) This website also provides a complete list of safe and non-toxic plants for pets.

Examples of toxic plants that are common in Pacific Northwest backyards include:

Daffodils: The flowers, leaves, and bulbs can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. In severe cases, cardiac arrhythmias and respiratory problems may occur.

Lily of the Valley: Dogs who eat lily of the valley may experience cardiac arrhythmias, decreased heart rates, and seizures.

Tulips and hyacinths: The bulbs are toxic. Mild cases show drooling and some vomiting. If dogs eat too many, they may show an increase in heart rate.

Azaleas: These can be fatal if your dog even chews on leaves.

The above list is not meant to be all-inclusive but rather a sampling of the most commonly encountered toxic plants in urban backyards. For more detailed lists, check out the WSU and ASPCA references below.

Also, many houseplants are toxic to both cats and dogs. Be sure to keep your indoor plants well out of reach of pets. A few of the most toxic plants include aloe, philodendron, pothos, jade plant, and asparagus fern. If you need help identifying your houseplants, the master gardeners at the WSU Extension Plant Clinics in Burlington or Anacortes or the Farmer’s Market booths in Mount Vernon or Sedro Wooley are excellent resources for identification of plants.

According to the ASPCA, it is a myth that dogs and cats instinctively avoid toxic plants. If you see your dog or cat eating a plant and are unsure if it is harmful, it is best to contact your vet as soon as possible. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is also available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at (888) 426-4435 to answer any questions in an emergency.

What to Plant
There are many plants that both do well in the Pacific Northwest and are safe for dogs. The following list highlights some of the safe plants that are commonly found in PNW backyards:

Shrubs: Abelia is a hardy shrub that can tolerate many challenges, including being sprayed with dog urine. Green Mountain boxwoods, cypresses, and Rocky Mountain Juniper are good hedge options. Mature shrubs are more resistant to dog damage.

Trees: Camellias, magnolias, and Japanese maples are all good choices

Perennials: False goat’s beard (Astilbe,) ornamental grasses, red hot pokers (Kniphophia,) goat’s beard, echinacea, and rudbeckia all seem to tolerate the paw traffic.

Annuals: Sunflowers, fuchsia, pansy, and petunia are all safe for dogs. 

Herbs: Organically grown edible herbs are a good option. 

Native plants: Salal, evergreen huckleberry, Oregon grape, and western sword ferns are all hardy natives that are safe for dogs. 

Other plants: Japanese aralia, hardy geranium, coreopsis, and nasturtiums are all dog-friendly plants

If you have a fence, try leaving a few feet between the fence and your plants. Dogs love running the fence line, chasing squirrels, saying hi to neighbors, and protecting their humans. You are saving your plants from being trampled by giving them space to do so.

Perennials such as red hot pokers (Kniphophia), goat’s beard, echinacea, and rudbeckia all seem to tolerate paw traffic.  Photo © Adobe Stock

If your pets have room to roam outside, it is critically important to identify the plants growing where they roam. Poison-hemlock is highly toxic to humans and animals and should be removed following Washington State Noxious Weed Control guidelines. Photo © Adobe Stock

Fertilizing and Mulching
Commercially prepared, organic compost on garden beds is a safe choice for dog owners. A risk is involved if using homemade compost, as mold and fungi may be present in the decomposing material containing neurotoxins. Arborist wood chips are an excellent option for mulching, but some dogs (like mine) love to eat the chips, posing other risks.

Two mulches to avoid are cocoa mulch and pine needle mulch. Cocoa mulch contains theobromine, a toxin that is dangerous to dogs. Pine needle mulch can damage your pet’s stomach lining.

If you fertilize your lawn, be sure to read the label carefully. Many products say they are safe for use around pets, but they still recommend that you keep pets off the recently fertilized grass for up to 48 hours. Consider using a mulching lawn mower, leaving the cut grass in a place where it will break down and add nitrogen back to the lawn. Another option is to let your lawn go dormant in the summer, knowing it will return to life in the fall.

Got Slugs?
If you garden in the PNW, you are likely familiar with slugs. Our most famous native slug, the banana slug, is mainly seen in the forest, eating away at decaying matter. Slugs, specifically native slugs, have their place in the greater scheme of things; they are vital to the decomposition of organic matter and provide food for birds, snakes, frogs, and other animals. However, most slugs the home gardener encounters are not native, having been introduced from Europe. Once introduced, they made themselves right at home and drive the home gardener crazy.

Commercial slug products containing metaldehyde are highly toxic to pets, birds, wildlife, and humans, and should be used with a tamper-proof bait station, if used at all. Poisoning occurs even if a small amount is ingested. Products containing iron phosphate are considered safer for people and pets, but should be used cautiously, as poisoning can still occur if your pet ingests large amounts. If you choose to use the products containing iron phosphate, read the instructions carefully, and consider putting a barricade such as a small fence or wire basket around the plant in question to prevent your dog or cat from getting near the product.

Some gardeners use broken shells, lava rock, or other rough materials to deter slugs from the area without using chemicals. Placing copper bands around plants or planting lavender, mint, or rosemary may discourage slugs and snails from entering the garden.

A safer alternative is to trap the slugs using bait. Bury a container such as a margarine tub containing yeast mixed in water (beer works well for this method), so the slug will fall into the trap and drown. You will need to monitor the trap and replace the bait regularly. Baited traps don’t discriminate by species, however. Other small wildlife can meet their end by falling into the trap. It’s a good idea to remove the trap during the day so that Fido isn’t tempted to indulge, and then set the trap out again in the evening.

Many gardeners prefer controlling slugs manually. It is time-consuming, but tried and true. Fill a jar with soapy or salty water, pick the slugs from the plants, deposit them in the jar, seal them, and wait a few days. Then flush the contents down the toilet. Over time, your slug population will substantially diminish, and your pets and other wildlife will be safe from chemical (and alcohol) poisoning. Learn more about managing slugs. 

Overall, the toxicity of slug bait is a significant concern for pet owners. Prompt intervention is crucial if poisoning is suspected, and preventive measures can help ensure the safety of your pet.

Shadow living the good life. Photo © Deborah Leitner

Shadow never lost his youthful exuberance and propensity for mischief in the garden. He lived a joyful life, but sadly, at age 13, it was time to say goodbye. It took a while to be ready for a new canine companion, but Shadow’s successor, Teddy, was found at the Skagit Valley Humane Society. Or you might say Teddy found us because we certainly didn’t expect to come home with a 10-year-old black lab mix. But discovering the joy of living with a mature senior dog, Teddy is a good match. Teddy is not interested in gardening but loves being a backyard companion.

Know & Grow
The Science Behind Companion Planting
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
1 pm – 2:30 pm
NWREC Sakuma Auditorium
16650 State Highway 536, Mount Vernon

Based on research by horticultural scientists such as Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott and Dr Jeff Gillman, you will learn natural ways to prevent or lessen pest and disease problems in your garden. Use plant combinations, polyculture, and other science-based practices for a healthier garden. Master Gardener Rae Barto will share these findings and advice.

Mark Your Calendar:
Annual Three Garden Open House
Saturday, June 28, 2025
10 am – 2 pm
Discovery Garden
16602 State Route 536 (Memorial Highway)
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Fun Activities for Kids  ~  Plant Sale
Water Conservation Experts  ~  Noxious Weed Information
30+ Garden Rooms  ~  Plant Clinic and Gardening Help
Native Plants  ~  Pollinators
Talk to Fruit Tree Experts

Interested in becoming a Master Gardener?

WSU is introducing a new program called Washington Green School which will include WSU Extension Master Gardener training. Beginning this fall, Green School will offer two distinct tracks in its online course: one for individuals looking to enhance their gardening skills through research-based horticultural and environmental stewardship, the Washington Gardener course, and another for those who wish to take it further by becoming a WSU Extension Master Gardener Program volunteer.

Learn more about Washington Green School training.

Applications to become a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener are due by August 15, 2025 to be in the Class of 2026. Apply to be a WSU Extension Master Gardener.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Chaulker-Scott, L. (2007) Wood chip mulch: Landscape boon or bane? Retrieved at Hedgerow: Mulches

Animal Poison Control. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 

Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List – Dogs. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 

Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List – Cats. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 

Plants Toxic to Dogs. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Plant Toxicity and Pets. Texas A & M University Extension.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Deborah Leitner is a WSU Extension Skagit County Master Gardener class of 2007. Along with caring for the Discovery Garden, she can often be found helping answer questions at the Plant Clinic in Burlington.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Dealing with Wet Spots in the Yard and Garden

Do you ever look at the bog in your yard and wonder, “What can I do with THAT area?”

Carla Glassman

By Carla Glassman, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

When dealing with soggy areas in your landscape, it’s essential to understand the underlying causes of the wetness and how to manage them effectively. Identifying the root issue is the first step toward improvement. Determine if the wet area is due to natural water saturation, faulty drainage, or runoff from impervious surfaces.

Some areas are just naturally wet, but to be sure, it is essential to rule out other problems like a broken sewer or water pipe. With underground issues ruled out, the next step is determining if the excess water is caused by impervious surface runoff (i.e., rooftops, sidewalks, or driveways.) If so, redirect the water to an area with better drainage.

If none of these issues are the problem, you may wonder, “Is it possible to fix it?” Often, the answer is yes. The solutions range from re-grading your yard and installing drains to working with the wet area and installing plants which grow well in wet conditions.

Some consider aggressive solutions such as adjusting the flow of the land. Doing so likely will require effort, equipment, time, and money. And possibly applying for a permit. Before moving any soil, check out the county’s Land Disturbing Activity Guide, and if necessary, call to determine if a permit is required. In Skagit County, you may need a permit for projects that:

• Exceed 100 cubic yards
• Modify drainage patterns in any way
• Has a depth or height of 3 feet or greater

You may try to “fix” the wet area by working with what you have, using less expensive or less extensive options. Soggy areas can be improved somewhat by aeration or adding compost or mulch. These improve soil structure in poorly drained soils by increasing soil aggregation. While mulch, compost, and aeration can improve overall soil health and drainage, they will not change the character of the underlying soil or the position on the landscape nor repair severely compacted or altered soil.

When finished, landscaping in wet areas may look much like a rain garden planting; the difference is in the underlying soil type.

Typically, an area will have wetter areas, just like the zones in a rain garden. Select plants for the wet area as you would select plants for a rain garden based on the plant’s specific needs for soil type, sunlight or shade, moisture, etc. 

Fortunately, there is another option. There are a lot of beautiful plants that do very well in wet soils. Using the principle of “Right Plant, Right Place” or in this case “right purpose” you can install suitable plants in the area that will naturally slow runoff and allow the water to spread out.This will increase the permeability of the soil and also reduce the maintenance needs of the wet area.

Working in wet areas requires care to protect the soil. Cover bare soil with woody mulch; avoid walking or working on it when saturated. Choose plants that thrive in wet places. Landscaping in wet areas may look much like a rain garden planting when finished, because many of the same
plants will likely be happy in both places. However, installing a landscape in a wet area is different from installing a rain garden in your yard. Rain gardens are created on well-draining soils that can handle a lot of run-off directed into them. Unlike a rain garden, naturally wet areas do not have well-draining soils. They should not have additional runoff directed to them because this would cause further problems. If soil compaction or heavy soil type is part of the drainage problem, installing plants with good root structures will improve the soil structure by growing roots deeper and making pathways for the water to follow. Over time, this allows material from plants, insects, and microbes to increase the soil’s humus improving its ability to absorb water.

Consider Using Native Plants: Native plants are well adapted to our environment. They don’t require extra care, water, or fertilizer. More than that, wildlife depends on them and won’t survive without them. Red twig dogwood and Pacific sword fern are native and do well in moist environments.

Whether you use native plants, non-natives, or a mix, include plants of varying heights and root zones. Using varying heights and textural layers (different leaf types) is healthy for plants and wildlife and a beautiful technique. Mix various colors and textures for visual interest with a common thread that ties everything together through a consistent style.

Choosing Form and Function
Now, select plants keeping in mind the place they will be. For best results, know what your area is like during all the seasons of the year. Is your soggy spot in the sun or shade or something in between? Is it always soggy, somewhat soggy-to-damp, or does it dry out in the summer? Typically, an area will have some wetter areas, just like the zones in a rain garden.

Consider nearby physical restrictions like powerlines, underground pipes, or easements. A little planning at the beginning can save a lot of repair work in the future.

Select plants for the wet area as you would select plants for a rain garden based on the plant’s specific needs for soil type, sunlight or shade, moisture, etc. Selecting the “right plant” based on the plants needs saves time, money, and effort reducing fussing, tending, and possibly replacing later.

Zone 1 in a rain garden is the wettest area. Zone 1 plants must be able to tolerate periods of inundation (standing water.) Most rain gardens are not continually wet in Zone 1 because they are supposed to drain. They may even be totally dry for part of the summer.

Zone 2 in a rain garden is the next wettest area of a rain garden. Plants for Zone 2 are seldom inundated with water but usually damp.

Zone 3 of a rain garden is generally dry. Zone 3 plants would do well in the area whether or not there was a rain garden and may even need to be drought-tolerant. When selecting plants, choose plants that will be able to tolerate the amount of water inundation in your area. Zone 1 plants can tolerate wet conditions and seasonal flooding, so they are a good choice for your wet spot. From that group, choose plants that have the “right” light needs for your space.

Select plants depending on the degree of water inundation in your “wet” area. If your location is generally moist with seasonal wet, you might choose plants listed in the chart below suited to “Rain Garden Zone 2.” Many plants are less fussy and are able to do well in more than one zone. You may want to “hedge your bet” by selecting a variety of plants, increasing the odds of success.

Accept the challenge of wet spots in your garden as an opportunity to create a thriving ecosystem! By selecting plants that naturally filter water and develop robust root systems, you can improve the underlying soil structure while enhancing the beauty of your landscape. These resilient plants will not only thrive in the moisture but will also work to improve drainage over time, turning a soggy area into an area you can enjoy. Make the most of your garden's unique characteristics and watch it flourish!

Mark Your Calendar: Always the Saturday Before Mother’s Day
We’re growing 3,600 tomato plants, and over 4,000 flower and vegetable starts along with edible and ornamental perennials for you to bring home and plant your garden this season.

The following list is a compilation based on information from The Washington Native Plant Society, Great Plant Picks, Missouri Botanical Garden, Native Plants PNW, USDA Plant Database, oregonflora.org, and kingcounty.gov/goNative.

* = non-native    D = Deciduous   E = Evergreen  SE = Semi-evergreen

1@ = Tolerates seasonal flooding   2@ = Tolerates moderately wet sites   3@ = Tolerates seasonal dry

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

King County interactive native plant list which can be sorted by plant type, height, etc. Native Plants. King County: Retrieved at:
https://green2.kingcounty.gov/gonative/Plant.aspx?Act=list
Native landscaping plans:
Landscaping with Native Plants. King County: Retrieved at:
https://green2.kingcounty.gov/gonative/Plan.aspx?Act=list
Information on Permits. Skagit County, Washington
Retrieved at: https://www.skagitcounty.net/Departments/PlanningAndPermit/forms.htm
Testing and Improving Soil Drainage. Iowa State University Extension:
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/testing-and-improving-soil-drainage
Don’t Just Landscape, Rainscape. Create beautiful landscapes that protect water quality and reduce runoff. Skagit County
Retrieved at: skagitcounty.net/PublicWorksSurfaceWaterManagement/Documents/Stormwater/RainScape%20Brochure.pdf
What is Humus in Soil? Explore the Critical Advantages for Your Crops. Retrieved at:
https://forestry.com/guides/what-is-humus-in-soil/
Enhancing Urban and Suburban Landscapes to Protect Pollinators. Oregon State University.
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em-9289-enhancing-urban-suburban-landscapes-protect-pollinators

From soggy to sublime: Trees, shrubs and perennials that love soggy sites. (April 2014) Retrieved at: Oregon Live.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carla Glassman is a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener, Class of 2014.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/mg/

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Mark Your Calendar!

Skagit County Master Gardener Plant Fair is Saturday, May 10

Anticipation is Building for the Annual Event on Mother’s Day Weekend

By Kari Ranten, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Kari Ranten

Featuring thousands of plants for sale, the Skagit County Master Gardener Plant Fair is a local celebration of spring and gardening.

Gardeners across the region count on the plant fair as a place to purchase quality plants and look forward to gathering inspiration for the coming growing season. Did you know that all of the tomatoes – more than 3,600 plants – available at the plant fair are grown from seed by volunteer WSU Extension Master Gardeners? Not only that, the varieties grown are chosen because they are ideal for our climate.

The 31st annual Plant Fair is set for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the Skagit County Fairgrounds. The event and parking are free, enter through the south gate of the fairgrounds. Attendees are encouraged to bring a wagon or wheelbarrow to help transport their selections. Boxes are available at the site and customers can leave purchased plants at a free plant parking area monitored by volunteers as they continue to shop and enjoy the plant fair. An ATM will be available on site.

3,600 Tomato Plants – 2,000 Flowering Annuals
2,000 Vegetable and Herb Starts
Hundreds of Perennials and Native Plants
Small Fruits: Grapes, Figs, Currants, Berries

“As an organization and a community of people who live and love all things gardening, we are looking forward to this amazing annual event,” said Master Gardener Claire Cotnoir, who, along with her husband and fellow Master Gardener Hank Davies, co-chairs the plant fair. “This is our way to inspire all gardeners by offering quality plants suited to growing successfully in our region. We enjoy the opportunity to share information and enthusiasm for gardening, along with educating the public about how to embrace gardening as a way to care for and protect the environment.”

The plant fair will offer thousands of plants for sale, including vegetables, tomatoes, herbs, perennials and native plant varieties. Most of the plants are grown or propagated by master gardener volunteers.

The plant fair is truly a highly anticipated event, as illustrated by those who waited in line at the gates last year. Some called their annual visit to the event a “Mother’s Day weekend tradition” for their family. One smiling woman, with a wheelbarrow in tow, proclaimed “It’s the only holiday I celebrate – Plant Fair Day!”

Need Tips on Growing Tomatoes?

Master Gardener Denny Organ, an expert in growing tomatoes in the region, will provide short workshop-style presentations with tips on planting, pruning and general care for tomatoes between 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 10 at the Master Gardener Demonstration Booth. Between presentations, Denny will be available to answer one-on-one questions about growing tomatoes. Check at the master gardener information booth at the Plant Fair for specific times of the presentations.

In addition to plant sales, the Plant Fair will feature:

• More than 50 vendors will offer garden accessories, gifts, plants, garden art and hand-crafted items. Several food vendors will also be on site.
• Skagit County Master Gardeners will host an educational booth and display, with a focus on pollinators, firewise gardening and growing tomatoes.
• Master gardeners will staff a Plant Clinic at the fair to help address plant questions or concerns.
• Master gardeners will offer free tool sharpening, with a limit of one tool per customer.

The annual Skagit County Master Gardener Plant Fair is the primary fund-raising event run by the Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation (SCMGF). Proceeds enable the foundation to support master gardener outreach, events, education and activities. Beyond fundraising, the plant fair builds community awareness of the master gardener program, encourages community participation in gardening and growing local food, and inspires people to become master gardener volunteers.

Master gardener volunteers also maintain the Discovery Garden just west of Mount Vernon on Memorial Highway, which is open to the public daily as a showcase for the variety of plants that grow in the region.

Cherry, slicers, salad, paste, and dwarf are among the fifty tomato varieties available at the Plant Fair.

Now you own a lovely tomato plant. Read on to help your plant grow and thrive, producing delicious tomatoes throughout the season.

Soon to be a proud owner of a tomato plant? What’s next?

Many Skagit County Master Gardener Plant Fair customers are laser focused on one thing: Buying tomato plants. As they check out, with plants in hand, the question many have is what to do next with these amazing plants?

Past customers, many who have purchased tomatoes at the plant fair for several years running, express satisfaction with the product. Of course, each growing season is unique and 2024 presented some challenges with rain and cooler temperatures. Between the May plant fair and the end of the 2024 growing season, customers describe the tomato plants produced by master gardeners as healthy, hardy and offering a “really great yield.”

In the fall, master gardeners taste test 30+ varieties of tomatoes to select the varieties to grow for the Plant Fair.

Master gardeners grow all of the tomato plants from seed. The process begins in February to have them ready for the plant fair. Lights, heat mats and tender loving care help nurture the seeds to germination and on to developing into fledgling plants. As they grow, the tomatoes are transplanted into six-pack plugs, then four-inch pots and ultimately to the one-gallon pots available for sale.

Going into the plant fair, customers may check out the list of varieties available on the Skagit County Master Gardener website and make selections based on a desire for snacking, sauces, slicing and other tomato uses. All varieties are carefully chosen by master gardeners and tested for growing conditions in Skagit County. In addition, for a comprehensive A-Z listing of tomato varieties featuring go to the tomato selection tool on this website.

At the end of each season, master gardeners gather for a taste-test session of fruit from their plants to help inform future variety selection. Some of the varieties available for purchase at the plant fair will be marked as “Winner of Our MG Tomato Tasting Event.”

Tomatoes: What do I do next?
So, once you take home tomato plants at the mid-May plant fair, what should you do next to have success? Here are a few tips on how to plant and care for these fledgling tomatoes from master gardeners who head up the “Tomato Team” and other resources:

Hardening off: The tomato plants, in one-gallon pots, will have spent more than a month in an unheated greenhouse leading up to the plant sale. As temperatures warm, they will need gradual introduction to sunlight and the outdoors. Place the plants in a sheltered location near the house or other structure and expose the plants to indirect sunlight gradually. Start with one hour on the first day and add one hour each day, building up to a full day. Plants can tolerate direct sunlight after three to five days.

According to the Washington State University Extension Fact Sheet FS145E titled Growing Tomatoes in Home Gardens,“After a week, leave plants outside overnight. If temperatures drop below 50°F, keep them indoors . . . Do not plant them before the frost-free date for your area because spring frost can kill young tomato plants.” Plants should not be transplanted unprotected until nighttime temperatures stay above 45 to 50 degrees, which may not be until June, according to Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific Northwest by Seattle author Lorene Edwards Forkner.

If the people in the fun, creative hats (master gardeners) look a little giddy, it is because they have crossed the finish line, successfully raising nearly 10,000 healthy, happy plants for you to bring home and enjoy this summer.

Planting: Whether using a container or transplanting into the ground, plant in well-drained soil in a sunny location. Plant in a deep hole and cover the stem up to the bottom leaves with soil to inspire root growth and plant development.

Trench planting is also an option. Trench planting involves digging a trench about six inches deep, adding a tablespoon of super phosphate to the soil (well mixed), and laying the whole plant in the ground with only the very top of the plant exposed to the sunlight. For more information about trench planting, go to North Carolina State University Extension Publications, Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden in the references below.

Growing in pots: Tomatoes do not like to be confined to small pots for too long. The master gardener tomatoes are sold in one-gallon pots, which will work for a while, however, be sure to have 10-gallon grow bags, pots, or buckets with holes drilled in the bottom at the ready when overnight temperatures are appropriate to transplant outdoors for the season. Remember, tomato plant roots can go more than six inches deep into the soil so the more room you give them in a pot the happier they will be. Also, consider growing determinate plants in pots and indeterminate in the ground if possible. Determinate plants top off at around five feet tall and are easier to grow in pots than indeterminate which are vining and will grow until fall frost. Another wonderful option available for pots or patio growing this year are dwarf varieties, also available at the plant fair.

Watering: Tomatoes will perform better if they are a little dry rather than soggy. For plants in pots, providing a plastic roof or clear plastic cloche to keep the rain off is helpful, but not required. “Water regularly and deeply since tomatoes are deep-rooted plants, but avoid overhead irrigation, which can encourage disease,” according to “Sunset Western Garden Book of Edibles.” Author Forkner suggests reducing watering near the end of the season to encourage fruit ripening.

Support: Indeterminate tomatoes, those that grow like vines, benefit from supports such as cages, trellises or pole supports. Determinate varieties are more compact and bushier, reaching a fixed height.

Light and exposure: In the Pacific Northwest, placing pots along a south-facing wall is best for tomato success. A garden space with full sun for at least six hours per day, according to the Washington State University Extension Fact Sheet FS145E.

Potential problems: Tomatoes can be impacted by a variety of diseases and pests. Research and select cultivars that are disease resistant. Washington State University Extension Fact Sheet FS145E lists a variety of potential problems, including:

• Late blight: The fungal disease appears as gray-green coloration on leaves, stems and fruit, turning to dark blotches on the fruit. The fact sheet suggests avoiding over watering, removing infected plants or plant parts when symptoms are noticed, but do not compost them. Give plants ample space to support air circulation.
• Slugs: Common in Western Washington, slugs can completely consume younger plants, damage foliage of more mature plants and cause “hollowing damage” on fruit. To protect plants, remove weeds and debris, encourage predators; hand-pick and kill slugs that feed at night and use chemical-based baits with caution.
• Blossom End Rot: According to the University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Division of Horticulture Extension, this condition often occurs on the first fruits formed on plants. Initially, water-soaked spots (resembling small bruises) appear, most often on the bottoms of fruits and include dark, leathery, sunken areas on the blossom end of the tomato. This is caused by a lack of calcium uptake and conditions where there is too much or too little water. Water evenly and mulch the soil to retain moisture during dry periods. Avoid practices that would damage roots, such as cultivating too near plants thereby cutting roots, use a good Cal-Mag fertilizer and do not “wash” out soil nutrient with heavy over watering.
• An additional resource regarding pests and diseases with tomatoes is the University of Maryland Extension’s Key to Common Problems of Tomatoes

Harvest and use: Harvest when the fruit reaches mature color. Tomatoes can be used in a wide range of preparations from fresh to frozen or dried to canned. For more information, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation (http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/) or Oregon State University Extension Service’s site focused on canning tomatoes and tomato products (https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/pnw300-s).

REFERENCES:
Fredericks, G., Cowan, J. and Daniels, C. (2014) Vegetables: Growing Tomatoes in Home Gardens. Washington State University Extension Fact Sheet #FS145E. 

Forkner, L. (2012) Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific Northwest. Portland, OR. Timber Press.

North Carolina State University Extension Publications, Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden.

Skagit County Master Gardener Tomato Variety Selection Tool

Sunset. (2010) Sunset Western Garden Book of Edibles: The Complete A to Z Guide to Growing Your Own Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits.” Menlo Park, California. Sunset Publishing Corporation.

Key to Common Problems of Tomatoes University of Maryland Extension.

Blossom End Rot. (2024) University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Horticulture Division of Extension.

Washington State University CAHNRS and WSU Extension Hortsense.  

Looking Ahead to Summer-
Join us for a Free Open House
Saturday, June 28 – 10 am – 2 pm

Explore the three gardens in one location: the WSU Extension Master Gardener Discovery Garden, the NW Fruit Garden, and the Salal Native Plant Garden at the Discovery Day Open House. Talk to the volunteers that manage each of the gardens.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kari Ranten is a retired journalist and health care communicator who became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener in 2024.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Small Changes Can Make a Big Impact in Reducing Food Waste

Master Gardener Katryna Barber and WSU Extension’s Diane Smith discuss food waste and how we can help the planet by managing it better.

By Katryna Barber, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener and Diane Smith, WSU Extension faculty member

The Rising Cost of Food Waste
Food prices are changing, impacting how we plan and use food. This isn’t a brand-new phenomenon. Food costs are constantly fluctuating. Cooks must adapt and find a way to feed people with what they have. Sometimes, it leads to some very tasty creations. Food prices these days are just one aspect of a larger situation that is getting more attention: Food Waste and what to do about it.

The average US family of four discards approximately $1,600 worth of produce annually. This waste isn’t limited to lost money paid for food at the grocery store. It also includes the wasted resources used to produce and distribute the food and the negative environmental impact that occurs when food is thrown away.

In our country, 1 in 6 people is food-security challenged, a fancy term for not having enough food. Happily, there is something we can do about it: eat more of the food we buy and not wasting it.

Cooking with scraps isn’t a new idea, but it has been refreshed and replated. What we can create with food “scraps” is incredible. This is a movement towards eating as much as possible of what we buy so it doesn’t get thrown away. For example, do you eat the leaves of radishes or carrots? They are edible. Do you use the liquid left in the can of garbanzo beans? How about corn cobs?

Learn new ways of reducing food waste
at these FREE events

Celebrate at MoNA
Sculpting Sustainability:
Solutions for Skagit Food Waste
Saturday, April 12 ~ 1 pm

at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Connor
This event is free, but registration is required.

Know & Grow:
Preventing Food Waste
Tuesday, April 15 ~ 1 pm

at NWREC Sakuma Auditorium, 16650 SR 536,  Mount Vernon
Free, no registration required.
From Waste to Wisdom
As a professor of Food & Consumer Sciences, Diane Smith has spent more than 30 years exploring and teaching about food and nutrition. She is passionate about helping people use food more mindfully.

Smith’s focus on food waste prevention began a couple of years ago when she took a sabbatical to study the connection between climate and diet. She traveled to Denmark, Italy, and NYC to explore food waste prevention activities that are happening elsewhere. The answer became clear when studying how our food choices affect the climate and what we can do to reduce that impact: keep food out of our landfills. We can do that by using the food we buy and not letting it go to waste. The expense is the most obvious reason people should care about their food waste.

When we waste food, we waste everything that goes into producing it. This includes the hidden costs, as well as our money. Ask a child where milk comes from, and many will say, “The grocery store.” They don’t realize how many resources are used to grow and get the food to our kitchens or restaurants: water, manual labor (planting, tending, harvesting), transportation, mechanical labor, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, electricity, packaging, and storage. When food is wasted, so is all the energy, time, and resources it takes to produce it. Those resources could have been saved. Our hard-earned money could have been saved.

In the end, we pay to throw our trash away. But there is no “away.” Our landfills are filling up and creating greenhouse gases that are contributing to climate change. Organic material sent to a landfill is buried and decomposes without air, a process called anaerobic digestion. The bacteria living in this anaerobic environment exhale carbon dioxide and methane gas. Humans can deal with small amounts of these gases but not in larger quantities or for long periods of time. Human exposure to these gasses, often referred to as “greenhouse gases,” increases damage to the body’s systems. The cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive, central nervous, immune, and digestive systems can be affected. The good news is that we can reduce the health risks by changing our habits and behaviors.

Find uses for food scraps before composting
Surprisingly, composting is not the first and best option for dealing with food waste, such as banana peels and coffee grounds. The new EPA chart suggests feeding livestock or pets first, then composting, and then, as a last resort, send it to the landfill.

In this chart, you can see the hierarchy of the best ways to deal with food waste. The main goal is to keep food out of landfills. Some studies suggest that 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from landfills. The most significant contributor to this problem is food waste. Washington State Department of Ecology has been focusing on reducing food waste and is committed to lowering landfill-disposed organic material by 75% by 2030. Right now, Washingtonians place 1.2 million tons of food waste into landfills per year. This waste is food from restaurants, institutional food services, and households. About 35% of this food is edible. Of that edible food waste, 37% of it is generated by households; 60% is from the commercial sector.

Smith employed the notion of cooking with scraps when invited to discuss the topic of food waste; she wanted to make it more fun, hands-on, and practical. When talking about concepts of edible and nonedible food waste, she wanted to give options to her audience to have them reimagine how to use what Americans consider nonedible food parts. Just because a part of the food is culturally nonedible does not mean it is trash. While not a new concept, cooking with ends and stems has been reimagined for modern kitchens as a creative and sustainable approach to cooking. Different cultures, customs, and culinary uses of food parts make cooking adventurous and fun. It’s about transforming what might typically be discarded into delicious, nutritious additions to your meals.

Innovative chefs and food writers around the country have created excellent guides to help you master the art of waste-free cooking. Check the internet for no-waste cooking, keeping food out of the garbage, a zero-waste diet, using peels, cores, rinds, and stems in meals, etc. The ideas are amazing!

Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals by Lindsay-Jean Hard is a comprehensive guide that transforms traditional food scraps into sophisticated cuisine.

Waste Not: How to Get the Most from Your Food by the James Beard Foundation features recipes and tips from renowned chefs.

Root to Stem: A Seasonal Guide to Natural Recipes and Remedies for Everyday Life by Alex Laird focuses on using whole ingredients for both culinary and medicinal purposes.

The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook: Recipes and Techniques for Whole Plant Cooking by Linda Ly specifically addresses how to use every part of your vegetables.

IKEA’s Scraps Book is a creative digital cookbook featuring recipes from prominent chefs focusing on recipes using ordinary kitchen scraps. Download here >

Discover how items we often discard-such as broccoli stems, citrus peels, and herb stems-can become the stars of our next meal. This can save money while reducing waste. From turning stale bread into creative croutons to transforming vegetable scraps into flavorful broths, the possibilities are endless. When we keep this awareness of what it takes for food to get to us in the front of our consciousness, we can more easily make mindful choices when buying our food and remember to use food well.

We need to be more mindful, or conscious, about using food well, creating little waste, and remembering that food is a finite resource. Being mindful means enjoying the food we prepare and serve, considering the miles the food has traveled. It means appreciating the personal effort spent nourishing ourselves, our family, and our friends. If we purchased a basket of strawberries, would we intentionally let it rot? Being mindful means using the food we buy to its highest purpose. Planning what to buy, storing the food for its longest shelf life, and using food to feed ourselves and family are ways of being mindful about and honoring our food.

We all have busy, full lives. How does one get started? Is it hard?

Smith suggests several approachable ways to reduce food waste:

 Be Practical–Start Small  

• Create meal plans: Consider the cycle of the food you buy for different opportunities to reduce food waste.
• Inventory existing supplies: Know what you have already and what needs to be consumed. Educate yourself about expiration and use-by dates and safe storage techniques.
• Shop with a list and eat before shopping (this helps avoid impulse buys).
• Buy the amount of food you need for the meals you plan to serve; this reduces leftovers.

Washingtonians place 1.2 million tons of food waste into landfills every year. About 35% of this food is edible. Of that edible food waste, 37% of it is generated by households. © Adobe Stock

Planned Leftovers
As you consider what to prepare for a meal, consider leftovers so you can plan to use all that you cook. Once a week, enjoy a Leftover Day (think Taco Tuesday followed by Waste-Free Wednesdays). Use visual reminders like the “Eat Me First” sign to gobble up those leftovers instead of tossing them.
Use Everything
Cook with vegetable scraps (like radish leaves and carrot tops). Save aquafaba (chickpea liquid) for baking, use corn cobs for stock, and repurpose celery ends and leaves. Freeze, can, or dry scraps for later. Feed livestock. Look for new creative ways to use leftovers and scraps.

Admittedly, a change in habits takes some effort. It has been very easy to throw food away in this country. Try considering why you prepare food the way you do. For example, take a rib of celery to put into soup. How much of either end of the rib do you cut off? Are those ends really inedible? Could they actually be used now or in another dish?

Check the websites in the references below for quick ideas on using dabs of leftovers, peelings, pits, and tidbits: freeze-drying, fruit leathers, baking, and soup stocks. We think you’ll be surprised and inspired. 

Other benefits of using food more mindfully include gathering food before it gets composted and distributing it to people in need as gleaners and food banks do.

If you are entrepreneurial, consider how to use a waste product and squeeze the last drop from the garbage. Here are examples of what is already being done.

• A juice company uses unwanted watermelon rinds to make flavored water.
• A pickle company in Denver reuses water that was used to make pickles. The water’s second act is in a Bloody Mary mix.
• A Danish distillery offers apple farmers a bottle of cider in exchange for their unwanted apples.
• In 2022, the local gleaners’ group diverted 1.4 million pounds of food from entering the landfill

Every household, even people living alone, can make a difference.
After completing her studies, Smith wondered how much of a difference one person or even one household could make. She did a food inventory and waste audit and was surprised at the amount being wasted. This type of inventory and audit can teach anyone where to start. Taking charge of how we cook and eat is one way to generate hope for the planet. Use the example of The Butterfly Effect: This proverb illustrates that seemingly inconsequential events can set off a chain of unpredictable consequences. Tossing out just one slice of bread into the landfill might not change anything. Still, if every household tosses bread into the landfill, it contributes to climate warming and indirectly results in climate change. The reverse is also true. Eat the slice of bread.

This past year, the staff at the Skagit Extension office decided to “walk the talk.” The Food Waste Prevention team advocated for office changes, including using leftovers discarded from lunches and food demos to feed the worms in the new worm bin. (Exceptions include onions, garlic, citrus, hot peppers, meat, dairy, etc.) The staff contacted the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners, and champions Herta Kurp, Claire Cotnoir, and Hank Davies to design and build a state-of-the-art worm bin. Fondly referred to as the Worm Chalet, it is just outside the Extension office front door. The composting area signage teaches about the foods that worms can eat, including which lunch scraps go in, and which scraps cannot be eaten. Since August, the office staff has fed the worms over 200 lbs. of scraps. The rich worm castings are created as the worms process the food and are used to enrich garden beds. The effort also included diverting paper towels to the green bin rather than the trash. Since the start, the office has filled and diverted 90 bags of paper towels to green waste recycling.

Efforts to reduce food waste are gaining momentum at state, national, and international levels. Check out these examples of government agencies working to reduce food waste and greenhouse gases:

• In Washington, the Department of Ecology supports a state-wide effort with the Use Food Well campaign and provides consumer resources to help reduce food waste.
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a roadmap for addressing food waste on a global scale. Specifically, SDG 12.3 aims to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains by 2030. This goal underscores the interconnectedness of food waste reduction with broader sustainability efforts, including poverty alleviation (SDG 1), zero hunger (SDG 2), and climate action (SDG 13).
• In the US, the EPA’s 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal aims to cut food waste in half by 2030, while initiatives like the US Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions program engage businesses in this mission (EPA, 2023).

 Mark Your Calendar: Always the Saturday Before Mother’s Day
We’re growing 3,500 tomato plants, and over 3,000 flower and vegetable starts along with edible and ornamental perennials for you to bring home and plant your garden this season.

How can people become more involved in combating food waste?
This coming fall, WSU will be offering a Climate Steward Certificate program in Skagit and Island counties. The purpose of the six-week hybrid course starting in mid-September is to improve people’s literacy and understanding of climate change. The Climate Steward program explores how policy supports or hinders climate change. The goal is to create a cadre of climate stewards trained to be liaisons for the community. Keep an eye on the Extension website: https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/ or call 360-428-4270 for more information.

Here locally, on Saturday, April 12, 2025 (1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.), the Skagit Food Waste Prevention Coalition is hosting a day of learning “Sculpting Sustainability: Solutions for Skagit Food Waste” at the Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA).The fun, family-friendly event includes activities for kids and a panel discussion featuring local culinary experts giving an overview of the Skagit food landscape. They will provide ideas and outline solutions already in play! The cost is free, but an RSVP is required. Learn more at: https://www.monamuseum.org/events/foodwasteprevention

Join the movement to reduce food waste! Get started by doing your own food inventory and audit. Discover new recipes, learn how to cook with scraps, save money, help the environment, and positively impact our local community.

RESOURCES:

Websites discussing the connection between climate and diet:

Climate is Action. Chicago Field Museum.

National Food Museum

Skagit County WSU Extension: Food Waste Prevention Program.

Washington State Department of Ecology: Use Food Well Program. 

Resources for recipes and learning to cook with scraps:

James Beard Foundation (2018) Waste Not: How to Get the Most from Your Food. Rizzoli Press

Laird, A.(2019) Root to Stem: A Seasonal Guide to Natural Recipes and Remedies for Everyday Life. Penguin Life Press

Ly, L. (2020) The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook: Recipes and Techniques for Whole Plant Cooking. Harvard Common Press

Hard, L. (2018) Cooking with Scraps. Workman Publishing Company

Project Drawdown

www.Niehs.nih.gov National Institute of Environmental Sciences, Health and Education

Naiyer, S. (2022) Effect of Greenhouse Gases on Human Health. Springer Nature Link. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-16-4482-5_5

Eat this first sign download 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Katryna Barber is a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener, Class of 2019. She has completed the Skagit County Solid Waste Division Master Composter Recycler Training. Katryna currently helps maintain the compost area at the Discovery Garden on Memorial Highway West of Mount Vernon.

Diane Smith, RD, MA, is a Professor, Food & Consumer Sciences, Food Access & Health Promotion, WSU Extension Youth and Family, Skagit County. Her research and publications include food access/food security, direct-to-consumer marketing, and program implementation.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Is Bamboo for Your Garden?

If you love bamboo, be a good neighbor and understand how to select, grow, and maintain the plant.

By Kay Torrance, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Bamboo is alternatingly loved and hated by home gardeners. Typically, gardeners are firmly planted in one camp or the other. Full disclosure: I love bamboo. With its soft green glow and exotic sculpted leaves rustling in the breeze, the impact of bamboo in a garden can be transforming. It invokes tranquility and quiet contemplation. Bamboo is unlike any other plant in the garden.

Bamboo resists drought, deer, pests, and disease.  As a landscape plant, it is self-mulching and evergreen. It grows well in poor soil. With all this going for it, why do so many cringe at the thought of growing bamboo? Bamboo has a reputation for being invasive and difficult to maintain. Is that a tired stereotype? Bamboo is not maintenance-free, few plants in the garden are. It requires at least annual maintenance and more extensive care every 3-4 years. Much less than a fruit tree but more than a cactus.

Often, bamboo is planted as a fast-growing evergreen privacy border, with the expectation that no pruning or maintenance will ever be needed once it is grown. Is that reasonable for any plant? Before planting, was the selected bamboo evaluated to see if it had a clumping or running habit? Whether it was short or timber-sized? The key to being in zen with your bamboo is understanding how to select, grow, and maintain the plant.

Phyllostachys Edulis ‘Moso’ is a common timber variety growing in Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Kyoto, Japan. Photo © Bobbi Lemme

Phyllostachys nigra ‘Black Bamboo’ showing smaller canes from the purchased nursery pot in the back and the new larger green culms produced two years later. Photo © Kay Torrance

What is Bamboo?
Bamboo is the tallest member of the grass family. Believed to originate in China, over a thousand species are growing worldwide in various climates. Some timber varieties grow over 100 feet tall with culms over a foot in diameter. In lush tropical environments, varieties can grow three feet a day. You can also find bamboo thriving in the snow-covered foothills of the Himalayas. Most bamboos originate from Asia, but several species of the genus Arundinaria are native to the Southeastern US.

Botanically, the plant is an evergreen perennial. Like all grasses, it has a woody ringed hollow stem known as a culm (commonly called canes). The joints along the culms are called nodes, and branches grow out above the nodes. The plants have an underground stem called a rhizome, and roots are clustered along the rhizome. New plants erupt from rhizomes as buds. These are called shoots once they emerge from the ground. New culms are protected by papery sheaths, which fall off when they mature and harden.

Not only is bamboo beautiful, it is functional. Strong enough for buildings, furniture, and fences, it is still used today in Asia as scaffolding to build skyscrapers. It is a renewable resource for home décor, garden stakes, brooms, livestock food, and charcoal. Tender baby culms are a dietary delicacy.

How Bamboo Grows
Bamboo produces new culms from rhizomes in the spring. They grow rapidly for 30 to 60 days, obtaining their full height. Only then will they start producing limbs and leaves. After the spring surge, bamboo does not generally grow taller or produce new culms until the following year. Individual culms can last 5-15 years before dying if not damaged. Bamboo rarely flowers, and it is typically propagated by division.

Bamboo is generally grouped by rhizome growth habits such as clumping or running. Growth habit is the single most important consideration when choosing a variety for your landscape! Clumping bamboos have U-shaped rhizomes that produce culms that are a shorter distance from the parent. Running bamboos naturally spread by sending new rhizomes many feet away from the parent plant. One hears stories of bamboo taking over yards and damaging sidewalks and foundations. To avoid such problems, carefully choose a variety suited to your selected location. Consider pots or containers instead of direct planting.

Newly divided bamboo typically takes 3-5 years to reestablish its root system and produce full-size canes. More vigorous running varieties take less time, and clumping varieties take longer. In an established grove, the new culms are roughly the same size as the existing ones. Proper sunlight, water, and soil nutrition will establish new plants quickly. Adequate watering in the first year is essential while the roots are established.

The growth habit of above-ground branches also varies between bamboos and is important when selecting bamboo for the right look in your yard. Some bamboos suppress branches on the lower nodes, creating a very upright and open appearance. Some are naturally weeping and have a more informal look. Some have a single branch emerging above a node, while others have multiple branches at each node, producing dense foliage. These branches can be pruned, but selecting a variety with the desired growth characteristics is easier than pruning each year.

Qiongzhuea tumidissinoda ‘Walking Stick’ bamboo has enlarged nodes. It is a fun variety that grows up to 12′ (less in a container). It is an aggressive running bamboo, sending rhizomes a long distance from the source, and likes to jump barriers. Best for a container. Photo © Kay Torrance

Bamboo garden and planter studio. Photo courtesy of Bamboo Garden Nursery

Varieties and Selection
The American Bamboo Society lists almost 500 kinds of bamboo grown in the US and Canada. Sizes vary from under a foot to over 100′ tall. Many bamboos have gold, blue, red, black, and variegated canes. The nodes can be straight or bulbous, like the walking stick bamboo in Bu Belly or Chinese. There are even varieties with zigzag canes. See the section below for a list of varieties suited for the PNW.

The Pacific Northwest is not an ideal growing location for bamboo. Bamboos grow slower in our cool summers with limited rain. Some bamboos that are invasive elsewhere are not a problem here. For example, Phyllostachys aurea, common ‘Golden’ or ‘Fishing pole’ bamboo, has a reputation for being invasive. However, here, bamboo grows slower than in climates where summer temperatures average 90+ degrees Fahrenheit. If you plant it in the shade, the growth will be slower. A neighbor planted Phyllostachys aurea next to a water garden over 50 years ago. Initially, it thrived, but as conifers grew up around the area, it struggled for light and recently died. Like other grasses, most bamboos can take full sun and will thrive in it. Some prefer part shade. None will grow in full shade.

Is bamboo right for you? Before adding bamboo or any plant to your garden, think about your goals and expectations:

• What do you want to accomplish? Privacy? Texture? Most people select bamboo as a natural evergreen privacy screen or a focal point for their garden.
• How much room do you have? Do you want a forest, a clump, or a pot on your deck? There are varieties appropriate for all of these uses.
• How much maintenance do you have time for? Clumping varieties require less root pruning and are less likely to escape.
• How tall should the plants grow? Although bamboo tolerates pruning well, the resulting boxy look might not be desired. Selecting a variety that matures to the desired height without topping is better.
• Do you want small, delicate leaves that tinkle in the wind or large leaves that rustle? I have a patch of Pseudosasa japonica ‘Japanese Arrow’ bamboo. Its large leaves rustle delightfully in a breeze, growing only to 15′. It provides year-round privacy but is a running bamboo, so its growth needs to be limited with semi-annual root pruning.
• Is there a color preference? In addition to solid green, culms can be yellow, orange, red, blue, silver, or even variegated. Leaf colors can be shades of green, yellow, blue, silvery, and variegated. Beware that many colorful bamboos are from the tropics, so choices for the PNW are limited.
• Do you want pencil-width stalks, medium size, or a diameter measured in inches? If you want a cane that is an inch across, make sure you have room for a forest. If you choose a large-diameter bamboo, you can have bamboo canes for projects around your home. Small-diameter culms can provide endless plant stakes, craft supplies, and weaving material. Having uses for pruned canes makes maintenance enjoyable.
• Are you looking for an open upright structure or a dense natural fence? Running bamboos have more space between the culms and a more upright appearance. Clumping bamboo culms grow more closely together. Some bamboos have more horizontal branches that make a good privacy screen.

Phyllostachys nigra ‘Black Bamboo’ grown against a foundation and contained by a sidewalk at the Elisabeth C. Miller Library in Seattle. In this shady contained location, it will not grow to its unconstrained height of 35′. Photo by Kay Torrance

If you are considering bamboo:

• Avoid buying large (over ½ mature culm size) running bamboo unless you are committed to containing and maintaining it. See maintenance requirements below.
• Avoid planting a hedge of any type of bamboo along a property line for privacy and not building a containment system along the property line to keep it on your side.
• Avoid planting bamboo in areas where there is irrigation or where you fertilize routinely. It will grow fast and require more maintenance. Bamboo planted next to turf lawns will soak in all that water and fertilizer and grow quickly.

Planting and Management
Even though bamboo is likely filling the role of a shrub or tree in your yard, manage it like the grass it is. If you want to contain a plot of grass, you either put a barrier in the ground to redirect the root growth, or you can edge (cut) the roots. The same method is required to contain a stand of bamboo. Bamboo rarely seeds and is surprisingly difficult to propagate from seed. 
Container Planting
The most obvious barrier to preventing bamboo spread is planting it in a pot or container. Like any potted plant, it will need to be thinned every few years or become a root-bound mess. Choose straight-sided pots and use a perennial root-cutting blade to reduce the size. You can build wooden planters with a removable side, making thinning easier. Don’t wait too long. The job just gets more challenging.
Root Barriers
You may have a natural root barrier, such as a rocky terrain or a pond. Despite its tropical appearance, bamboo does not like wet feet. It makes a great companion planting around ponds and will grow best on a small mound, elevating its roots from moisture. You can use a densely forested area as a natural barrier, as bamboo needs some sun. You do not want to plant larger or timber bamboo close to your home, driveway, or sidewalks. Clumping bamboo can also put a lot of pressure on a barrier or pot. Allow room on all sides of the barrier to do maintenance. Don’t install a barrier right on a property line. Set it back about two feet so you can manage the back side.

Most yards do not have suitable natural barriers, so fabricated barriers are needed. Typical bamboo root depth is around 8-12″, with some timber bamboo roots reaching around 18″. A healthy bamboo with vigorous roots will try to dig under or over the top of your barrier, so a barrier height of 24″ is common. Barriers up to 30″ may be required for timber bamboo. If you mound your bamboo, a shallower barrier can work.

You can use metal, wood, or fabric as barriers. Metal will rust and disintegrate over time, and wood will rot. The most long-lasting barriers are either rigid 40 mil HDPE (high-density polyethylene) or flexible EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer). Alternatively, you can buy a thick EPDM pond liner and cut it to size. Standard landscaping fabric is insufficient for control. You can buy molded pond liners in various shapes and fill them with dirt instead of water. You will need to cut holes in the bottom so they drain, but don’t cut them too close to the sides.

Barriers will do a good job of containing the bamboo, but you still need to inspect the area during the spring and summer and check for the occasional rhizome trying to go over or under the barrier. The bamboo stand will overgrow its area over 3-7 years and must be thinned. It is best to do this before the roots become a solid mass and are hard to cut. Plan on removing a third of the bamboo every 3 years. Battery-operated or electrical reciprocating saws with long wood or pruning blades make the job easier.

Perimeter Trench
Another method of containment is a loosely filled perimeter trench. Dig an 18″ deep trench about 12-18″ wide around the bamboo location. Fill it with sand, pea gravel, or loose soil. Don’t use soils with silt or clay, as they will compact and harden over time. Bamboo rhizomes will continue to grow and expand freely when they enter the trench. In the fall or early spring, use a spade (the ones with serrated blades work best), root saw, or reciprocating saw with a long blade and work around the perimeter, cutting off and removing any new growth that has entered the trench. Make sure to pull out all of the rhizomes. You do not need to worry about the fibrous roots.

Fargesia nitida ‘Jiuzhaigou’ is a clumping bamboo. This cultivar is ‘Red Fountain’ with pencil sized red canes. Cultivars of this variety can be found with different colored canes. © Photo by Kay Torrance

Fargesia robusta ‘Campbell’ is a clumping bamboo with ¾” canes. © Photo by Kay Torrance.

Removing Shoots and Mowing
Another method of control is simply removing unwanted shoots at the ground level or just below. It is easiest to do in the spring when they are tender. They will not grow back. For smaller-diameter bamboo, you can use your lawn mower to run over unwanted culms anytime.
Pruning the Foliage
Bamboo foliage doesn’t need a lot of maintenance. Varieties with many horizontal branches can be legged up to showcase the culms better. If you need to control the height, bamboo is very tolerant of topping. However, it saves work to choose the right-sized bamboo for your location. 

You should thin the canes every year or two. If the canes are not thinned, the grove can become very dense and vase-shaped as culms compete for sunlight. Cut the canes anytime during the year at or below ground level, removing no more than a third of the canes each year. New canes are not as strong, so thin the oldest canes. Old canes have many uses, so think of this as harvest time.

Rejuvenation or Removal
Rejuvenation often requires removing a large portion of the bamboo grove. The easiest way to kill all or part of the plant is to remove the unwanted canes at ground level or just below it and not let them grow back. Remove bamboo with small-diameter canes with a lawn mower; larger canes will require a lopper or a saw. 

Bamboo needs nourishment from the canes and will die without it. It is best to use this method right after the new culms have reached full height in early summer. The plant has just expended a great deal of energy sending up the culms and will be severely weakened by pruning. It will try to regrow, so make sure to follow up. It can take one to three years before the plant is completely dead. Make sure to shut off irrigation and sprinklers in the area. This method leaves the roots in the ground but they will rot in a year or two.

If you need immediate removal of the plant and rhizomes, the only solution is digging. It is best done when the soil is moist. Cut the canes at one foot (or so) above the ground and use them to help pull out the rhizomes. Get all the rhizomes, but don’t worry about the fibrous roots. As for other methods, there are many: applying chlorine, salt, vinegar, and even gasoline. These contaminate the soil. They may kill the bamboo, but they will destroy the soil ecology and everything nearby. 

Fargesia dracocephala ‘Rufa’ ‘Dragon’s Head’ at the WSU Discovery Garden. This clumping bamboo has a loose weeping habitat so the hedge has been pruned to keep it off the path. Bamboos tolerate pruning well as long as adequate leaves are left for plant health. © Photo by Kay Torrance

Purchasing Bamboo
If you are still reading and anxious to start, don’t rush out and buy the first plant you find. Many nurseries carry only one or two varieties of bamboo. Often, they choose varieties that grow fast and are easily divided, which may not be what you want. 

When choosing plants:

• Avoid plants that are pot-bound with circling roots. These plants will usually have the culms growing right next to the outer edge of the pots, and sometimes, the pots will bulge where the rhizomes are overcrowded.
• Like most plants, a larger pot with more mature culms will establish quicker than a recently divided plant with one or two culms.
• Pay attention to the label. Expect that it will take 3-5 years for plants to reach its established height. The old adage about the first year a plant sleeps, the second it creeps, and the third it leaps is very true of bamboo. It is normal for nursery wholesalers to prune the stalks when dividing or transporting stock, so don’t go by what you see for height.
• Check the label for growing zones. Cold tolerance is important. Some lovely bamboos are marginal for our area. A hard, prolonged freeze might kill them, or they may die down to the ground. If the rhizomes survive, they can take years to recover.

If you can’t find what you want locally, consider mail order. Many bamboo specialty nurseries and Japanese botanical gardens have groves of mature plants for reference. Do research online. There are lots of pictures of bamboo staged with a person for scale. Plan to plant your bamboo in the spring or early summer to establish roots before any freezes. For the first summer, bamboo needs regular water and heavy mulch.

Variety Suggestions

• Fargesia nitida ‘Jiuzhaigou’ is a short and slender clumping variety of bamboo that grows 8-10′ tall. Many colorful cultivars are available, such as ‘Red Fountain’ and ‘Black Cherry’. The canes are pencil-thin with tiny leaves. It has a dramatic vertical growth habit and is very manageable both individually and as a hedge.
• Fargesia rufa ‘Sunset Glow’ is a small clumping bamboo that grows 5-10′ tall with 1/3″ red-orange canes, medium-sized leaves, and a weeping growth habit. Suitable as a shrub in a grouping or a short, dense hedge to provide color.
• Fargesia dracocephala ‘Dragon’s Head’ is a clumping bamboo that grows 8-12′ with 1/2″ canes. It also has a weeping fountain-shaped appearance with medium-sized leaves that sway in the wind. Good for a dense hedge, but allow room for it to lean.
• Fargesia robusta ‘Campbell’ is a clumping bamboo that grows to 12-15′ with ¾” canes. The canes start green but age to a pale yellow. Very upright and tight culm spacing with large leaves. Makes a very dense hedge or large 15-20′ grove. It tends to become vase-shaped if culms are not thinned to allow light to reach the center. Canes are straight and strong.
• Qiongzhuea tumidissinoda, known as ‘Walking Stick’ bamboo, has ½” canes with enlarged nodes. It is only recommended for containers as it is an aggressive and agile runner. It grows 10-15′ but less in containers.
• Pleioblastus viridistriatus is commonly called ‘Greenstripe’ bamboo. It is widely available and grows 2-3′ with tiny canes. It has chartreuse and cream-colored variegation in the leaves. It is unusual because it is deciduous, losing its leaves in the winter. It is a great container plant or tall ground cover. Due to its small size, many people control it with their lawnmower instead of barriers or pruning.

Finally, if you are looking for the impact of a bamboo forest, look for a medium-height running bamboo to plant inside a barrier or container. The iconic Phyllostachys nigra ‘black timber’ bamboo is a good choice. However, the variety is currently undergoing a mass flowering event. Bamboos only flower every 30-120 years, depending on the species. After flowering, the entire plant dies. Since most bamboo is propagated by division, the plants of a particular variety are all identical. They will die en mass worldwide until they return from the notoriously tricky seeds to germinate. That is what is happening now with the beloved black bamboo. For now, if you are looking for the aesthetics of a timber bamboo, try one of the Phyllostachys. The variegated Phyllostachys aureosulcata ‘Yellow Groove’ is a good choice that sports an occasional zigzag cane or perhaps the classic Semiarundinaria fastuosa ‘Red Temple’, for more color.

Is there a blog topic you’d like to learn more about?
Share your ideas with the blog editors in the comment section below.

RESOURCES:

Heinricher, J. and Flemmons, K. (2006) Discovering Bamboo. Boo-Shoot Gardens LLC

Meredith, Ted Jordan (2006) Timber Press Pocket Guide to Bamboos, Timber Press, Portland, OR

Farrelly, D. (1984) The Book of Bamboo: A Comprehensive Guide to This Remarkable Plant, Its Uses, and Its History.Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, CA

Stangler, C. (2001) The Craft & Art of Bamboo. Lark Books; New York, NY

American Bamboo Society. https://www.bamboo.org

WSU Vegetable Research and Extension. https://vegetables.wsu.edu/crops/bamboo/

Kay Torrance

AUTHOR:
Kay Torrance has been a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2019. She is garden coordinator of the Naturescape garden and pond in the Discovery Garden on SR 536 west of Mount Vernon. https://skagitmg.org/home/discovery-garden/

Enjoy a Day Trip to Tour a Pacific Northwest Garden

February is an excellent time to look ahead and plan a visit to one of the many public gardens showcasing a range of plants from native to tropical beauty

By Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

Creating and appreciating a garden is a dynamic, creative process that benefits from the inspiration of others’ work, traditions, and history. Gardeners in the Pacific Northwest are fortunate to have access to many garden styles and a wide variety of plant combinations at gardens and nurseries that are open to the public – all within range of a day trip from Skagit Valley.

In this article, several Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners share observations from their recent visits to a sampling of regional display gardens. Each author highlights the visit with inspirations ranging from the native rhododendrons of Meerkerk Gardens on Whidbey Island to the amazing cloud forest of the Seattle Spheres.

Perhaps you are hosting visitors this summer or in charge of planning an outing for a group of friends; use these ideas as a springboard for your next garden inspiration. Details for each garden include website links, contact information, logistics, and admission information to help prepare for a visit.

University of Washington Biology Greenhouse Photo © Kay Torrance

University of Washington Biology Greenhouse Photo © Jessamyn Tuttle

University of Washington Biology Greenhouse

Location: Lower level, southwest side of the Life Sciences Building, at 3747 W Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA. Map

By Kay Torrance, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

In 2023, a group of Skagit Master Gardeners toured the UW Biology Greenhouse, the Elizabeth C. Miller Library, the UW Botanic Gardens and the Washington Park Arboretum. Though this excerpt focuses on the biology greenhouse, I recommend each of the venues as a treasure trove of plant learning,

The UW Biology Greenhouse is a 20,000-square-foot facility opened in 2022, showcasing over 6,000 plant species. According to the website, the new structure “replaces the original Botany Greenhouse, where the UW’s biology department had amassed one of the country’s most diverse plant collections over a period of 65 years.” Led by docents, the group explored four themed garden rooms: Desert, Tree of Life, Warm Tropics, and Cool Tropics.

The Desert Room features North American cacti and plants from Africa, including a Welwitschia from Namibia. Next, the group walked through the Tree of Life room, where plants are displayed in evolutionary order. Next, the tour moved into the warmth of the Warm Tropics Room, filled with palms, gingers, and orchids. The tour then took the Master Gardeners to the Cool Tropics Room, showcasing high-altitude tropical plants. The greenhouse also includes climate-controlled rooms for research and education, benefiting university students in fields such as plant ecology and landscape architecture.

Read an entire blog article about the 2023 visit to the UW Biology Greenhouse at https://skagitmg.org/visit-uw-botanic-garden/

Website: https://www.biology.washington.edu/facilities/greenhouse

Hours and tours:

• The UW Biology Greenhouse is open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. on non-holiday Wednesdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month-docent-led tours for groups of more than eight people by arrangement.
• The UW Botanic Gardens and Washington Park Arboretum are open daily to the public. https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/

Admission: Free

Contact information: https://www.biology.washington.edu/facilities/greenhouse/contact

Amazon Spheres Photo © Laura Kuhn

The Seattle Spheres

Location: 2111 7th Avenue, Seattle

By Laura Kuhn, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The Seattle Spheres is a private biosphere space created at Amazon headquarters near downtown Seattle in 2018. The space, which includes three glass-enclosed spherical conservatories, is open by reservation only to the public on the first and third Saturdays of each month.

This lush and beautiful facility supports a cloud forest environment – think rainforest tree canopy – supporting flora ranging from tiny begonias and orchids to large tree ferns and aloes. A highlight is the “living walls” that boast over 25,000 plants woven into 4,000 square feet of mesh in what the organization calls an “innovative demonstration of biodiversity.” Trees are planted in pots in the Canyon Living Wall area, and the vertical gardens are more than three stories tall.

There are over 40,000 plant varieties, with many plants in bloom in a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes. Visitors may explore four stories of plants accessible by stairs or elevators.

Website: Seattlespheres.com

Hours: By reservation only, open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays of each month. If you do not have a reservation or go to the location on another day of the week, visit the Understory or the Urban Arboretum found outside of The Spheres.

Admission: Free

Contact Information: For details and to make a reservation, go to https://www.seattlespheres.com/the-spheres-weekend-public-visits

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Location: 305 Harrison Street, Seattle

By: Kathy Wolfe, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Chihuly Garden and Glass highlights a beautiful combination of the iconic glass works of artist Dale Chihuly set in a vibrant garden showcase. The Glasshouse and adjacent displays and exhibitions opened at the base of the Space Needle in Seattle Center in May 2012.

The stunning Chihuly glass art, coupled with beautiful gardens, is a collaboration that inspires visitors from around the world. Chihuly has worked with public gardens – large and small – in the US and internationally to create colorful blends of plants and glass that meld into complementary natural vignettes. Gardeners can be inspired by the clever combinations of glass and plants.

Depending on the time of year, visitors to the Glasshouse may see a wide range of camellias blooming among dogwood, along with scarlet daylilies and fuchsias, accented by icicle-shaped glass towers and spheres incorporated to embellish the scene. The gardens are transformed seasonally, and a master plant list used by the landscape design team is available on the facility’s website.

In addition to the garden area of the exhibit, ticket prices include the Exhibition spaces containing Chihuly’s glass creations, drawings, large architectural installations, and personal collections. A theater offers a short film on Chihuly’s artwork; a free audio tour is available. The Bar restaurant provides food and beverages; and a bookstore offers a selection of gifts, cards, and books.

Website: https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com

Hours and tours: Hours vary daily, so check the website for details. The venue can be closed for private events. Highlight tours are offered three times daily and included in the price of admission.

Admission: Tickets should be purchased in advance. Prices range from $22 to $37.50 depending on a guest’s age (free for children under four) and the time of year.

Contact Information: For general information, call 206-753-4940 or contact guestservice@chihulygardenandglass.com

Happening now: “Winter Brilliance” is a light and music installation containing more than 700 hand-blown glass forms that runs until February 28, 2025, in Gallery 1.

Elizabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden Photo © Crowell Photography.com

Elizabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden
Photo © Crowell Photography.com

Elizabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden

Location: 79 Olympic Drive Northwest, Seattle

By Nancy Crowell, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

In Western Washington gardening history, there are a handful of people all serious gardeners should know about because of their incredible, prolonged influence on gardening in the region. One of those people was devoted horticulturist Elizabeth C. Miller, whose name is now associated with the Elizabeth Miller Library at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture and the Elizabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden – commonly known as the Miller Garden.

Elizabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden
Photo © Crowell Photography.com

The Miller Garden, which was developed on six acres of Miller’s private home, has established collections and themed areas. However, the key to why a diehard gardener should take a tour here is that this garden is where Great Plant Picks tests and chooses the plants recommended for our Pacific Northwest gardens. The garden’s website describes the Great Plant Picks as “recommendations for a comprehensive palette of outstanding plants for the maritime Pacific Northwest.” The website states that more than 1,000 plants have been selected to date for gardeners living west of the Cascade Mountains from Eugene, Oregon, to Vancouver, British Columbia.

The garden was designated a public garden in trust after Miller died in 1994, unbeknownst to her neighbors in the exclusive neighborhood. As a compromise to neighbors concerned about large numbers arriving in the neighborhood, the garden is limited to 500 visitors a year, and the coveted entry tickets are sold out months in advance. In fact, the entire 2025 tour season is already sold out.

The garden is well established, yet still a work in progress as caretakers update and refresh the original plantings. A tour reveals surprises around every corner. Fall is a favorite time to visit due to the vast collection of established Japanese maples, though a midsummer visit was equally impressive.

Miller and her horticultural adventures are fascinating. Read more at https://millergarden.org/, then toss your name into the tour lottery. I hope you get a call.  

Website: https://millergarden.org/

Hours and tours: All visits to the Miller Garden are by reservation only with a staff member as a guide. The garden website states, “due to an unprecedented response, the 2025 tour season is now filled.” Early bird reservations for 2026 will open in autumn 2025. A “virtual” tour is offered online at https://millergarden.org/the-garden/

Admission: Free

Contact Information: To be added to the email list for class or tour date announcements, send a message to info@millergarden.org

Heronswood Photo © Heronswood

Heronswood
Photo © Heronswood

Heronswood

Location: 31912 Little Boston Rd NE, Kingston, WA Note: Ferry wait times to the Olympic Penninsula can be long so make reservations and plan accordingly.

By Anne Hays, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Nestled in the charming town of Kingston on the north end of the Olympic Peninsula, Heronswood Garden can feel like stepping into a living dream. This enchanting botanical garden, established by renowned plantsman Dan Hinkley, is a paradise for anyone who cherishes nature’s quiet beauty.

The gardens opened in 1987 and comprise 15 acres and more than 8,000 varieties spread across six distinct yet integrated gardens.

As guests pass through the garden gate, they are immersed in a world where every path leads to a new discovery. Heronswood’s collection of rare and unusual plants is astounding, curated from all corners of the globe. The garden’s thoughtful design blends exotic with native plants, creating a seamless tapestry of textures and colors that change with the seasons.

The garden bursts to life in spring, with rhododendrons in full bloom in a variety of vibrant hues contrasting with the surrounding lush greenery. A fern glade mesmerizes visitors with the delicate interplay of light and shadow.

As one of the state’s “hidden gems,” the gardens offer tranquility and intimacy, allowing guests to wander for hours enjoying the color, listening to the birdsong, and gaining inspiration.

For some visitors, Heronswood is more than a garden-it’s a haven. For plant lovers, artists, and anyone seeking solace in nature, it’s a destination that lingers in the heart long after.

Website: https://www.heronswoodgarden.org/

Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closed major holidays. Summer opening hours start April 2, 2025.

Admission: $10 for adults, $5 for youth aged 7 to 17, and free for children aged 6 and younger. 

Contact Information: 360-297-9620, Info@heronswoodgarden.org. To learn more about classes and events, go to https://www.heronswoodgarden.org/event

Meerkerk Gardens
Photo © Anne Hayes

Meerkerk Gardens

Location: 3531 Meerkerk Lane, Greenbank, WA (Whidbey Island)

By Anne Hayes,  Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Nestled just 50 miles from Mount Vernon is Meerkerk Gardens, described as a well-curated “peaceful woodland garden.” The grounds provide a conveniently accessible garden, one of Whidbey Island’s best-kept secrets.

Established by Ann and Max Meerkerk, the grounds include a 10-acre Northwest woodland display garden and 43 woodland acres lined with nature trails. The gardens showcase native flora, including rhododendrons, azaleas, and companion plants, in a variety of garden rooms. Visitors may stroll along the curving, easy-walking paths through the splendor of rhododendrons galore – featuring vibrant shades of colors from white to pink and vibrant red to purple. Today, the Meerkerk Rhododendron Garden nonprofit manages the gardens and woodlands, established in 2002.

In addition to garden access, the website offers detailed information about seasonal guided walks, concerts, children’s programs, nature classes, rhododendron care classes, and guided tour information. The website also features a bloom report so guests can time a visit to experience the complete joy and bloom of the gardens. The garden features color and texture during all seasons.

A special addition is the onsite nursery, open by appointment only in the fall and winter months, reopening in March on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Website: gardeninfo@meerkerkgardens.org

Hours: Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily

Admission: $10 for adults and free for children under age 13. Dogs on leash are welcome.

Walks: Guided walks are offered during some seasons, starting at 1 p.m. at the Gatehouse and lasting about 90 minutes. Walks are free for Friends of Meerkerk (and children under 13); the cost is $15 per person for non-members.  Preregister at www.meerkerkgardens.org/events

Contact Information: 360-678-1912

Is there a garden you love or hope to visit soon?
Share your favorite display gardens in the comment section below.

Urban Meadow at Bellevue Botanical Garden Photo © James Gagliardi, Bellevue Botanical Garden Director

Yao Garden at Bellevue Botanical Garden Photo © James Gagliardi, Bellevue Botanical Garden Director

Bellevue Botanical Garden

Location: 12001 Main St., Bellevue, WA

By Diana Wisen, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

As one of the most beautifully designed public botanical gardens in the United States, the Bellevue Botanical Garden is a “must-see” for anyone who loves gardens in the Pacific Northwest. The garden spans 53 acres in a wondrous mixture of cultivated gardens, restored woodlands, natural wetlands, and native plant collections. The paths lead visitors through hillside rock gardens, ponds, and a stream, through forests, past a gnome door hidden under a tree, and a Chinese garden, all with lovely works of garden art throughout.

Urban Meadow with irises at Bellevue Botanical Garden Photo © James Gagliardi, Bellevue Botanical Garden Director

Visitors will likely see varieties of trees they have never seen before. Visitors may wish to bring a cell phone to use the QR codes on the signage for more educational information about the plants. A small professional staff maintains and manages the garden along with local groups and individuals who donate nearly 20,000 hours a year to maintain the gardens.

The garden is known for its winter light display called “Garden d’Lights” during December, with tickets sold online.

The garden is currently hosting a special traveling exhibit called “The Lost Birds” through September 2025. The display features hauntingly beautiful giant bronze statues of extinct birds placed in a circle.

The Trillium Store gift shop and Copper Kettle Coffee shop both have seasonal hours.

Website: https://bellevuebotanical.org/

Hours and tours: Open daily from dawn to dusk, including all holidays. Free public tours are available on Saturday and Sunday, April through October. Private docent-led group tours can be scheduled online.

Admission: Free. Service animals are only allowed in the garden.

Contact Information: Administrative Office may be reached at 425-452-2750. To contact the Bellevue Botanical Garden Society, email bbgsoffice@bellevuebotanical.org

Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Discovery Garden

Location: 16650 State Route 536 (Memorial Highway), Mount Vernon, WA

By Ginny Bode, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Discovery Garden, located on State Route 536 west of Mount Vernon, always amazes visitors. A stop at the gardens is an easy addition to the list of area attractions.

First-time visitors are often surprised by the extensive collection found in the 1.5-acre garden. The well-maintained paths wind through 25+ garden rooms, including a koi pond, an herb garden, a vegetable garden, and many benches for resting. Each garden has a focus on specific plants that thrive in the Skagit Valley.

Visitors will find many educational opportunities and kiosks about growing fruits and vegetables, ornamental and native plant gardening, pollinators, and composting.

The Children’s Garden at Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Discovery Garden Photo © Sue Wren

A highlight is the Children’s Garden, which is filled with colorful plants and whimsical structures. It is a place where children can touch, smell, and explore different textures, as well as vegetable patches and flower beds that encourage curiosity about how food grows and foster a love of nature and gardening.

The Discovery Garden, designed to inspire and educate the public, is maintained by 150 volunteer master gardeners. An annual open house is held in the garden from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the last Saturday in June, featuring a plant clinic and children’s activities.

Adjacent to the Discovery Garden are two additional public display gardens on the WSU NWREC property: the 0.5-acre Salal Native Plant Garden and the 6-acre NW Fruit Garden.

Website: https://skagitmg.org/home/discovery-garden/

Hours: Open daily during daylight hours

Admission: Free

Contact Information: For information, go to https://skagitmg.org/home/discovery-garden/

THANK YOU TO THE AUTHORS:
Kay Torrance, Laura Kuhn, Kathy Wolfe, Nancy Crowell, Anne Hays, Diana Wisen, and Ginny Bode with the introduction by Kari Ranten. All are Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners who love visiting and finding inspiration in display gardens near home or on holiday.

Tips to Making Strategic Vegetable Seed Selections

Helpful Ideas for Choosing What to Grow in the Vegetable Garden

By Kari Ranten and Cathy Markham, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

Planning a vegetable garden for the upcoming growing season is the perfect indoor activity for the cold gray month of January in northwest Washington. Those plans all begin with the process of choosing the right seeds for the produce you want to plant, grow, harvest, eat, and preserve.

Shopping for seeds can be just as fun and educational as any step in the vegetable garden.

Giving a gardener a stack of seed catalogs is like the veritable “kid in a candy store.” These volumes, filled with colorful images and tempting descriptions of dozens of vegetables – from asparagus to zucchini – create a shopping experience like no other. As certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Cathy Markham notes, “The problem is there are thousands of choices and, yet, that’s the fun part.”

The challenge in seed selection is to remain focused, strategic, and practical in making the right choices.

Start your research of seed options after making a list of favorite vegetables and evaluating your space, facilities, and skill level. Begin with learning how to read a seed description in a catalog, on a website, or a seed packet.
Photo © Cathy Markham, used with permission by Skagit County Master Gardeners

In our area warm-season crops such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and melons need to be started indoors. Cathy uses a soil-blocking method (pictured above) to start seeds. This allow roots to grow vigorously without confinement and minimizes transplant shock.
Photo © Cathy Markham, used with permission by Skagit County Master Gardeners

Getting started
Here are some important considerations to help narrow down what seeds to purchase:

• Grow your favorites: Think about the produce that is most used and appreciated at the dinner table or preserved in the freezer or pantry. Putting a priority on these vegetables can help pare down the list of what to grow and the seeds to purchase. Cathy is a tomato aficionado, and pours over the seed catalogs and websites for her favorites and opportunities to try new varieties.
• Space: Based on the favorites list, look at the pots, raised beds, or garden space available for growing vegetables. Look at the space with an eye on directional exposure, light, and surroundings. An experienced vegetable gardener, Cathy grows a little bit of everything, including lots of tomatoes plus greens, peas, beans, and root vegetables. While she once had five acres, she now has a small garden space and works hard to maximize the potential by mapping out a plan for the garden space each year. She records progress notes to help in future seasons. In planning, also keep in mind that some crops, such as tomatoes, a member of the nightshade family, need to be rotated to a different area of the garden each season to limit pests and disease.

• Equipment: When choosing seeds for warm-season crops such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and melons, remember that these need to be started indoors at home or in a greenhouse to be successful. A greenhouse is not required as many compact options are available to set up lights and heat mats on shelves indoors or in a garage.

• Skill level: For beginners, start on a smaller scale and add more vegetable varieties in future seasons. Also, consider doing some research and ask friends or neighbors with experience with vegetable gardens. Experienced vegetable gardeners rely on previous experience and notes taken during prior seasons on successful varieties and harvest results.

• Expense: Think about the vegetables that can be more expensive at the store or market and compare them to the cost of seeds and the season’s labor of love by the gardener. It can be easy to go crazy in the seed “candy store” so be mindful to purchase only the number of seeds to accommodate the space and objectives for the garden.

A greenhouse is not required to start seeds. Many compact options are available to set up lights and heat mats on shelves indoors or in a garage. Read more about building a DIY grow stand here > DIY Indoor Grow Stand  Photo © Cathy Markham, used with permission by Skagit County Master Gardeners

Research and understand seed options
After evaluating favorite vegetables, space, facilities, and skill level, research seed options. For starters, it helps to know how to read a seed description in a catalog website or seed packet. The gardener also needs to understand key terms, such as cultivar, heirloom, open-pollinated, hybrid, and resistance, as outlined in an article by Kym Pokorny and Nicole Sanchez of Oregon State University titled “Learn the Terms on Seed Packets to Make the Right Selection.”

When looking at seed options, consider the following key elements to consider for success in the maritime climate and relatively short growing season of northwest Washington:

• Days to maturity: It’s key to check how many days the crop needs to reach maturity. Cathy recommends choosing “early” varieties with 55 to 60 days to maturity to gain a successful crop. Seeds with 70 to 80 days to maturity can work; however, they may be more challenging. Seeds identified as reaching maturity at more than 80 days are rarely suited for northwest growing conditions.

• Understand the Zone: Check out the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to confirm and learn more about the environment of the garden location.

• Consider Pacific Northwest-based seed producers: Several seed producers are located in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia that may provide seed options designed for the region’s climate. Longtime Northwest seed producers include Ed Hume Seeds, Territorial Seed Company, and West Coast Seeds.

• Disease resistance: Look for seeds that will produce disease-resistant plants. The Pacific Northwest Vegetable Extension Group of Washington State University, Oregon State University, and University of Idaho has a great deal of information for gardeners at https://mtvernon.wsu.edu/path_team/
• Bolt tendency: When under stress, such as heat, some vegetables have a tendency to bolt, sending up flowers and producing seeds before the harvest. Check the seed description and look for “bolt resistant” or “slow bolting.”
• Space requirements: Matching up with the earlier evaluation of available pots, raised beds, and garden space, choose seeds for varieties sized to fit. Buy only what you will need for one or two years.
• Keep a record: Since 2010, Cathy has kept a notebook filled with clippings from seed catalogs or packets and adds notes about the season’s successes and failures to inform seed selection in future seasons.

Photo © Cathy Markham, used with permission by Skagit County Master Gardeners
A focus on tomatoes
As noted, Cathy has a special interest in raising tomatoes. This can be a joy and a challenge for Northwest gardeners based on the shorter growing season. The same can be said for peppers, eggplant, and melons, which all must be started in a greenhouse or indoor growing set up with heat and lights. Read more about building a DIY grow stand in blog article: https://skagitmg.org/indoor-grow-stand/

When reviewing tomato seeds, Cathy recommends giving special attention to the days to maturity, space needs, and available natural light. Dwarf, determinate varieties work well in pots as they are smaller and more compact. Also, think about the uses and flavors for tomatoes and select varieties to span salads to sauces.

In her search for seeds, Cathy focuses on growing different sizes of tomatoes in a “rainbow of colors” to enjoy fresh and in different types of preparations. She receives a variety of seed catalogs and orders favorites such as Italian Red Pear, an Italian heirloom (seeds available at Seeds of Italy, growitalian.com), and she is willing to try a new, emerging variety that may not be available locally.

Cathy’s small-scale garden space means her seed search must match her garden’s layers and vertical growth opportunities. Cathy uses a soil-blocking method to start seeds, planting a few more than needed to make sure she has enough, and uses an indoor shelf lighting and heat mat system in the garage to get her tomatoes started. Tiny tomatoes need daily monitoring for moisture, temperature, and light. As the small plants grow, Cathy occasionally will put the flats of fledgling tomatoes outside for a very brief time on warmer days to get a boost of sunshine.

Tomatoes: Determinate vs. Indeterminate
According to Washington State University Extension Fact Sheet #FS145E titled Vegetables: Growing Tomatoes in Home Gardens, “there are 7,500 varieties of tomatoes with differences in color, shape, growth habit, length to harvest, taste, and disease resistance. Tomatoes are classified as either determinate or indeterminate. Determinate varieties are bush-like, with all the tomatoes ripening about the same time. Indeterminate varieties are vine-like, with the tomatoes ripening throughout the growing season- until frost kills the plant.” Find a listing of Determinate vs. Indeterminate tomatoes on the Skagit Master Gardeners’ website > Determinate vs Indeterminate Tomatoes
Seeds selected, what’s next?
Learn more about germination, propagation, and the basics of growing vegetables. Resource publications include:  Propagating Plants from Seed by Pacific Northwest Extension Publishing and Home Vegetable Gardening in Washington by Washington State University Extension.

This is a non-inclusive list of seed purveyors to consider:

• Deep Harvest Farm deepharvestfarm.com/ Based on Whidbey Island.
• Ed Hume Seeds https://humeseeds.com/ Based in Puyallup, Washington.
• Johnny’s Selected Seeds Company johnnyseeds.com Based in central Maine.
• Renee’s Garden Seeds reneesgarden.com Based in California, sources and trials seeds from across the world.
• Territorial Seed Company https://territorialseed.com/ Based in central Oregon.
• West Coast Seeds https://www.westcoastseeds.com/collections/vegetable-seeds Based near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Bubel, N. (2018) The New Seed-Starters Handbook. Emmaus, PA. Rodale.

Daigre, S. and Garbee, J. (2015) Tomatomania!: A Fresh Approach to Celebrating Tomatoes in the Garden. New York, NY. St. Martin’s Griffin.

Fredericks, G., Cowan, J. and Daniels, C. (2014) Vegetables: Growing Tomatoes in Home Gardens. Washington State University Extension Fact Sheet #FS145E.

Kumar, M., Larsen, F. and Shekel, K. (2022) Propagating Plants from Seed. Pacific Northwest Extension Publishing. #PNW0170. Link here > 

LeHouiller, C. (2014). Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time. North Adams, MA. Storey.

Miles, C. (2013) Home Vegetable Gardening in Washington. Washington State University Extension Publication #EM057E. Link here > 

Pokorny, K. and Sanchez, N. (2021) Learn the Terms on Seed Packets to Make the Right Selection. Oregon State University Extension. Link here >

Ryan, K. (2015) Using Crop Rotation in Home Vegetable Gardens, Snohomish County Extension Fact Sheet. Link here>

Sanchez, N. (2019) The Basics of Selecting Garden Seeds. Oregon State University Extension. Link here >

United States Department of Agriculture, 2024, USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Link here > 

Authors Kari Ranten and Cathy Markham

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Kari Ranten, MHA, is a retired journalist and healthcare communicator who became a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener in 2024. Cathy Markham, a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2022, has a degree in food and nutrition from the University of Idaho and is a Registered Dietician.

Tips for Garden Tool Maintenance and Care

Taking the time now will reward you well when spring smiles again

By: Kathy Wolfe, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

What a gardening year it has been! All of the digging, seeding, watering, planting, pruning, mulching, raking, and harvesting have rewarded us well. The garden and gardener are now prepared to enjoy a respite going into the winter months. But wait. Are you sure you are done? Did you neglect to clean your garden tools? Guilty as charged, Your Honor!

Ideally, it is best to clean and disinfect your implements every time they are used, but most of us probably don’t. Late fall is a great time to give these hard-working tools a good cleaning and sharpening to prepare them for storage and the new gardening year ahead. Any tool with nuts and bolts, screws, blades, or chains will need sharpening and maintenance. 

Just as a keen kitchen knife eases food preparation, sharp garden tools allow more efficient cutting, are easier to use, and last longer. A sharp blade is less likely to slip and will cause less cell damage to the plant, while a dull blade will crush, not cut the plant stem. The sharp edge allows the plant to heal faster with less chance of infection due to adverse weather or fungi.

A cleaning station with a stiff wire brush, a rag and a bucket filled with sand and moistened with mineral or linseed oil makes it easy to clean tools after daily use. © Photographer: Nancy Crowell / Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Setting up a work area with everything needed will ease the work of cleaning up tools in the fall. © Photographer: Ginny Bode / Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Shovel blades should be sharpened to increase ease of use. Sharpen them at a 45-degree angle by running a file across the edge until sharp. For pruners, sharpen periodically using a whetstone or carbide sharpener to give the blades a finer edge. Sharpen at the same angle of the blade, taking care to file out any notches or cuts. For larger or more irregular blades, research techniques from trusted sources and follow directions closely, or consider taking these blades in for professional honing each year. Many find that lawn mower blades are particularly tricky, as improper sharpening can make them out of balance, which can harm the mower motor as it turns at high speeds.

Clean garden tools prevent the spread of disease around the garden. Thorough cleaning deters the spread of infection when working with infected plants or pruning out diseased limbs. Keep a container of rubbing alcohol, bleach (1 part bleach to 9 parts water), or disinfectant on hand to clean blades between pruning each plant. Clean sticky plant sap from blades of saws or pruners using paint thinner, then wipe down with a rag.

The main enemy of most metal tools is rust. To clean, soak rusty tools in a weak (1:1) vinegar/water solution for 24 hours. Cheap white vinegar works well for this. After soaking, dry it with paper towels, and then use steel wool to remove the rust. You may have to repeat the process several times before all rust is removed. Severely rusted tools may require sanding with rough sandpaper or a wire bristle brush. In extreme cases, use a drill with a wire brush attachment or wire wheel. Be sure to wear safety glasses during this procedure. Use a light, circular motion rather than scraping to avoid thinning or scratching the metal beneath. After any de-rusting, wipe the metal with a coat of oil. To avoid rust problems, consider purchasing stainless steel tools.

A good all-purpose oil cleans and conditions the working parts of tools. © Photographer: Ginny Bode / Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The correct storage of garden tools will extend their life and keep them sharper longer. Store items separately in a dry place, off the floor to prevent moisture, rust, and dulling. © Photographer: Ginny Bode / Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Master gardeners offer free tool sharpening at the annual Plant Fair in May. © Photographer: Kay Torrance / Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

For day-to-day maintenance for tools used in soil, such as shovels, hoes, and garden forks, it is convenient to set up a cleaning station which includes a stiff wire brush with a scraper end, a rag, and a bucket filled with sand or kitty litter and moistened with mineral or linseed oil. When your gardening day is done, use a stiff wire brush to dislodge the debris, and then rinse your tools using a stream of water from the garden hose. Dry thoroughly. Drag the tool through the sand/oil mixture to coat the blade. The oil coating will retard moisture and limit rust, and the sand helps provide abrasion to remove residual soil.

Pruners are most easily washed with a nail brush or scrub pad using soap and water. Dry thoroughly, then lubricate a drop or two of multipurpose household oil, machine oil, or grease into the pivot point to allow blades to move freely and not catch or rub. Use mineral spirits to remove residue. If pruners are dull, give them a sharpening, carefully sliding the blade along the stone in one direction until sharp. Keep the file at the correct angle to the edge of the tool surface you are sharpening. Next, check that all tool bolts and screws are tight.

Dry wooden handles can split or break. Using a lightly oiled rag near the sand bucket, swipe the handles after each use. Twice each season, sand the wood with medium-grit sandpaper, then rub with a slightly moistened linseed oil rag to create a protective layer. Allow all oil rags to dry in the open air to avoid the risk of combustion. Store wood-handled tools indoors in a dry storage area.

The correct storage of garden tools will extend their life and keep them sharper longer. Store items separately in a dry place, such as a shed, garage, or closet. Keep them off the floor to prevent moisture, rust, and dulling. Consider adding hanging racks or a pegboard rack system. Place a waterproof cover over any machine, such as a lawn mower, that must be stored outside due to a lack of storage space.

Taking the time to set up a simple cleaning station for next year and doing some additional cleaning and maintenance of your garden tools now will reward you well when spring once again smiles upon us.

REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL READING:

Disinfecting Your Garden Tools. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Services (UF/IFAS), Gardening Solutions. Retrieved from: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care%20/tools-and-equipment/disinfecting-%20tools/

Grant, B. (rev. 2021). Caring for Garden Tools: Tips for Cleaning Garden Tools. Garden Know How. Retrieved from: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/projects/cleaning-gardening-tools.htm

Eckelberg, J. and Saxe, C. (rev. June 2013) “Maintaining Lawn and Garden Tools“. University of Wisconsin Extension, Juneau County, Item #XHT1214. Retrieved from: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/files/2014/11/Maintaining_Lawn_and_Garden_Tools.pdf

Prichard, Phillip. (2023) “How to Care For and Winterize Your Garden Tools”. University of Georgia Extension, Paulding County. Retrieved from: How to Care For and Winterize Your Garden Tools | Paulding Vine (uga.edu)

Kappos, Carmen. (2015) “Garden Tool Care”. The Backyard Gardener. University of California, Master Gardeners of Inyo & Mono Counties. Retrieved from: https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=18779

“Care and Maintenance of Garden Tools.” 10-Minute University, Clackamas County Master Gardener Association, Oregon State University. Retrieved from: https://clackamascountymastergardeners.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/garden-tool-care.pdf

Kathy Wolfe

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kathy Wolfe has been a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2002. She is co-manager of the vegetable garden at the Discovery Garden on SR 536 west of Mount Vernon.

The Fig Tree-A Horticultural Challenge

Though best suited for a Mediterranean climate, figs can be successfully grown in the Pacific Northwest.

By: Sonja Nelson, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Gardeners are adventurous folks, always on the lookout for a new and captivating plant to add interest to their gardens. One such beckoning horticultural challenge is the edible fig tree (Ficus carica). An example of a mature, edible fig can be found at the edge of the NW Fruit Garden on State Route 536 west of Mount Vernon. Located next to the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Discovery Garden, the NW Fruit Garden features over 200 fruit cultivars, including fig trees.

Although edible figs are widely grown in Europe’s warm Mediterranean basin, the climate of the Pacific Northwest is too cool for many varieties. However, the mature edible fig is part of NW Fruit’s experimental planting program to find the best fruits for growing in our area.

The fig specimen is the cultivar ‘Desert King,’ about 10 feet tall. The white bark on this multi-trunked, deciduous shrub is a pleasing contrast to its large, three-lobed, dark green leaves veined a lighter green. In July, the pear-shaped fruit is dark green (see photo), but the skin changes to greenish white when ripe.

One of the First Plants Cultivated
Each plant in our gardens has a story to tell. However, the fig tree story may be one of the most captivating. Judging from fossils found dating from 9400-9200 BC in the Jordan Valley, which today forms the border between Jordan and Israel, the fig is believed to be one of the first plants cultivated by humans, preceding the domestication of wheat, barley, and legumes by a thousand years. Figs were widespread in ancient Greece and described by Aristotle. They were also a common food source for the Romans. Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, was poisoned with figs from his garden that his wife smeared with poison. The well-known Biblical source in the Book of Genesis refers to Adam and Eve using fig leaves to cover their private parts in shame for eating the forbidden fruit. From the 15^th century, the edible fig was grown in Northern Europe and the New World. In 1769, missionaries brought the first figs to California.
The Interesting Botany of the Fig
The edible fig fruit humans consume for its delectable sweetness is produced by Ficus carica, one of over 800 fig species in the genus Ficus. The three types of edible figs are distinguished from one another by their pollination process. The type most amenable to growing in our area is the “common fig.” The fruit skin, referred to by botanists as its “syconium,” is 1-2 inches long and green in color that ripens to purple or brown. Its interior is lined with unisexual flowers that produce seeds through a process called “parthenogenesis,” a natural form of asexual reproduction. The single-seeded fruits line the inside of the syconium, producing soft, reddish flesh containing crunchy seeds.

Most varieties of figs can produce two crops a year. The first crop is called “Breba,” which bears fruit on last year’s wood, and the second is called “Main,” which bears fruit on the current year’s wood. The Puget Sound region is usually too cool to ripen the Main crop.

Fig Research and Much, Much More
Figs are among the many varieties of fruit tested for research in the NW Fruit Garden. Recently, a new row of fig trees was planted with eight fig trees, and another row will be planted soon. The group is also planning to install a protective structure to demonstrate how to cover and protect figs in winter.

NW Fruit’s search for fig tree varieties that grow well in the Northwest extends worldwide. For instance, NW Fruit volunteer and co-chair Sam Benowitz traveled to the Brittany region in northwest France to observe and get a cutting of the fig variety ‘Madeleine de deux Saisons’ to grow and test at NW Fruit. Other new varieties include: ‘Little Ruby,’ ‘Olympian,’ ‘Brown Turkey,’ ‘Nordland,’ ‘Grantham’s Royal,’ and ‘Lattarula.’ Benowitz is a longtime volunteer at NW Fruit. Sam established and owned Raintree Nursery near Morton, Washington in 1972, building it into one of the country’s leading edible fruits nurseries, prior to selling it in 2018. His enthusiasm for his work is characteristic of the garden volunteers caring for and testing the many fruit varieties.

The Western Washington Fruit Research Foundation, now called NW Fruit, was created in 1991 to help support the tree fruit research at the Washington State University (WSU) Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Center (NWREC) Fruit Horticulture Program in Mount Vernon. It is dedicated to supporting research and educating the public about the special fruit-growing conditions of the Pacific Northwest region.

The six-acre NW Fruit Garden currently has over 200 fruit cultivars growing for research and demonstration to the public.

Growing Figs in the Ground
The climate of the Pacific Northwest differs from that of the Mediterranean region, where the species Ficus Caria is native. Although our climate is sometimes compared to a Mediterranean one because of its warm, dry summers, it falls short of being ideal for many varieties of figs. Hence, Sam Benowitz traveled to France’s Brittany area to find edible fig varieties from a climate more like ours and test them at NW Fruit.

Ficus carica ‘Desert King’ at the NW Fruit Garden. Photo: © Sonja Nelson

NW Fruit volunteer Sam Benowitz kneels next to a recently planted variety of Ficus carica. This fig is one in a row of eight fig trees planted at NW Fruit to test for adaptability to the Pacific Northwest climate. Photo: © Sonja Nelson

The edible fig, Ficus carica, and its varieties thrive in rich soil and a warm microclimate. The high temperatures sometimes experienced in our area should not be a problem for figs. However, in temperatures below 10 degrees F, plants may need cover. From his experience at NW Fruit, Benowitz believes the most significant shortcoming of our climate for figs is the lack of summer heat during the growing season. The program experiments on-site with techniques, such as walls that capture heat. Regular watering of the fig trees in the garden is necessary, especially as they start. An irrigation system is set to water the figs once a week throughout the summer.

The soil for in-ground figs should be slightly acidic (6.0 – 6.5). Allow spread for fibrous, shallow root systems. Do not fertilize at planting time, but mulch with compost. Training a young fig tree involves spacing the branches and forcing them to one main trunk. Figs can also be trained to an open center or vase shape, allowing good light penetration into the canopy. In training a newly planted tree, cut it to 2 to 3 feet in height, forcing lateral buds to produce new, low branches. In the following winter, select three to four main branches, cut them back to 30-36 inches, and remove the rest. Annual pruning, which should be done in the dormant season, is usually limited to cutting back the previous year’s growth. Thinning may be necessary if the canopy gets too dense. The leaf and root sap of fig trees may cause skin irritation in humans.

Growing Figs in Containers
In the Northwest, fig trees can be planted in containers in any season. Place the pot where you want it to go, preferably in full sun, and add a few inches of well-draining potting mix to the bottom. Place the tree at the same planting depth in which it was growing in the nursery pot. Then, backfill the remainder of the pot with potting mix. The fig’s root ball should be level with the soil line, but leave two inches of space between the soil and the rim of the pot to make watering easier. Add a thin layer of organic mulch around the base of the water line. Water when the top two inches of soil feels dry to the touch. Fertilize in the spring and fall with a balanced, organic fertilizer. Pruning, if necessary, should be done in winter. Ripe figs should be slightly soft and sweet smelling and begin drooping on their stems. Figs with hard necks that remain perpendicular to their stems are not yet ripe and should not be picked.

The dwarf fig ‘Little Miss Figgy’ was developed for use in a container. Planted in June, this specimen has thrived in a container on the patio of a home in Mount Vernon. Photo: © Sonja Nelson

Learn more about Figs and the extensive collection of fruit cultivars at the NW Fruit Open House
On Saturday, October 12 NW Fruit will hold its Sample the Apple and Pear Harvest Day. It is open to members, but anyone can attend by paying a $25 annual membership fee that day. Dr. Cameron Peace of WSU’s School of Horticulture (Pulman) will speak about heritage apple varieties and using DNA to identify varieties. There will be a tour of the many pioneer varieties in the garden and a chance to taste dozens of delicious cultivars thriving in the garden. Bags or boxes of ladder-picked fruit will be available for members to take home in addition to other fruit. Go to the website https://nwfruit.org/apple-pear/ to read more about this event.

NW Fruit is a member-volunteer organization. It includes people who have spent a lifetime growing fruit and people who are just starting on their own journey of learning how to grow fruit successfully. For more information on volunteering, see: https://nwfruit.org

The foliage of ‘Desert King’ fig in the NW Fruit Garden in July. Photo: © Sonja Nelson

Get started growing figs. Several varieties will be on sale at the annual Master Gardener Plant Fair May 10, 2025 Photo: © Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Benowitz, Sam, NW Fruit Co-Chair. Personal communication, 7/18/ 2024.

Landers, L. How to Grow a Fig Tree in a Pot. Better Homes and Gardens, 5-10-23
Retrieved from: https://www.bhg.com/how-to-grow-a-fig-tree-in-a-pot-7487022

Fruit Garden Tour – Fig

https://nwfruit.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fig

Morgan, P. (2023) Figs in the Home Garden. Pennsylvania State University Extension. Retrieved from: https://extension.psu.edu/figs-in-the-home-garden

Biggs, S. (2021) How to Grow Figs Even in Colder Climates. Fine Gardening. Tauten Press, Newton, CT. Retrieved from: https://www.finegardening.com/project-guides/fruits-and-vegetables/how-to-grow-figs-even-in-colder-climates

Figs and Kiwi Fruit. Snohomish County WSU Extension Community Fact Sheet #46 Retrieved from: s3.wp.wsu.edu>2053/2015/09>46FigsKiwiFruit

Author Sonja Nelson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sonja Nelson is a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Class of 2009.

There is still time
to apply to become
a Master Gardener in 2025
Questions about becoming a Master Gardener may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/mg/

A Second Act for Your Square 1-Gallon Pots at the Discovery Garden!

Bring your leftover square 1-gallon pots to the Discovery Garden (16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon). The bin for recycling the square 1-gal pots is located in the parking lot, just north (to the right) of the main entrance.
We only need square 1-gallon pots like the ones pictured below (bottom right). The recycling bin will be available now through fall. Simply put your pots into the bin, and we take care of the rest!

Useful Tips for Harvesting and Preserving Herbs in the Pacific Northwest

Preserving herbs can be a bit of trial and error, but the process is worth the fresh flavor and satisfaction.

By: Laura Kuhn, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Because of their useful nature, herbs are a common addition to home gardens. The use of the term herb is often used interchangeably with spice. However, the terms herbs and spices technically refer to two different things. “Herbs” are defined as the leafy parts of plants, such as oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, and others. “Spices” typically involve the use of other plant parts such as roots, fruits, flowers, seeds, or bark. Spices include cinnamon, ginger, lavender, coriander, cumin, and many others. Both herbs and spices are used for their savory, aromatic, or medicinal qualities. This article will focus primarily on herb preservation, although many methods mentioned here can also apply to spices.

Gardeners who grow vegetables may also grow herbs for pairing in recipes later. However, some of the best pairings cannot be harvested at the same time. For example, basil can look tired by the time the tomatoes are ready to be harvested. And it is difficult to find an easy, cost-effective way to have bunches of fresh cilantro available at the same time tomatoes and peppers ripen for salsa. Preserving herbs can help to bridge these gaps.

In 2002, when faced with a huge abundance of herbs that could not all be used fresh, I bought one of the popular “As Seen On TV” food dehydrators and dried herbs to make gifts for the following holiday season. The color and flavor of home-dried herbs are superior to store-bought herbs. Since then, I have also started to grow herbs and spices to make tea.

An often-asked question is: What is the best way to preserve herbs? The answer depends on how you plan to use them. The goal is to capture the essential oils in the trichomes (fine outgrowth like hairs) on the surface or epidermal layer of the leaves. These oils have the flavor and aroma we want.

What gardeners choose to grow and preserve is most influenced by the amount of time, budget, and available space. The good news is that with a small investment in time, space, and equipment, home gardeners can achieve excellent results that rival the expensive options available.

Oregano ripe for harvest. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn

Stevia and ornamental oregano in a vertical container with annuals. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn
Growing Herbs-
Herbs can grow in most garden conditions and be planted directly in the ground, in raised beds, or in containers. Vertical garden systems are a terrific way to get a lot of variety in a small space. Gardeners who are just starting herb growing should start slowly and do their research. Purchasing herb starts at a local garden center is an easy and inexpensive way to begin. However, a far greater selection of herbs are available as seeds. Once gardeners have experience, they can grow their favorites from seed and make space for annual and perennial varieties.
Harvesting Herbs-
The harvesting process is as simple as removing the right part of the plant for the intended use. For most culinary uses, the target is tender fresh leaves (i.e., oregano, thyme, and basil). In some cases, the goal is to preserve flowers for making tea (i.e., chamomile, calendula, or anise hyssop) or to harvest the plant’s mature seeds (i.e., dill or coriander). Yet other plants are used for their roots (i.e., ginger or horseradish). If growing for flowers, it is important to pick the flowers often to encourage the production of more blooms.

For leafy herbs such as basil and oregano, the best flavor comes from young leaves on stems cut before the plant goes into flower production. However, the growing season can be extended by cutting back flowering stem tops to encourage more leaf growth. When doing so, leave four to six leaves on the plant stems for re-growth. If growing for seed, keep the flowers on the plants and wait until the seeds are fully mature. Root harvests take a longer time commitment and can require waiting for several growing seasons to achieve a decent harvest.

Organization is important during the harvesting process. It is best to harvest all of one specific plant at a time, making the cleaning and preservation process easier by avoiding the time-consuming task of separating during the cleaning process. For harvesting, no special tools are needed. Most herbs are tender enough to harvest by hand pinching or using scissors. Small clippers with short-tipped blades are best for harvesting small leaves or stems. Digging roots is a careful process. It is important to provide wide enough margins to avoid shovel damage to the roots.

Mammolo and Lettuce Leaf basils ready for drying in the dehydrator. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn
Preserving Herbs –
After harvesting, the herbs require cleaning before preserving. Most herbs can be immersed in cool water to clean off the leaves (stem and all). Use paper towels, a drying rack on a work surface, or a salad spinner to get as much moisture off as possible. Avoid crushing the leaves unless the herbs are chopped before preserving them. Chives can be washed and cut into small pieces with scissors by holding a bunch of stems and cutting them as a group before preserving them.

The preservation method should strive to achieve the best quality for the intended use. Scientific research has been conducted on various methods of preservation. The winning method for drying herbs is freeze drying because it preserves essential oils, aroma, and color best. However, the cost of such a system for most home gardeners is not reasonable. Therefore, the most common methods involve dehydration (using heat) or drying (using air), which results in a shelf-stable product that can be used year-round, or by freezing.

Bunching and cutting chives to cut and freeze or dry. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn

Echinacea (foreground) and lavender at a local nursery. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn

Chamomile ready to harvest in the Herb Garden at the Discovery Garden. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn

Calendula and various herbs in the Discovery Garden. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn

Humidity levels in the Pacific Northwest, particularly western Washington, are a challenge to herb preservation and storage. Humidity levels should be 45-55 percent for proper drying and to avoid mold. Even during our drier summer months, average outdoor humidity levels are more than 60 percent. The water content in the herbs being dried is also a consideration. The more tender herbs, such as basil, tarragon, oregano, lemon balm, and mints, tend to have a higher water content. On the other hand, sage, thyme, parsley, and rosemary tend to be more “woody” and have a lower water content. Taking this into account before picking a preservation method increases the chances of success.

Drying with Air–
Drying with air is by far the easiest method of preserving herbs but difficult to master successfully given Pacific Northwest humidity levels. Mold can form on plants, or the dried product will be limp and discolored. Make small bunches of plant stems, wrap with butcher’s twine, and hang the bunches up. The drying area will need to have good ventilation (an oscillating fan works great). Avoid exposure to light during drying as it will affect the color. A barometer or humidity gauge helps decide if drying is possible. Woody plants such as rosemary and sage are best for this process due to humidity levels. The amount of time needed to dry the plants and crush the leaves will vary based on weather and drying conditions. Checking plants often is the best way to gauge if they are ready.

Bunches of herbs ready for hang drying. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn

Failed attempt at airdrying parsley and lemon balm. Conditions were too humid for effective drying. Note loss of color in parsley to the left. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn
Dehydrating with Heat–
The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends drying herbs at 95 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Lower temperatures are best for tender plants. Since most home ovens cannot achieve the recommended temperatures for herb drying, food dehydrators have become popular. Many dehydrators come with wire racks so air can flow through the leaves. Arrange the leaves/stems across the rack so they are not touching. Overcrowding during the drying process can result in longer dry times. You can use a mesh-style rack for small leaves to provide air circulation. A tip for selecting a decent food dehydrator is to make sure that it can adjust the drying temperature and time. Select a unit that can dry at as low a temperature as possible to provide the most control over the drying process and quality. Increased heat levels might be needed to compensate for humidity levels. Using heated air to dry herbs can result in a higher loss of essential oils than using air-dried herbs. The amount of time needed to achieve a crisp, dry product that can be easily crushed is variable. Humidity, plant water content, and temperature are all factors to consider. For this reason, I recommend checking on the plants often during the drying process.

For either drying method mentioned above, it is important to note that any moisture left in the plants after drying can lead to spoilage. If your drying space seems to be “too moist” meaning you cannot achieve a crisp dry texture, increase the temperature, and air circulation. A process of trial and error may be needed as the time of year and the water content of plants can vary.

To prepare the dried herbs for storage, the leaves are removed from stems and crushed to the desired size. A tip for this step is to place the dried herbs into a bag and push the leaves off the stems. Set aside stems as you push the leaves into the bag. When the biggest stems are removed, crush the leaves inside of the bag to the desired size. Sift through the dried product to remove smaller stems to achieve the best consistency for cooking. Rougher dried herbs can be used for teas. It really is up to personal preference as to how “clean” the final product will be. Some choose sifters or screens to further improve the visual appeal of the end product.

Dehydrator full of racks of calendula and anise hyssop. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn

Fresh chopped basil freezes well when packed in ice cube trays then filled with water or oil. Once frozen, the basil cubes can be stored in a large freezer bag and used as needed. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn
Freezing –
A quick and straightforward way to preserve herbs for later use in cooking is by freezing. Individual leaves can be placed in single layers on cookie sheets and then flash frozen. Cut chives work well this way. Once frozen, place the herbs into storage containers to reduce exposure to air. Another freezing method is to chop the herbs and load them into ice cube trays, then fill with water. Once frozen, put the cubes into storage containers and add them to recipes when needed. Alliums (onions and garlic) can be easily processed this way, also. The biggest downside to freezing is the required storage space in your freezer and a shorter shelf life.

Other methods include layering whole leaves in salt or oil. Herb essential oils can be transferred to other liquids for use in cooking. For example, herbs can be steeped to create herb-infused vinegars or oils. These methods take more time and care than can be covered here, so more research and preparation should be taken before trying these options. Microwaving takes a bit of trial and error to get the right cooking time for the type of herb used and varies with different types of machines.

Most herbs can be processed successfully in a variety of ways for different uses. A good tip is to experiment and see which techniques work best. Gardeners who experiment, find the methods that work best for their intended use.

Air tight containers and light blocking storage bin for dried herbs. © Photographer: Laura Kuhn
Storing Herbs –
Dried or dehydrated herbs do not like exposure to light and air, especially moist air. A simple and effortless way to store extra dried herbs is to put them into marked zip lock bags or a vacuumed sealed mason jar. Once each herb is in its container, they will need to be placed in a dark area like inside of a canister or storage container. Keep your herbs in a cool dry area because exposure to heat during storage can affect essential oil content. Storage time will vary on the herb, but if stored properly, they can last for months or longer.

The two most important tips of all are to grow what you will use and grow from seed for the best plant selection.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Herbs, May 2000, Rodale Press

Drying: Herbs, National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia, no date cited. https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/recipes/herbs/

Thamkaew, G., Sjöholm, I., & Galindo, F. G. (2020). A review of drying methods for improving the quality of dried herbs. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 61(11), 1763-1786. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2020.1765309

Author: Laura Kuhn

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Laura is new to the Skagit Valley but has more than 30 years of experience growing in coastal, inland valley, and desert climates. She had fun trying to grow herbs while traveling full-time in an RV. Laura is a 2023 graduate of the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener program.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a Master Gardener, may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/mg/

A Second Act for Your Square 1-Gallon Pots at the Discovery Garden!

Bring your leftover square 1-gallon pots to the Discovery Garden (16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon). The bin for recycling the square 1-gal pots is located in the parking lot, just north (to the right) of the main entrance.
We only need square 1-gallon pots like the ones pictured below (bottom right). The recycling bin will be available now through fall. Simply put your pots into the bin, and we take care of the rest!

What to do with your late-season bargain plant purchases?

Now that you’ve found those irresistible gems at marked-down prices how do you set them up for success in their new home?

By: Diana Wisen, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

It’s late summer, and you’ve found some plants on sale that are calling to you. Gardeners, like everyone else, love a good bargain. But when is a marked-down plant a good buy, or is something better left on the rack? Gardeners tend to be “nurturers” who hope that with plenty of TLC, they can nurture a plant back to full health. That may or may not be possible. You rarely can heal sick plants. Despite your efforts, diseased or heavily damaged plants are not a bargain at any price. Be forewarned! You could be bringing additional problems into your yard.

Nevertheless, you have given into temptation and brought home several marked-down plants. Now, what to do with them? First, take them out of your vehicle as soon as you get home, put them in a shady, cool place, and water them well. Allow the plants to drain. Once they are fully hydrated, do not leave them in standing water. Roots need air and will suffocate if left in standing water for several days. Check for baby slugs by sliding the plant out of its container. Also, check for healthy roots before putting it back in its container. Cut off dead stems, leaves, and flowers, but leave all healthy leaves so the plant can photosynthesize and grow.

Do you have a place in mind for each plant? Buying plants without a place to plant them can lead to a “Driveway Garden” with many potted plants sitting too long on the path to your house while waiting to be planted in your garden. This is not an unheard-of dilemma among gardening friends. However, let’s assume you have a place for your plant. Check for pests, disease, and damaged parts, including the roots, before planting. This should be done before you purchase the plant, but it’s better now than after it’s in the ground. Look for aphids, root maggots, beetle larvae, brown mushy (dead) roots, wounds on the stems, and diseased leaves. Sometimes, you can get away with cutting off diseased portions, but often the disease is in the vascular system and plants don’t “heal” like humans do. If you suspect disease, it is best to put the entire plant in the garbage can, not in your compost pile.

Check for healthy roots. Cut off dead stems, leaves, and flowers, but leave all healthy leaves so the plant can photosynthesize and grow.

Where to put your new plant
Read the plant tag to learn the conditions the plant needs to thrive. Can you provide the right kind of soil and drainage? What about the amount of sun or shade? Heat requirements? Wind protection? Are deer a problem? It is your job to give your plant what it needs. It cannot get up and move to a better site by itself.
How to plant
Planting is best done on a cool day or in the evening of a hot day. Water the plant and the planting spot ahead of time. Dig a hole the same depth as the plant’s root mass and three times as wide. Loosen the soil around the sides of the planting hole so the roots can grow outward. Place the plant in the hole and fill with the soil you took out. Water it in to settle the soil. Light mulching can help retain soil moisture and reduce weeding.

Sometimes marked-down plants are root-bound and some serious root pruning will be needed before planting. © Photographer: Ginny Bode

Cut off circling, broken, kinked or damaged roots. Very long roots may need to be shortened. © Photographer: Ginny Bode

For shrubs and trees, the root flare supporting the trunk should be clearly visible and not covered with soil or mulch. Take the plant out of the container and examine the root zone. Sometimes marked-down plants are root bound and some serious root pruning will be needed before planting. Cut off circling, broken, kinked, or damaged roots. Very long roots may need to be shortened. Do not cut off any of the canopy. Dig a wide, shallow hole, spread the roots straight out in all directions, replace the native soil, and water it in well. Do not stomp on the root zone. Make sure the base of the trunk is at the same level or a bit higher than the soil level. Mulch with arborist chips, keeping them an inch or two from the trunk.

Fertilizing and Care
Sometimes, you can tell by looking at the leaves if a plant is deficient in a nutrient. You need to know what is typical for this plant at this time of year. There are plenty of plants for which yellow or light green leaves are normal. Usually, fertilizing with a diluted nitrogen fertilizer at planting time is helpful. Just go easy on the fertilizer and avoid burning the roots. Too much fertilizer for shrubs, trees, and some perennials can cause excessive weak growth late in the season, which will be subject to winter damage. Soils here in the Pacific Northwest already have plenty of phosphorus. Adding phosphorous can kill the beneficial mycorrhizae. Do not add products such as vitamin B to the soil or spray leaves with a desiccant to prevent wilting. Despite manufacturers’ claims, they are not helpful.

A plant is considered established when its root system can take up sufficient water and nutrients for the plant to grow normally. Some shrubs and trees can take over a year, so remember to water them regularly, even if they are drought-tolerant. An arborist chip or homemade compost mulch will help keep the soil evenly moist and add slowly released nutrients. Most purchased composts are fine for a top dressing to retard water evaporation, but they have little or no nutrients left in them because they have been heated to very high temperatures to kill any possible pathogens. Many gardeners now use the “chop & drop” method of leaving plant debris on the soil to decompose naturally and add nutrients to the soil, becoming nature’s slow-release fertilizer.

PLANT YOUR PLANTS! Don’t let them languish on the driveway.
© Photographer: Ginny Bode
Container plantings require a different regimen.
Use a light soil mix, not garden soil for container planting. Add some of the compost mixed in well. A sufficiently sized drainage hole needs to be in the bottom of the pot. If slugs crawling in are a concern, put a coffee filter over the hole before filling. Do not put pieces of crockery or a layer of gravel over the hole in the container. New research shows this practice, which is frequently recommended in garden books, actually impedes drainage. Put the potting mix soil to the bottom of the pot so the roots will have plenty of room to grow. While urn-shaped containers are beautiful, they are more challenging to change out later on because the rim curves in and large established roots get caught under it and can be very difficult to dig out. Container plantings dry out much faster than in-ground plantings, especially as the roots grow and fill the pot. Frequent watering causes nutrients to be flushed out sooner so container plantings of annuals will need additional fertilizer during the growing season. A slow-release fertilizer can also be used. Always read the directions thoroughly before using any garden product.

Deadhead annuals to keep them blooming until frost. If they start making seeds that process signals the plants to stop producing additional flowers because they are nearing the end of their life cycle. Some containers can be brought indoors in the winter and continue to thrive if there is sufficient light. 

Now it is time to enjoy your new plants. Observe them daily and check to see if they need watering. Watch for plants starting to wilt and water them immediately. It’s OK to water plants in the middle of a hot day. Watering them will not cause leaf scorch but will keep your plants alive.

Some perennials may start to die back because they are at the end of their growing season and beginning to go dormant. Plant them properly, and they will come up next spring. Other perennials can be cut back, and they will produce a flush of new growth and perhaps lightly bloom again. Don’t forget to bait for slugs and snails, which can be treated the same. This time of year slugs are starting to lay their eggs, which look like masses of tiny white pearls in the moist soil. Slugs and snails live deep in the soil during winter. Read more about managing slugs and snails: https://skagitmg.org/managing_slugs_snails/

With the long growing season in the Skagit Valley, your new bargain plants can give you many months of pleasure. Enjoy the colors, textures, leaf shapes, plant forms, flowers and seeds, fragrances, and the overall beauty they add to your life and your neighborhood. It’s your garden. Plant what you love.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

WSU Extension Master Gardener Training Course

Chalker-Scott, L. (2008) The Informed Gardener. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press.

Chalker-Scott, L. (2009) Sustainable Landscapes and Gardens: Good Science-Practical Application. Yakima, WA: GFG Publishing, Inc.

Gilman, J. (2008) The Truth About Garden Remedies-What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why. Portland, OR: Timber Press.

Lowenfels, J. (2013) Teaming with Nutrients: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition. Portland, OR: Timber Press.

Diana Wisen

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Diana Wisen has been a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener since 1991 and is the coordinator of the Fuchsia Garden at the Discovery Garden on SR 536 in Mount Vernon.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Mark your calendar for these upcoming master gardener events:

Skagit County Fair
Thursday ~ Sunday, August 8-11, 2024
Skagit County Fairgrounds
Building D
(map)
Visit our booth, see our displays, and talk with master gardeners about how to make your garden beautiful and productive.
Know & Grow Lecture Series
Season Extenders
Presented by Hallie Kintner
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 ~ 1 p.m.
Free Admission
NWREC Sakuma Auditorium
16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon

A Second Act for Your Square 1-Gallon Pots at the Discovery Garden!

Bring your leftover square 1-gallon pots to the Discovery Garden (16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon). The bin for recycling the square 1-gal pots is located in the parking lot, just north (to the right) of the main entrance.
We only need square 1-gallon pots like the ones pictured below (bottom right). The recycling bin will be available now through fall. Simply put your pots into the bin, and we take care of the rest!

Keep the Fresh Produce Coming!

With a little effort now, it is possible to bring fresh vegetables to the table until October, November, and beyond.

By: Valerie Rose and Ginny Bode, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

It can feel heartbreaking to bring in the last head of lettuce, knowing that soon you’ll need to make the transition to store-bought vegetables. But wait, more and more savvy gardeners extend the growing season by planting cool-season vegetables in the warm summer months of July and August. It may seem counter-intuitive until you try it and experience the bounty of harvesting late into the fall.

Selecting the Right Varieties is Key
Planting a fall/winter garden requires seeds and plants proven to grow well in summer heat, then ripen as the daylight shortens and the temperature drops. By planting from July to August, your fall harvest can include leafy greens, cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts, along with carrots, beets, and other root vegetables. A light frost even brings out the best flavor in collard greens and parsnips! Now is the time to plant, selecting a location with the maximum amount of sunlight as fall moves toward winter.

Be prepared to water seedlings daily as they get started. © Adobe Stock

Kale and other leafy greens do well as fall-season crops. © Adobe Stock

Plan to plant from July to early August. The chart below can be used as a guide along with the information on the back of the seed packet.

Retrieved from: https://extension.wsu.edu/snohomish/fall-and-winter-vegetable-gardens-for-western-washington/

Look for seed catalogs that focus specifically on fall/winter gardening in west coast or northern climates. They feature helpful charts with planting dates. They also include a reminder that gardeners must plant earlier if they’re growing in a colder zone than the seed company’s locations. It is also an option to leave this step to a commercial grower and buy plant starts from a nursery or garden store. Read the label carefully to ensure you’re getting a late-season variety.

Some cool weather crops do not need to be harvested until needed since the cool air and soil can “store” the mature vegetables until you harvest. © Adobe Stock

Bush and pole bean varieties can be planted in July and harvested before first frost. © Adobe Stock

If you have a greenhouse, you can learn from writer and educator Eliot Coleman. He farms year-round in coastal Maine, harvesting fresh produce from snow-covered, unheated greenhouses. In his classic guide, ‘The Winter Harvest Handbook,’ Coleman coaches novice and experienced gardeners in extending the growing season. Another resource, Winter Gardening in Maritime Northwest: Cool Season Crops for the Year-Round Gardener, by Binda Colebrook, is especially suited for our region.

Preparing a Space: Look for the Sunny Side
Make a sun and shade map of your yard or patio. Yes, your container garden can also grow cool-season vegetables if it gets enough sun. Your fall/winter garden needs to be in a spot where the low-lying sun will still find its way into your yard, as it arcs low across the southern sky. Remember, your garden will gain more sun as the deciduous trees conveniently drop their leaves, blocking much less light. Note which buildings and fences on the southern edge of your yard will cast longer shadows as the days get shorter, causing deep shade for months.

Raised beds will keep your garden from drowning in rains that accompany the season change. A bed made of boards or cement blocks also provides an easy place to secure hoops for supporting row covers. Read more about the multiple options to extend the growing season in this Ask a Master Gardener blog article on season extenders: https://skagitmg.org/season-extenders/

Getting Started: When to Start Indoors, When to Seed Outdoors
You can either sow seeds directly into the garden or start the seeds indoors to grow sturdy young plants that can later be transplanted. The back of the seed packet may tell you this, or  check out the WSU Extension home vegetable planting guide. The seeds for root crops, such as carrots and beets, are best sown directly in the soil to avoid damaging the roots when transplanting.

Some gardeners prefer to start seeds indoors where they can monitor the soil and protect the seedlings from pests. If you do start seeds indoors, aim to do so 3-8 weeks before planting them in the garden. The exact timing will vary for each vegetable, depending on how long it takes to grow from seed to a transplant-sized seedling. For example, broccoli and cabbage typically take about 5-6 weeks from seed to transplanting. So, it would be best to start broccoli seeds around the beginning of August to have seedlings ready for transplanting by mid-September.

To provide warmth and light for indoor seeds, you can use a sunny window, an electric light with a germination heating mat, or a plastic or glass-covered hot box. It’s essential to plant into a seedling mix, not simply potting soil. After germination, increase lighting to prevent tall, spindly plants. See the Skagit Master Gardener blog article about starting seeds indoors here: https://skagitmg.org/indoor-grow-stand/

When moving young plants from indoors to the garden, it’s crucial to gradually harden them off by exposing them to the outdoor environment. Not doing so could cause sunburn and stress for the plants. To harden off the plants, place them in a location outdoors that receives 2-3 hours of sunlight for the first couple of days and bring them inside at night. Gradually increase the time in the sunlight and wind conditions for a week before transplanting into the garden. 

Whether direct planting or transplanting seedlings, prepare the garden soil by adding compost and organic matter to improve its texture and fertility. Be prepared to water daily, during the driest time of the year. You can water by hand, or set up a drip irrigation system to consistently water through the hot days of summer. See the Skagit Master Gardener blog article on drip system: https://skagitmg.org/diy-drip-irrigation/

Young carrots mulched with straw. Photo © Valerie Rose

Be sure to mulch between seedlings and rows. Straw or other mulch will retain soil moisture at the plant roots, which is crucial during the warm days at the end of August and in early September. Mulch will also suppress weed growth. Keep in mind that plants grow slowly in the diminished sunlight starting late October. Therefore, some gardeners can grow their plants to harvest stage beginning in late November. Then the cool air and soil can “store” the mature cool weather crops until you harvest. 

The successful gardener will be rewarded by protecting young plants from pests and providing them with some shade if the weather gets too hot. It is important to regularly monitor the growth of the plants, provide adequate support if needed, and address any signs of disease or nutrient deficiencies. 

Take time at the height of summer to plant a fall/winter garden. The fresh, delicious harvest will brighten your autumn and winter meals.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Coleman, E., Winter Garden Handbook. (2009) Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, Vermont.

Colebrook, B. Winter Gardening in Maritime Northwest: Cool Season Crops for the Year-Round Gardener. (2012) New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0.

Sideham, B. Growing Vegetables in Containers. (2018) University of New Hampshire Extension. Durham, New Hampshire. Retrieved from: University of New Hampshire Extension

Enroth, C. Starting a Garden: Cool Season Vegetables and My Top 5 Cool Season Crops. University of Illinois Extension (March 26, 2020). Retrieved from: University of Illinois Extension 

Koziol, N. Extending the Harvest: Get Ready to Sow Cool-Season Crops. Retrieved from: Chicago Botanic Gardens 

Allen, D. Late Summer or Early Fall is the Time to Plan and Plant. Retrieved from: University of California Northridge

Miles, C., Sterrett, G., Hesnault, L., Benedict, C., Daniels, C. Home Vegetable Gardening in Washington. (2013) Washington State University. Pub. #EM057E. Retrieved from: Washington State University

Andrews, N., Stoven, H., Noordijk, H., Selman, L., Streit, K., Edmunds, B., Bell, N. and Binning, V. Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific NW. (May 2022) Oregon State University. Retrieved from: Oregon State Extension 

Valerie Rose and Ginny Bode

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Valerie Rose has been a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2009 and is a veteran at growing fall and winter vegetables. Ginny Bode, MG Class of 2022, is a novice at planting a fall garden and is ready to get started planting.

Mark your calendar for these upcoming master gardener events:

Skagit County Fair
Thursday ~ Sunday, August 8-11, 2024
Skagit County Fairgrounds
Building D
(map)
Visit our booth, see our displays, and talk with master gardeners about how to make your garden beautiful and productive.
Know & Grow Lecture Series
Season Extenders
Presented by Hallie Kintner
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 ~ 1 p.m.
Free Admission
NWREC Sakuma Auditorium
16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon

A Second Act for Your Square 1-Gallon Pots at the Discovery Garden!

Bring your leftover square 1-gallon pots to the Discovery Garden (16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon). The bin for recycling the square 1-gal pots is located in the parking lot, just north (to the right) of the main entrance.
We only need square 1-gallon pots like the ones pictured below (bottom right). The recycling bin will be available now through fall. Simply put your pots into the bin, and we take care of the rest!

Discover the Display Gardens Open House

Join us for this year’s Open House at the Discovery Garden,
the Salal Native Plant Garden, and the NW Fruit Garden
Saturday, June 29, 2024
10:00 a.m. ~ 2:00 p.m.
Free Admission & Parking

Visit 8 acres of gardens at one location in Skagit Valley

By Kay Torrance and Janine Wentworth
Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

Explore all three gardens and talk to the volunteers who maintain the gardens. Use your ‘Discovery Passport’ and map to lead you on a self-guided tour of educational displays and activities including:

• Container Gardening
• Growing Media for Container Gardening
• Drip Irrigation
• Plant Clinic
• Plant Sale

Also booths by:

• Skagit County Noxious Weeds
• Skagit County Natural Resources
• Skagit Conservation District

The Skagit Valley is home to three display gardens operated by volunteers as a learning resource for the public: the WSU Extension Master Gardener Discovery Garden, the Salal Native Plant Garden, and the NW Fruit Garden. The gardens are co-located on the grounds of Washington State University (WSU) Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center (NWREC) in Mount Vernon, WA (directions).

Ask a Master Gardener
Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners will be on-site to provide research-based solutions for your gardening challenges. Visit our Plant Clinic in the Pavilion for solutions to your plant problems or bring in a plant sample for identification. There will be a perennial plant sale. Bring your dull gardening tool to have it sharpened for free.

This year, master gardeners have crafted a special display on container gardening. Learn how to incorporate containers in your landscape or on your patio or balcony. Find out what you can grow and how to prepare the containers for success. There will also be information on planting media and using drip irrigation.

© Nancy Crowell Photography

© Kay Torrance
The Discovery Garden
Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Discovery Garden features 30 themed garden rooms on 1.5 acres with ADA-accessible paths and educational displays. Designed to support Skagit home gardeners by promoting research-based gardening practices, master gardeners have created 30 garden rooms within the garden, featuring hundreds of plants chosen to flourish in Skagit Valley. Master gardeners will be on hand to show you their favorite plants.

The Discovery Garden began in 1994 when the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners had a vision for a garden that would demonstrate best practices for gardening in the Skagit area. After two years of planning, the garden’s first plantings of trees and installation of fences was completed in the fall of 1996, transforming a rural agricultural field into a public display garden. Check out the garden’s webpage and browse the 30 garden rooms to find inspiration for your garden.

Salal Native Plant Garden
The Salal Native Plant Garden is a half-acre oasis of native plants tucked behind the Discovery Garden. You can enter by walking through the Discovery Garden and following the paths to the south. Cool off in the shade and explore how you can incorporate low-maintenance natives into your home landscape. See how red osier dogwood, salal, cascara, vine maples, and others could look in your yard. Docents will be available for tours and to answer questions.

The Salal Native Plant Garden was created twenty-five years ago as a collaborative effort between volunteers of the Salal Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society and the Washington State University Agriculture Extension Agency at Mount Vernon (WSU). 

NW Fruit Garden
The NW Fruit Garden (formerly WWFRF) is six-acres planted with fruit trees, berry bushes, and other fruit-bearing plants suited for our climate, along with espaliers and informative signage. Tour the Antique Apple Collection in the orchard’s inner oval or tour the entire orchard. Ask about pruning and thinning of fruit. Find out what fruit varieties are best for your needs. The garden includes many unusual plants, such as medlar, sea buckthorn, kiwi, Aronia, and haskaps.

The NW Fruit Garden is located on the west side of the Discovery Garden. The garden was initiated in 1991 to provide a resource for the public to view successful fruit varieties and cultural methods for our Pacific maritime climate. Whether you are choosing two or three fruit tree varieties for a small urban backyard or have a more extensive orchard for family or even farmers-market production, NW Fruit has information on variety selection and fruit culture for the Pacific Northwest.

Master gardeners are focusing on container gardening at this year’s Open House. Check out the options and growing media recipes. © Ginny Bode

Plant Clinic experts will be on hand to answer questions and diagnose your gardening issues. © Ginny Bode

If you can’t make the Open House, all three gardens are open and free to the public seven days a week from dawn to dusk. Visit the gardens throughout the year to view the seasonal changes. Signage in each garden identifies plants and makes for interesting and educational self-guided tours.

RESOURCES:

• Discover the Display Gardens website
• Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener website
• Salal Native Plant Garden website
• NW Fruit (Western Washington Fruit Research Foundation website

ABOUT THE AUTHORS :

Kay Torrance and Janine Wentworth are Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners and part of the Planning Committee for the annual Open House.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Mark your calendar for these upcoming master gardener events:

Skagit County Fair
Thursday ~ Sunday, August 8-11, 2024
Skagit County Fairgrounds
Building D
(map)
Visit our booth, see our displays, and talk with master gardeners about how to make your garden beautiful and productive.
Know & Grow Lecture Series
Season Extenders
Presented by Hallie Kintner
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 ~ 1 p.m.
Free Admission
NWREC Sakuma Auditorium
16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon

A Second Act for Your Square 1-Gallon Pots at the Discovery Garden!

Bring your leftover square 1-gallon pots to the Discovery Garden (16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon). The bin for recycling the square 1-gal pots is located in the parking lot, just north (to the right) of the main entrance.
We only need square 1-gallon pots like the ones pictured below (bottom right). The recycling bin will be available now through fall. Simply put your pots into the bin, and we take care of the rest!

Tap into Great Gardening Advice at a Master Gardener Plant Clinic

An amazing depth of knowledge and resources are available for home gardeners through Master Gardener Plant Clinics and Info Booths throughout Skagit County.

By: Ginny Bode and Anne Hays, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

Problem with your roses? Does your fruit tree have a virus or a fungus? Is something attacking your pepper starts? Need help identifying plants in your new-to-you garden? Perhaps you have been out and about admiring your garden and noticed that all is not well.

Rather than depending on your neighbor or an online group’s collective input (which may or may not be accurate), visit a plant clinic and get answers to your questions from WSU Extension-trained experts. Master gardeners are an arm of the Skagit County WSU Extension office. They are rigorously trained in scientific gardening methods based on research conducted by leading agricultural institutions.

You’ll find answers to your questions and thousands of other issues faced by home gardeners in Skagit County at a Master Gardener Plant Clinic. Drop in at one of the locations throughout the county, all free of charge, spring through fall.

Master gardeners are taught how to search the many publications that document plant issues faced by Pacific Northwest gardeners and the recommended solutions. © Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

The plant clinic in Burlington has a large resource library with books on insects, flowers, trees, shrubs, weeds and diseases. © Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners
What does science-based gardening information mean?
Master gardeners stand on the shoulders of agricultural research powerhouses such as Washington State University and Oregon State University. These land grant universities support the agricultural industry through research, which includes testing soils, finding solutions for diseases, and identifying the best cultivars for specific climates.

All master gardeners sign a commitment to only offer solutions proven in a university research setting. That means we won’t recommend a solution that isn’t proven reliable and safe. The extensive training includes integrated pest management or IPM. These solutions aim to “reduce human health risks, minimize adverse environmental impacts, and maximize economic returns and sustainability.” Clinic volunteers will help you find a solution that best meets your gardening goals. We’ll give you options if you don’t want to use pesticides. If you do want to use strong chemicals, master gardeners will outline the options and safety measures. Sometimes, the plant is in the wrong place, or a disease is in the soil, and the plant will never be successful. Then, clinic volunteers will recommend removing the plant and starting a new one with a disease-resistant cultivar rather than fighting an ongoing issue for years.

Plant disease diagnoses are a regular part of the plant clinic team’s day. Here a Camellia shows signs of both cottony camellia scale (Pulvinaria floccifera) and sooty mold. © Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

When plant clinic volunteers aren’t busy working on client problems, they are refreshing their knowledge base by identifying insects, weeds, or diseases. © Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

Who are the plant clinic experts?
You will be astounded at the scientific backgrounds found among the master gardeners who work at the plant clinics. Trained through the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Program, many core volunteers are retired from bioscience, forestry, and geology careers. Through years of diagnostic study and training, others have become experts in fruit tree diseases or insects. At a plant clinic, master gardeners work as a team to identify the problems and regularly cross-check diagnoses. Any master gardener will tell you that clinic experts are rarely stumped. If they are, they won’t stop until they find the answer.

Master Gardener Allison Hitchcock remembers one of the more unique plant identification challenges: “A client came in and wanted us to identify one of many large pits found piled on her property (likely dumped). I was having lunch at the time and just finishing my mango and easily identified the discarded pits with the one in my hand.”

During a recent plant clinic session, master gardeners worked through the identification process for an ant. © Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

Proper identification is critical to recommending a solution with the least risk or harm to the environment and surrounding living beings. © Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

Master Gardener Gail Messett remembers an Anacortes clinic visitor who was a fellow master gardener from North Carolina: “She was so glad to see us. She was visiting her son stationed at Whidbey, who had recently purchased a house in Anacortes. She wanted to help him reclaim his mature garden and needed help identifying existing plants and what plants work in the Pacific Northwest. She went back to his house and returned with pictures of plants for us to identify. And, of course, we could suggest native and other plants that would work well in our climate.”

Common Plant Clinic Questions:

• Plant disease diagnosis and treatment suggestions
• Insect identification (and control options, if necessary)
• Plant selection ideas
• General gardening advice, such as pruning techniques, weed control, and pesticide/herbicide application tips
• Gardening resources guidance: We can put you in touch with soil-test sources, native plant societies, mushroom identification sources, and much more

Two Locations in Skagit County
The clinics in Burlington and Anacortes have a library, print materials, access to online resources, and microscopes for plant identification and disease diagnosis. The Anacortes plant clinic is open during the Farmers Market and often attracts visiting tourists or those new to the area and interested in local plants.
Bring Your Suspicious-Looking Plant Materials
Plant clinic volunteers are eager to hear your questions and diagnose plant issues. The questions brought to the clinic also help identify trends throughout the county. Live samples are preferred, either in a baggie or jar, but the team can also work with suitable photos and, often, verbal descriptions. For plant ID, you should include a small branch and any flowers or fruits. Insect and disease samples should include both healthy and affected tissue/branches. Photos should consist of both close-up and landscape shots.

With the information you bring, the plant clinic team will ask questions, use microscopes, and research a comprehensive library of reference materials. Drawing on science-based training and years of experience diagnosing local garden issues, plant clinic master gardeners will track down the source of the problem and offer advice on the least invasive methods to set you on the right course for recovery.

The plant clinic in Burlington is home to Dr. Lloyd Eighme’s (1927 – 2021) extensive insect collection which can be viewed during clinic hours. https://skagitmg.org/home/publications/insects/ © Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

Dr. Eighme’s insect collection is maintained and enhanced by Skagit County Master Gardeners and is used to educate the public and to build and share knowledge about insects in our region. © Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners
WSU Extension Master Gardener Plant Clinic Locations and Hours:
Burlington:
Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April through October
WSU Skagit County Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A (near Skagit Airport), Burlington
Anacortes:
Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  (Open Saturday, May 18 through Saturday, October 12)
In the Depot Building at 7th St & R Ave., the Farmers Market, Anacortes
Farmers Market Info Booths:
Master gardeners are available at info booths at the Farmers Markets in Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley, and Concrete. Though these info-stations aren’t equipped with microscopes and an entire resource library, the master gardener volunteers at the Farmers Market info-stations can answer many of your gardening questions and connect you with the resources you need to be a successful home gardener. Check day and time with local directories.

• Mount Vernon Farmers Market
• Sedro-Woolley Farmers Market
• http://concretesaturdaymarket.com

Visit a Master Gardener Plant Clinic while attending one of these annual events:

Free Admission & Parking
May 11, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Skagit County Fairgrounds
Learn More >
Plant Clinic at the Discovery Garden / Display Garden Open House
Saturday, June 29, 2024 – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Discovery Garden, 16650 State Route 536 (Memorial Hwy), Mount Vernon, WA  98273
Learn More >
Plant Clinic at the Skagit County Fair
Bring your plant questions to the master gardener booth at Skagit County Fair, August 8 – 11, 2024

If you can’t visit during plant clinic hours, you can submit your question:

• Online: https://skagitmg.org/home/plant-clinic-submission/
• Email: skagitmgplantclinic@gmail.com
• Phone message: 360-395-2368

Alternatively, you can drop samples off at the WSU Skagit County Extension Office between 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Information on preparing your samples for mailing or dropping off is online at https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/mg/clinics/

Please provide:

• your garden location
• a detailed description of the problem, plant, or insect
• send digital photos if possible
• phone number and email if we have more questions

During the off-season, plant clinic staff meets every other week to answer emails and work on problems, so there may be a short delay in receiving your answer.

Remember, there are many reasons your plant may not be thriving. Perhaps it is a tender specimen homesick for warmer climates, or it might prefer a sunnier or shadier location in your yard. It might perk right up with some soil amendment and a different watering regimen. Stressed plants are more susceptible to insect attack and disease. A virus or a fungus might have settled in, or tiny insects might be emerging to feast. The solution could be as simple as picking off the damaged leaves, instituting good winter cleanup practices, or using a handheld sprinkler to wash insects off leaves. A visit to a Master Gardener Plant Clinic will help you solve your gardening challenges and decide what to plant next.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:
Sanchez, N. Key strategies for integrated pest management. Oregon State University.(Aug. 2019) Retrieved from: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/pests-weeds-diseases/ipm/key-strategies-integrated-pest-management

Ginny Bode and Anne Hays

ABOUT THE AUTHORS :
Ginny Bode and Anne Hays are Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners, Class of 2022. They are co-editors of the Ask a Master Gardener blog and are always interested in hearing from readers about future topics of interest.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a Master Gardener may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

A Second Act for Your Square 1-Gallon Pots at the Discovery Garden!

Bring your leftover square 1-gallon pots to the Discovery Garden (16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon). The bin for recycling the square 1-gal pots is located in the parking lot, just north (to the right) of the main entrance.
We only need square 1-gallon pots like the ones pictured below (bottom right). The recycling bin will be available now through fall. Simply put your pots into the bin, and we take care of the rest!

Mark Your Calendar:

Skagit Master Gardener Plant Fair-A Growing Tradition

Enjoy fun for the entire family on Saturday, May 11, 2024  8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

By Claire Cotnoir and Hank Davies
Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners and Co-Chairs of the 2024 Plant Fair
Thirty Years and Growing
On Saturday, May 11, 2024 (the Saturday before Mother’s Day, per tradition), the Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation will hold its annual Plant Fair, taking over the entire Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. offering something for every gardener.

The annual Plant Fair kicks off summer for Skagit area gardeners with thousands of quality garden plants for sale, all locally grown or selected by Skagit County Master Gardeners and chosen for success in our local environment. The event is free, parking is free, and master gardener plant recommendations and advice are free. Thousands of plants and other items are available at very reasonable prices.

The Skagit County Fairgrounds, at 501 Taylor Street, is just south of downtown Mount Vernon. Follow the signs to the south entrance on Taylor Street. Note: although the parking area is ample, it is not unusual for a line to form in the earlier hours of the event. Pack your patience, or consider coming a bit later.

The scene at the opening gate is always exciting and has grown over the years.

Sometimes, It’s Fun to Look Back
Gardeners are often surprised by old photos of their gardens and are always delighted by the growth and development they’ve seen since. Plants grow, gardens grow– and boy, do gardening events grow! As Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners are growing and grooming plants to prepare for their 30th annual Plant Fair, they share fond memories of their earlier, smaller events.

The Plant Fair originally started in a field beside what is now the Discovery Garden on Memorial Highway. It moved to the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon in 2015, first occupying one building, and now spreading across the entire fairground with many, many plants, vendors, music, learning sessions and more.

The space allotted for master gardener plant sales, demonstrations, the plant clinic, and The Emporium has also grown all in spacious, comfortable indoor spaces. You’ll find the space for vendor booths, which has also grown, with indoor and outdoor spaces.

Some things couldn’t really grow much bigger. The cashier banners, for instance– this event is a fundraiser, after all! And as always, the master gardeners will be showing off their (often) large, unique hats.

Master Gardener Plants Are the Best!
If you’re looking for tomato plants, head straight for Building D (affectionately dubbed The Tomato Barn), where more than 3,000 plants will be available. You’ll find 40+ varieties that have proven to be favorites of Skagit Valley tomato lovers, plus limited numbers of some “rare and unusual” types. New this year is the Skagit Dwarf Tomato Project. In response to many requests for tomato plants that could be grown in a pot on a deck or condo/apartment balcony, master gardeners have sourced a limited quantity of plants that perfectly fit this need. Look for a table of dwarf varieties at the back of the barn. Or ask one of the many master gardeners for assistance. Check out the tomato list here.>

Like last year, the vast Pavilion building will host a variety of annual and perennial plants, both ornamental and edible. This year’s fair will feature spectacular flowering plant varieties, including Lisianthus, an uncommon and beautiful rose-like plant that is notoriously difficult to start. Master gardeners have done the hard part for you. Lisianthus will be available in apricot, green, and white this year. Hanging baskets of Fuchsia and Coleus pots will be ready for Mother’s Day gifting. Many more varieties for sale include Cosmos, Dianthus, Eucalyptus, white lace flower (Orlaya grandiflora), Scabiosa, snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), stock (Matthiola incana), strawflower (Xerochrysum bracteatum), Zinnia, bellflower (Campanula spp.), bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevis), love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascene), and Silene ‘Blushing Lanterns.’

Chose from an abundance of annuals and perennials in the Pavilion.

You’ll find 40+ proven favorites of Skagit Valley tomato lovers, plus limited numbers of “rare and unusual” types.

In the vegetable section, master gardeners have grown popular varieties well-suited to the local climate. A few examples of the vegetable and herb starts you will find include beet, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, Florence fennel, kale, leek, melon, onion, pepper, pumpkin, Swiss chard, shallot, spinach, summer squash, winter squash, tomatillo, basil, chive, cilantro, and dill.

As always, a wide variety of perennials will be available, including many native plant varieties and edibles like berries, rhubarb, grapes, figs, and perennial herbs. Of course, you’ll find perennially popular peonies! And for the first time, beautiful ‘Spider’s Web’ Fatsia. Also, ferns, trees, shrubs, iris, hardy geranium, Hosta, Epimedium, Trillium, Delphinium, wild ginger (Asarum canadense)-the list goes on. New this year, a pollinator exhibit will help you understand which plants attract which pollinators, their bloom times, and the importance of pollinators for our gardens and the planet.

Bring your plant questions to discuss with a master gardener at the plant clinic held in the Pavilion.

Get ready to go! Bring your boxes, carts, wagons, and, most importantly, your wish list.

Plants and So Much More
Just inside the Pavilion’s main entrance, master gardener plant clinic experts will help you with plant questions and problems. Across the aisle, shop at The Emporium for lightly used garden tools, books, art, and vases. Here, you’ll also find information on the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Program, upcoming events, and how to become a master gardener.

Get your pruners ready-the popular tool sharpening station is in the Pavilion this year and with increased staff. Bring your tools and let our tool experts prepare you for all your summer gardening exploits.

As you exit the Pavilion, head next door to the ‘Free Parking for Paid Plants’ area, where you can “park” your purchases while you continue shopping and enjoying a bite to eat and music in the picnic area. Our popular plant-parking service is returning this year with help from local 4-H members. In Building G, 4-H will also host their annual Small Animal Fair.

All along the grass fairway and in Building C, Plant Fair visitors will find a variety of vendors selling handcrafted wares such as jewelry, glass/metal art, wood sculptures, and gardening equipment. Plus, more plants! Visit educational booths to learn about noxious weeds, energy conservation, bats, and bees. Locally sourced food and drink vendors will be on hand to keep your energy up. Check out the vender list here.>

On the grass fairway vendors will be selling more plants, garden art, food and more.

A wide variety of perennials will be available, including many native plant varieties and edibles.
Demonstrations for Learning
Try attending one of the short gardening demos from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. presented in Building B. Demo topics include pruning, planting tomatoes, gardening with native plants, and more. You may already know Building B as the quilt building if you regularly attend the annual Skagit County Fair. This year, the demonstration area will surrounded by a colorful display of garden-themed quilts on loan from master gardeners and friends.
Get Ready to Go
Bring your boxes, carts, wagons, and, most importantly, your wish list! To help you plan, tomato variety descriptions, plant lists, a vendor list, and demonstration schedules will be available by the end of April on the Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation website at https://skagitmg.org/plant-fair.

Happy customers at the plant fair!

Pick up your tomato favorites from the 3000+ plants selected for our climate and grown by local master gardeners.
Supporting Skagit County Gardeners
Proceeds generated from the Plant Fair enable the Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation, a non-profit organization working in partnership with Washington State University Extension, to support home gardeners by promoting science-based gardening practices and education throughout the year. To learn more about events and programs, visit https://skagitmg.org. And join our mailing list to stay informed all year: https://skagitmg.org/mailing-list/.

Do you love the Plant Fair? You can help make it great next year by becoming a Skagit County Extension Master Gardener! Ask any master gardener at the fair what they love about the program. To learn about the application process, inquire at the Plant Fair Emporium in the Pavilion building or visit http://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/mg/apply/

Claire Cotnoir and Hank Davies,
SCMG Plant Fair Co-Chairs

ABOUT THE AUTHORS :
Claire Cotnoir and Hank Davies are the Co-Chairs of the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Plant Fair and co-coordinators of the Japanese Garden, Common Areas, and Structures in the Discovery Garden located on SR 536, west of Mount Vernon.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a Master Gardener may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Free Admission & Parking
May 11, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Skagit County Fairgrounds
Learn More >

A Second Act for Your Square 1-Gallon Pots at the Discovery Garden!

Bring your leftover square 1-gallon pots to the Discovery Garden (16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon). The bin for recycling the square 1-gal pots is located in the parking lot, just north (to the right) of the main entrance.
We only need square 1-gallon pots like the ones pictured below (bottom right). The recycling bin will be available now through fall. Simply put your pots into the bin, and we take care of the rest!

The Tents are Coming-No Cause for Alarm

Caterpillars signify new, rejuvenating life

—

By: Virgene Link-New, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Egg case. © Virgene Link-New

Perhaps it is our fatigue, our weariness with the darkness of winter. Or maybe it’s our eagerness to see the lush new green of spring bursting forth that fuels our distress and disappointment over the early spring appearance of caterpillar tents in our trees.

Do not despair. Those tents are a sign of another type of life bursting forth: one that will replenish soil over-watered by winter rains and feed many species who have suffered from hunger during the winter. Those tents indicate the under-appreciated western tent caterpillar, Malacosoma californicum. There is also a forest tent caterpillar that is less common, Malacosoma disstria. The first is our most common tent maker in this region. Others are called webworms or tussock moths.

Their egg cases were deposited on deciduous trees and shrubs last year in the late summer and early fall. An egg case is many eggs “glued” together to form a “mass.” In the case of the tent caterpillar, it looks like a silvery Styrofoam mass when fresh. As the temperature warms, the eggs begin to hatch. The newly emerged hatching caterpillars spin a silken web to provide themselves with some protection from predators and weather. At first, they feed inside the tent, then they enlarge their tent as they grow. Since these caterpillars feed in early spring, the young leaves they consume are essentially recycled into compost that rains down to replenish the soil. The host tree has enough time to grow new leaves after the caterpillars have departed. Often, you see caterpillar tents in trees that later fail to develop. This is probably due to weather or other factors like disease or fungus.

As they grow, the caterpillars eventually leave the tent and wander about, searching for more leaves to eat and a place to spin a cocoon. They undergo complete metamorphosis, the process of changing from an immature form to an adult form. At this time, they are more easily preyed upon by other insects, spiders, birds, small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Even their cocoons can be food for other species. Once they have emerged as moths to mate, they are more easily consumed by birds and bats. They are also vulnerable to viruses, diseases, and fungi.

Now, if you are in business and your livelihood depends upon fruit production or tree production, then action is necessary as energy is spent on producing more leaves. Also, the tents can interfere with setting of fruit. Orchardists act in the winter to remove the egg cases by peeling them off or pruning them out of the branches. The removed egg cases can be harmlessly dropped directly on the ground, which makes them available to predators like ground beetles and centipedes and allows any natural enemies whose parasitized eggs have been deposited in the egg case to exit!

Tent caterpillar egg sack on fence © Pascale Michel

If you have a small, just-planted tree, you should do the same action as the orchardist since unestablished trees are more vulnerable to stress. Or an ornamental tree by your front door would be aesthetically displeasing with tents, and you might want to take some action in that case. If you’ve missed the window for removing the egg cases, the web with caterpillars inside can be pulled off or pinched when cool or in the evening if pruning would distort your desired shape. These mechanical removal methods are more environmentally friendly than the use of pesticides and do not result in chemical run off during rainfall that eventually reaches Puget Sound. As a reminder, please do not use a torch to burn the tents, as fire is more damaging to the plant than defoliation.

Larger trees will put out new leaves and should be less vulnerable to attack the following year as they seem to develop some resistance. Weakened trees are partially killed only when severe infestations (total defoliation) are combined with drought or other stressors (like disease). In forests where trees are too overcrowded for nutrients and moisture, this is a form of natural thinning.

These past several years, the Pacific NW has been impacted by drought. Although tent caterpillars do not impact conifers (evergreens), their obvious dead tops in our landscape indicate that our trees suffer from a lack of water.

To protect the trees in your landscape, ensure they receive at least one inch of water per week out to the drip line. This is one reason the WSU Extension Master Gardener program recommends not having grass or plantings directly under your tree. You can use a moisture meter to read the depth to which water (rainfall or supplied) is reaching.

Our native trees have evolved with our native insects and thus have a symbiotic relationship that benefits the entire food web. Particularly, the tent caterpillar seeks out red alder in the native forest. Other host plants are those in the rose, birch, and willow families, to name a few.

Later in the year, we hardly notice the trees that hosted tent caterpillars, as we’ve forgotten which trees were defoliated in the abundance of new leaves. Please be tolerant of some damage because this species plays an important role in the ecosystem.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Eighme, L. (2009) Insects of Skagit County, Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation, pp17-18 & p124. https://skagitmg.org/wp-content/uploads/Public Pages/Library/Insects_of_Skagit_County_Eighme_2022.pdf

Colman, S., Antonelli, A., Murray T. “Tent Caterpillars” Washington State University Extension, December 5, 2022. https://hortsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/fact-sheet/4377/

Tallamy, D. (2019) Bringing Nature Home, Updated and Expanded: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon

Western Tent Caterpillar, U.S. Forest Service, 2011.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5303047.pdf
Drought Information and Resources. Washington State Department of Agriculture
https://agr.wa.gov/departments/land-and-water/natural-resources/water-quantity/drought-infoThe Ultimate Guide to Mulching Around Trees. The Eco Tree Company, Madison, WI. April 21, 2021.
https://ecotreecompany.com/how-to-put-mulch-around-a-tree/
Bruner, J. (1993) Tent Caterpillar, WSU Fruit Tree, Washington State University
https://treefruit.wsu.edu/crop-protection/opm/tent-caterpillar/
Tent Caterpillar IMP Strategy Fact Sheet
https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/SPU/SWAC/TentCaterpillarIPMFactSheet.pdf

Koszarek, L. (2023) Moths: The Forgotten Pollinators. Penn State Extension Master Gardener, College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State University, University Park, PA Retrieved at: Moths-The Forgotten Pollinators

Upcoming Skagit Master Gardener Foundation Events:

Master Gardeners at SICBA Home & Garden Show
March 22 – 24 at the Skagit County Fairgrounds
Visit our booth, see our displays, and talk with master gardeners about how to make your garden more beautiful and productive. Learn about free events and programs for home gardeners in Skagit County.
Food Innovation – Food Waste Prevention – Free
April 6, 9 AM to 12PM at the Port of Skagit
Celebrate Food Waste Prevention Week. Check out the worm composting bin, attend food waste prevention classes. Talk to the Skagit Gleaners. The WSU Breadlab sale starts at 10 AM. Event held at the Extension Office on 11768 Westar Lane, Burlington.
Know & Grow: Growing Roses in Skagit County – Free
April 16, 1 PM at the NWREC Sakuma Auditorium (16650 State Route 536; Mount Vernon) Presented by Virgene Link-New
Skagit County Master Gardener Plant Fair – Free
May 11, 8 AM to 2 PM at the Skagit County Fairgrounds
Learn More >

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Virgene Link-New has been a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2006. She is an avid insect collector and is garden manager of the Rose Garden in the Discovery Garden on SR 536 west of Mount Vernon.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a Master Gardener may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Get Your Body Ready to Tackle the Gardening Chores Ahead

“The secret to a healthy garden is a healthy gardener.”
– Canadian Physiotherapy Association

By: Kathy Wolfe, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Let the gardening begin! As March arrives, our gardening instincts kick into gear and we feel the urge to get started. We look forward to preparing our gardening beds, applying compost to the soil, plunging our first pea seeds into the ground, getting a head start on slug control, planting asparagus crowns (thankful that you dug those trenches last fall), and starting seeds in a greenhouse or under grow lights. Another activity to add to your to-do list is to get your body ready to tackle the gardening chores for the year ahead.

If you routinely work out at the gym, are a yoga devotee, or were lucky enough to spend your winter in a warm climate where you remained active for months, good for you! Many of us, however, have been hibernating along with our plants and should consider how we will prepare our bodies for the shoveling, lifting, hoeing, and raking activities soon upon us. It takes time to build strength, stamina, and aerobic power to prevent injury.

When moving something, keep your back straight and avoid arching it. Use your leg and buttock muscles instead of your arms. © Photographer: Yan Krukau | Pexels.com

Early season muscle strengthening helps the body endure the rigors of lifting and moving which are an inevitable part of a gardener’s routine. © Photographer: Kay Torrance

Why bother, you ask? If your core strength is low, your balance will be affected, and falls could result. Big and small muscles must be strong and pliable to avoid tears, cramps, and sprains. No one wants that.

Before our gardening marathon, let’s begin by practicing easy, at-home exercises. By starting today, your body will be more prepared for the heavier gardening chores still to come. Be sure to check with your medical professional before starting any new physical regimen. The tips presented here are in no way intended as a substitute for medical consultation.

Get Out and Walk
Boost your heart health and stamina with a brisk walk to get the blood circulating into your large muscle groups. Twenty to thirty minutes, done three times per week, is advised for cardiovascular health.
Chair Squats
Stand in front of a chair, feet shoulder-width apart, arms in front of you. Bend your knees, slowly squat, and gently sit down, then stand up using only your legs. Repeat several times. This exercise will benefit your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings, helping your functional strength.

Proper lifting techniques protect the back.

Exercises using a chair for balance are a great way to tune-up the body core muscles for functional strength.

Wall pushups help strengthen your chest, shoulders, triceps, abs, and wrists.
Wall Pushups 
Stand facing a wall with your hands shoulder-width apart. With your arms straight, place your palms on the wall. Keep your back straight, bend your elbows into a pushup position, and then push yourself away from the wall while keeping your palms in contact with the surface. This exercise strengthens your chest, shoulders, triceps, abs, and wrists.
Balance
Try standing on one leg and using fingertip touch on a countertop or chair. Repeat with the opposite leg. You can do this while performing everyday tasks like washing dishes or brushing your teeth. Try walking heel-to-toe. Practice leaning down and standing up, holding onto a chair if necessary. You will be doing a lot of this in the garden.

Now that your body is becoming more toned, balanced, and flexible, it is important to carry it gently into each gardening day. Start with some basic stretches. Remember, for any stretches, it is important to warm up with a few minutes of physical activity like walking, stretch at least two or three times alternating side to side, keep good form and posture (standing tall with your shoulders back and relaxed, hips even and core engaged to support your back), and keep breathing throughout each stretch. You might feel a pulling sensation or slight discomfort, but you should not feel pain with any stretch. And never bounce while stretching, but hold the movement steady. Print out these basic stretches and post them as a reminder and an easy reference.

Begin with some basic roll-downs for back flexibility and balance practice.

Further, prepare your back and spine with several thoracic rotations on each side, bending and twisting the spine to increase flexibility.

Warm up your pectorals (chest muscles) using a doorframe or corner to create resistance.

Don’t forget your wrists. Do a few wrist flexor and extensor exercises to get you started.

Do gentle quadriceps, gluteal, hip flexors, and calf stretches to prepare your legs for action.

Now that you are warmed up start with a gentle activity such as raking to help get the blood flowing through your large muscle groups.

Different tasks require specific attention and care. For example, the proper weeding technique is to dig around all sides of the weed to loosen it up before attempting to yank it out. Use your tools to do the work for you whenever you can. And alternate your weeding stance between standing and squatting. If you kneel, use a kneeling pad or individually pad your knees to protect them from excessive pressure.

Good tips for lifting and moving heavy items include planning where you will move the object and removing obstacles before lifting anything. Place the item close to your torso and bend your knees. Take a deep breath to prepare yourself and initiate the lift on the exhale. Use your leg and buttock muscles instead of your arms. Keep your back straight and avoid arching it. Limit the rotation of your spine because this will put undue stress on your lower vertebrae. Use your feet if turning is necessary. Refrain from jerking a heavy load, or you might be visiting a physical therapist the next morning.

Alternate gardening tasks and positions throughout the day and keep well hydrated.

After a day of gardening, take a few minutes to cool down by doing some of the warmup stretches shown. Take a short walk to keep your large muscle groups moving freely. A walking inspection of the rest of your yard may be in order. This practice will help prevent those nasty back and leg aches later in the day.

Doing some strengthening work before the gardening season, starting each garden day with some stretches and light work, and ending your session with a nice cool down will become habits if you repeat them regularly. Your body will thank you for it!

Taking time to rest and rehydrate is important throughout the gardening season. © Photographer: Nancy Crowell

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Fuller, J. Stretches for Gardeners: 8 best stretches to keep you pruning for longer. Retrieved from: https://sportandspinalphysio.com.au/improve-your-gardening-8-best-stretches

Crawford, C. Inspire to Move – Gardening to Exercise Wellness Connections, University of Illinois System, April 2021. InspireToMoveApril2021.pdf (uillinois.edu)

Moeller, S. 6 Ways to Get Gardening Muscles in Shape and Prevent Injuries. AARP Home & Family, March 15, 2021. Retrieved from:  6 Ways to Get Gardening Muscles in Shape and Prevent Injuries – Rehab Management (rehabpub.com)

Zellers, C. Gardening for Physical Activity. Cooperative Extension of Cape May County, Rutgers, New Jersey, May 15, 2020. Retrieved from: Gardening for Physical Activity – Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County

30-minute Home Stretching Program. Choose PT Health Tips. Retrieved from: Health Tips | 30-Minute Home Stretching Program | Choose PT

How to Prepare for Gardening as a Senior. Health and Wellness, April 27, 2021. Bethesda Health Group, St. Louis, MO. Retrieved from: How to Prepare for Gardening as a Senior – Bethesda Health Group

Kathy Wolfe

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Kathy Wolfe has been a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2002. She is co-manager of the vegetable garden at the Discovery Garden on SR 536 west of Mount Vernon.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a Master Gardener may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Gardening for All Ages and Abilities

Practical tips and ideas for adapting the garden through life’s transitions

By: Ginny Bode with Madelyn Case and Anita Reetz, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners

Gardeners know spending time in the garden feeds the soul. But sometimes, as life changes, we face the need to adapt how we garden so it is possible for ourselves or those we love to continue cultivating wellbeing through gardening.

For some, physical limitations present lifelong challenges; for others, aging begins to interfere with the bending, kneeling, and digging associated with gardening. There are many reasons to take heart and continue to enjoy gardening by implementing some of these adaptive methods.

In her book Gardening for a Lifetime, Sidney Eddison sums up the reason for adapting when she says, “We are all doing exactly the same thing-trying to hang on to something we love.” Her book is loaded with practical ideas for reducing and removing barriers that hinder and continue the joy of growing plants through life’s transitions.

Reducing the size and work of a garden is the first step, followed by making it easier, more accessible, and user-friendly. A vegetable garden the size you’ve always had, and probably shared with others, can be resized to reduce both the work of maintaining and the work of harvesting. Choose to grow your top favorites, looking for plants that require less maintenance.

Eddison writes about requiring a “standard of good behavior” for perennials. Her measure includes observing a perennial’s health, fortitude, and ability to withstand the extremes of summer and winter. They must be “well-behaved” and not invite pests. As plants age out, replace them with sizes and varieties that are easier to maintain. And, because climbing ladders is problematic as we age, choose low-profile trees and shrubs that are easier to reach for pruning and maintenance.

Pay Attention to Walkways
Every garden needs to be accessible and safe. Falls are problematic and can limit the ability to garden even more. Remove any places that may cause one to stumble. Eliminate a dip in a walking path and poor transitions between surfaces. Smooth pathways such as pavers, rather than woodchips or gravel, ensure ease for every gardener, particularly those who need the aid of a cane, walker, or wheelchair.

Herbs and lettuces can easily be grown in containers making it easy to gather when preparing a meal.

If the space doesn’t allow a large footprint, grow vertically with trellises in pots. Tomatoes are a beautiful addition, and can drive grown vertically with good airflow.
Be Amazed by What Can Be Grown in Containers
Life can throw us a curve, and home may change from acreage or a city lot with a garden to an apartment. Don’t let it rob the joy of gardening. When faced with gardening on a patio, containers can provide an excellent way to get a dirt fix. Most home gardeners are familiar with growing flowers in pots and containers. Many also successfully grow a wide range of vegetables, including tomatoes, beans, and kitchen herbs in pots. Depending on the space and container size, some folks even grow potatoes! The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible by Edward Smith provides advice for growing an abundant vegetable garden on your patio or balcony. Smith’s book is a stalwart in gardeners’ libraries because it is packed with information covering sun exposure, pot size, soil choices, and which varieties do best in containers.

A narrow bench fitted to the edge of a raised bed allows for tending without kneeling.

Raised beds are also an excellent solution to making the garden user-friendly, making it possible to get your hands in the dirt without bending or kneeling. By keeping the beds narrow, 4′ or less, every inch of the garden is reachable from a standing or wheelchair position. It is incredible how much can be grown in a raised bed. With the popularity of raised beds, kits that only require simple assembly are available, or you can use the plans referenced later in this article.

Master gardener and adaptive gardening consultant Toni Gattone shares many adaptive gardening ideas in her book The Lifelong Gardener. Faced with chronic back pain, she searched for ways to adapt her northern California garden. She collected considerable wisdom about assessing limitations and finding joy in the changes. In the book, Toni profiles several gardeners faced with specific challenges and how they solved them with intentional choices and tools.

Gattone has a chapter about tools available for gardeners who face physical challenges. Scooters, carts, and ergonomically designed tools reduce some of the problems caused by aging joints. Long-handled hoes and weeders can make it much easier to garden from a bench.

Share a Gardening Space with a Friend or Join a Community Garden
Another way to garden without a home garden is to share a space. Many communities have garden spaces for people who need a place to garden. Whether in a community garden or sharing space in a friend’s garden, both offer the additional benefit of social interaction and shared knowledge.

The Enabling Garden features an abundance of garden possibilities for making it easier to garden for all ages and abilities © Nancy Crowell Photography
See the Possibilities in Action
As spring turns to summer, you will find inspiration for adaptive gardening techniques in the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener’s Discovery Garden on Memorial Highway (SR 536), west of Mount Vernon. Within the one-and-a-half-acre garden, local master gardeners have created an Enabling Garden, showcasing possibilities for people of all ages with limited physical abilities.

The Enabling Garden’s features include:

• Smooth ground surfaces
• Raised beds
• Resting places
• A display of adaptive gardening tools
• A selection of plants chosen for their sensory attributes or space

Many tools are available to help ease physical challenges. Long-handled hoes and weeders can make it much easier to garden from a bench.
© Ginny Bode

White stones delineate areas for the visually impaired in this raised bed in the Enabling Garden

Tripartite garden plants; wheelchair accessible.

Rather than wood chips or gravel, pavers allow visitors with walkers or wheelchairs to move about easily. The raised bed design (8-foot x 4-foot x 1-3-foot) permits the gardener to reach every inch of each bed, standing or from a wheelchair. You’ll find more information about raised beds along with plans at https://skagitmg.org/raised-beds-2023/.

One raised bed features a sitting ledge to offer a rest from work. Another bed is designed for the visually impaired and features curved streams of small white rocks separating plant clusters and plants with different textures to touch and feel. A third raised bed is divided into three parts with cutouts to push in a walker or wheelchair.

A fourth raised bed features a vertical lattice panel in the center, supporting various runner beans and clematis. The panel, located in the middle, permits tending from both sides. Square foot gardening techniques are displayed in another raised bed where 24 one-foot squares, laid out with twine, show the variety and abundance of small vegetables, herbs, and flowers that one raised bed produces.

The coordinators of the Enabling Garden choose plants for their ability to satisfy the senses of smell, touch, hearing, and taste. Kids visiting this garden say, “It’s fun to feel” the wooly lambs’ ear (Stachys byzantina), spiky lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus), saxifrage, trailing English ivy (Hedera helix), and soft moss that flourish in the bed designed for the visually impaired. Fragrant plants throughout the garden include lilies, mint, sage, violets, and sweet peas. Herbs like lavender, rosemary, and lemon verbena can energize the gardener. You will find plants included for their sounds, too! Balloon flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus), bamboo, Chinese lantern plants (Physalis alkekengi), and honesty (Lunaria annua) provide interesting and pleasant sounds.

Within the Enabling Garden, you’ll also find a display picturing enabling tools, showing the tool and explaining how it helps gardeners use less energy and work more effectively.

These tips only touch on surface ideas to make it possible to experience the rewards of gardening no matter what physical limitations a gardener faces. The resources below dig deeper into the possibilities for gardening at any age or ability.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Eddison, S. 2010. Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older. Timber Press Portland, OR.

Smith, E. 2011. The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible. Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA.

Bartholomew, M. 2018. All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space! Cool Springs Press, Franklin, TN.

Gattone, T. 2019. The Lifelong Gardener: Garden with Ease and Joy at Any Age. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Ginny Bode

Anita Reetz

Madelyn Case

ABOUT THE AUTHORS :

Ginny Bode, Anita Reetz, and Madelyn Case are Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners. Anita and Madelyn are the coordinators of the Enabling Garden at the Discovery Garden on SR 536 west of Mount Vernon. https://skagitmg.org/home/discovery-garden/

Questions about home gardening or becoming a Master Gardener may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Red-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) © Joan D. Stamm

Gardening for Wildlife

Thinking of adding new plants to your garden this spring? Choose from these recommendations to build a healthy ecosystem for your favorite wildlife species.

Updated: August 18, 2024

By: Joan D. Stamm, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

In a blog article last September, I recommended reading Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy for the “why” of gardening for wildlife. This article will explore the “what” and the “where”-as in “what” plants and “where” to buy them.

For the “what,” I suggest Real Gardens Grow Natives by Eileen M. Stark as a guide to site prep, plant selection, and the benefits each plant offers the ecosystem. “Benefit” in this article, as in Stark’s book, is the critical word. It points to what the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has coined as keystone plants.

What exactly is a keystone plant?
According to NWF, keystone plants are “native plants critical to the food web and necessary for many wildlife species to complete their life cycle. Without keystone plants in the landscape, butterflies, native bees, and birds will not thrive. 96% of our terrestrial birds rely on insects supported by keystone plants.”

Stark, a wildlife conservationist and landscape designer from Portland, Oregon, specializes in wildlife habitat gardens that include keystone plants. In the 317 pages of her beautifully photographed book, you will find 100 of her favorite Northwest native plant varieties and their many benefits for wildlife.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) © Joan D. Stamm

Twinberry (Lonicera involucrata) © Joan D. Stamm

Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) © Joan D. Stamm

For example, the Garry oak or Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) is one of the top keystone plants Stark promotes in her book. If we want butterflies in our garden, we need to have trees, shrubs, and perennials that host butterfly larvae. The Garry oak is one such tree; it is a host plant for many caterpillars, including the “gray hairstreak, California sister, and Propertius duskywing butterfly larvae.” In addition, the “flowers attract native bees,” and the “acorns sustain populations of mammals and birds such as woodpeckers, nuthatches and vireos.” “Studies show,” writes Start, “that oaks support more insect herbivores than any other plant genus.”

Although incredibly beneficial, not everyone has space for an 80-foot Garry oak. If not, consider another keystone tree: bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata). Birds such as “tanagers, waxwings, bluebirds, towhees, and flickers” will arrive to eat the fruit. A native cherry also hosts “swallowtail and Lorquin’s admiral butterfly larvae.”

If you love butterflies, another great keystone tree is Scouler’s willow (Salix scouleriana); it hosts “western tiger swallowtail, great comma, dreamy duskywing, and mourning cloak butterfly larvae.” In addition, native willow flowers “provide pollen and nectar for bees,” and “small and large mammals feed on buds, leaves, and seeds.”

Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) © Joan D. Stamm

Frog on Sneezeweed © Joan D. Stamm

Bumblebee on blanket flower © Joan D. Stamm

Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is also a keystone tree, providing “pollen and nectar for large numbers of bees, as well as hummingbird and spring azure butterflies.” Serviceberry fruit, says Stark, “is relished by waxwings, chickadees, woodpeckers, and tanagers,” and it is a host plant for “pale swallowtail, brown elfin, Lorquin’s admiral, and California hairstreak butterfly larvae.”

Along with these important native trees, many keystone perennials can fit into any open sunny space in your garden. A beneficial plant throughout many regions, goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), is a “nectar source for native bees and butterflies, such as the checkered skipper, clouded sulphur, gray hairstreak, monarch [east of the Cascades], and the endangered Oregon silverspot.”

Douglas aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum) “provides nectar and pollen for bees and nectar for woodland skipper, pine white, painted lady, red admiral, mourning cloak, and the Oregon silverspot.” It is also a “host plant for field crescent and other butterfly larvae.”

Lupine © Joan D. Stamm

Big-leaf lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) not only “provide[s] pollen for native bumblebees,” it is a “host plant for silvery blue, painted lady, and orange sulfur butterfly larvae. Aphids attracted to the plant are preyed upon by syrphid fly larvae. Seeds are eaten by birds such as sparrows and finches.”

The Viola adunca, a native violet in our state, is a dynamic host plant for at least seven species of butterfly caterpillars and an enticing nectar plant for the endangered Mardon skipper butterfly.

Stark divides her native plant selections into three categories: plants for sun, partial sun, and mostly shade, guiding us in our creed “right plant, right place.” You’ll also find chapters on soil, pruning, watering, weeding, mulching, and much more. Her book is this gardener’s “go-to” choice whenever looking for the right native plant for a particular area and wanting to know the benefit to nature: what bees, butterflies, birds, or caterpillars the plant will attract.

As beneficial as all native plants are for our native wildlife, some natives on Stark’s list may not be suitable for an urban or suburban garden. For example, western red cedar, grand fir, Douglas fir, western hemlock, and Sitka spruce, are all enormously beneficial, but grow to a height of over 100 feet. The Douglas’ spirea, Stark warns, “may be too assertive for small, moist gardens.” Yet, the Spiraea betulifolia var. lucida, a small shrub with white flowers, might be perfect for a sunny border. Be sure to familiarize yourself with height, width, water requirements, and characteristics such as “vigorous,” “assertive,” or “rapid spreader” to determine if you have the “right plant for the right place.” A Nootka rose’s flowers and hips provide many benefits to wildlife but, over time, will grow into a thicket. However, if you have room for it to spread, it might make the perfect hedgerow, providing not only winter food for juncos and grosbeaks but also a habitat for nesting birds and the western checkerspot butterfly caterpillar.

For a more comprehensive book on creating gardens for wildlife, see Russell Link’s Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. Link’s book not only includes extensive lists of native and non-native plants that benefit wildlife but also illustrates how to build habitats for birds, reptiles, mammals, and all the other creatures that make up a complete ecosystem. For example, he details snag locations and which draw native birds. He describes how to create a cavity in a live tree without killing the tree and thus create a habitat for a woodpecker. The book contains several kinds of fully illustrated brush or rock piles, including how to make them, where to place them, and who will benefit.

For example, Link says that “bushtits, chickadees, dark-eyed juncos, towhees,” and others “will use the inside of a brush pile,” whereas “hummingbirds, robins, and towhees will use the outside of a brush pile. Salamanders, snakes, toads, and turtles,” will use the base of the brush pile. He also covers how to create or construct proper birdbaths, ponds, nest boxes, and bat houses and features detailed drawings to illustrate how to build homes for Mason and bumblebees. Included are eight pages of colored photos depicting NW native mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, moths, and other insects, describing our native birds and their preferred habitats.

Bee on Sneezeweed © Joan D. Stamm

Scotch bluebell (Campanula rotundifolia) © Joan D. Stamm

With these three books, Nature’s Best Hope, Real Gardens Grow Natives, and Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest, you will be inspired, informed, and guided to provide plants that offer habitat and food (nectar, pollen, insects) for our native wildlife. You will better understand why it’s important to cultivate natives and have a clearer idea of what to plant, thus joining the movement to restore our natural ecosystem.

The only question remaining is “where” to buy all these wonderful beneficial plants?
You can start with our very own Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation’s Annual Plant Fair, which always features a native plant section. The sale occurs the Saturday before Mother’s Day (May 11, 2024) at the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon.

The local Salal chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society (https://www.wnps.org/salal-programs/garden) offers a twice-yearly native plant sale online with pick up at their demonstration garden adjacent to the Discovery Garden. Sign up to get email notifications.

Some of our local nurseries are beginning to carry more native plants. Azusa Gardens in Mount Vernon on Hwy 20 (https://www.azusagardens.com/) keeps expanding its native plant section each season. They feature two- and five-gallon shrubs such as twinberry, ocean spray, snowberry, red-twig dogwood, mountain hemlock, and others. Twinberry (Lonicera involucrata), in particular, is an attractive and beneficial native shrub easily grown with a little shade. It produces yellow tubular flowers attractive to hummingbirds and the berries are eaten by “thrushes, flickers, grosbeaks, and waxwings”; it’s also a host plant for the “snowberry checkerspot butterfly larvae.” Azusa also carries native ferns, and groundcovers such as bunchberry and wild ginger. They also welcome requests for specific plants.

Christianson’s Nursery in Mount Vernon on Best Road  (https://www.christiansonsnursery.com/) has a native plant section and carries one-gallon great camass (Camassia leichtlinii) in spring. They also have vine maple, salal, western red cedar, fir, hemlock, and kinnikinnick. The latter is a perfect groundcover. Kinnikinnick is not only evergreen, but the flowers are popular with bees and hummingbirds; the berries are eaten by “songbirds and many ground-feeding birds,” says Stark. It is also a “host plant for brown elfin and hoary elfin butterfly larvae.”

Plantas Nativa in Bellingham (https://www.plantasnativa.com/) specializes exclusively in native plants. They pack a lot of choices-conifers, shrubs, perennials, ferns, grasses, water plants, groundcovers, and more-into their small corner lot.

A little farther away but worth the drive, a visit to the Pacific Rim Institute (PRI) https://pacificriminstitute.org/ near Coupeville on Whidbey Island will reward you with not only a native plant nursery but a hike through a preserved segment of Washington’s native prairie landscape that contains the endangered golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta). PRI’s Nursery specializes in 50 native prairie plants. Many, such as woolly sunflower, red paintbrush, campanula, yarrow, larkspur, and fescue, will thrive in a sunny spot in your garden. Red paintbrush, in particular, is a beautiful, easy-to-grow native when planted with another native-like yarrow, woolly sunflower, penstemon, or blue-eyed grass. Due to its symbiotic nature, paintbrush requires nutrients from a host plant’s roots to survive. It blooms throughout summer, and Anna’s hummingbird loves the red flowers.

PRI also specializes in some unique native bulbs-ookow (Dichelostemma congestum), blue lily (Triteleia grandiflora), and harvest brodiaea (Brodiaea coronaria), that I hope will begin to replace my non-native tulips and daffodils for spring cheer.

With the knowledge and expertise of Tallamy, Stark, and Link, and a little help from our many plant retailers, you will be inspired to garden with native keystone plants that provide food and habitat for our indigenous birds, bees, and butterflies. In our age of endangered plant and animal species, we can be a force for eco-restoration right in our own backyard.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Stark, E. 2014. Real Gardens Grow Natives. Skipstone, Seattle, WA

Tallamy, D. 2019. Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Joan D. Stamm

Joan D. Stamm is a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener and the author of several books, including The Language of Flowers in the Time of COVID: Finding Solace in Zen, Nature and Ikebana.

https://joandstamm.com/

Questions about home gardening or becoming a Master Gardener may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Gardening for Pollinators

A journey of learning

By: Patty Puckett Tingler, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Pollen is a fine powdery substance, typically yellow, consisting of microscopic grains discharged from the male part of a flower. The term pollinator is not limited to wind, insects, animals, and butterflies. Some unexpected insects such as beetles and moths are also pollinators, performing the critical task of transporting pollen to the female parts of other plants, enabling fertilization and the production of seeds and fruit. Pollinators are vital to global crop production. According to an article published by the U.S. Forest Service, “Of the 1,400 crop plants grown around the world, i.e., those that produce all of our food and plant-based industrial products, almost 80% require pollination by animals.”

It is widely assumed that the honeybee is the predominant pollinator. However, there are many types of bees, solitary and social, and they all play a role in pollination. Typically, in a home garden, you’ll find solitary bees that are not part of a hive; however, all bees play a role in pollen distribution and pollination.

© Patty Puckett Tingler

The Banded Wooly Bear is the larval stage of the Island Tiger Moth. © Virgene Link-New

A honeybee on a kale blossom Caption © Virgene Link-New

Flowers, Fruits, and Veggies

Gardeners should consider choosing plants that will provide pollinators with a variety of feeding choices all season long. Choosing early and mid-spring blooming flowers or bulbs to attract pollinators is a wise strategy. Once the pollinators have been attracted to the garden, vegetables will be bountiful all summer long. Fruit trees in blossom are ready to be pollinated. Be sure to share the bounty with birds later in the season as they were likely part of the pollinator team.

Remember to be patient. Attracting pollinators is laying the groundwork for years to come, so efforts made now will affect the garden and pollinators in the future. Watch and study your space for attractiveness to pollinators as you would for sun and shade. Neighboring plants can repel certain pollinators and you may need to move or rethink what to plant in a particular area to attract the pollinators for garden needs. Gardening for pollinators is a journey of learning and understanding.

The Western Swallowtail has a lifespan of only 6 – 14 days. Caption © Virgene Link-New

Hover fly on dahlia © Virgene Link-New

Attracting Pollinators

If you personally like scented plants then you already know which plants pollinators enjoy. In addition to scent, think of using the open face of a flower as a landing place for the pollinator to rest while gathering and distributing pollen. Whether it’s a bee, a butterfly, or a bird, rest areas will encourage different pollinators to return. In the Pacific Northwest, especially western Washington, pollinators are lured by crocosmia, coneflowers, lavender, catmint, and sunflowers to name a few. One easy-to-grow pollinator-friendly annual is lacy phacelia, also known as blue tansy. It is a beautiful lavender color, grows easily from seed, and bees will flock to this plant. Distribute the seeds around your yard and enjoy its tall, beautiful splendor.

The number of scented plants in the Pacific Northwest is quite wide, from climbing vines like honeysuckle to lavender and lilac bushes. There are plenty of native species to choose from that are drought tolerant once established such as camas, lupine, salvia, and checker mallow also known as Malva. Daisies, asters, California poppy, catmint, and sage are also pollinator-friendly plants easily grown in the PNW.

What can we do to support pollinators?

How we can best support pollinators depends on the season. In fall, it’s best to put down your rake and leave the leaves on the ground. Mother Nature will do her best to push the leaves together under shrubs or against a structure. Some pollinators burrow under these leaf accumulations to overwinter. Wait until the spring weather is warmer (above 50°F) before cleaning up the garden as the pollinators will need the warmth as they emerge from their winter habitat.

Lorquin’s Admiral butterfly © Virgene Link-New

Reduce the areas of grass on your property by adding shrubs, trees, and perennials that will provide visual interest and habitat for birds and insects. Use fewer toxins and chemicals, when possible. Pollinators need water for many purposes, including drinking, cooling, and reproduction so be sure to provide a source of shallow water near pollinator plants. Recycle pots or repurpose other containers (buckets, watering cans, birdbaths, etc.) on your patio or landscape to encourage more pollinators. Secondhand stores are full of items waiting for a reimagined purpose.

By providing backyard habitats or even a patio garden of scented, open flowers, bees and other pollinators will find your offerings. Support them by providing plants that help them do their job. Look online for native Pacific Northwest plants, shrubs, or seeds. Visit a local nursery to get plant recommendations or attend classes. Use your local library to learn more about creating or filling your garden with pollinator-friendly plants.

The more you learn about the world around you, the easier it is to live simply with our environment. Becoming aware of your environment and learning more about pollinators will open your eyes to the beauty and intricate connectivity of nature. We co-habit with and need insects, birds, butterflies, and other creatures to act as pollinators to plants to provide us with both beauty and nutrition. Our health, both physical and mental, would not exist without the efforts of the earth’s pollinators.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Why is Pollination Important ? U.S. Forest Service
Retrieved from https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildflowers/pollinators/importance

James, D. Pollinators retrieved from https://hortsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/pollinators/

Krischik, V. Pollinator Conservation Biocontrol: Beneficial Insects | IPM and Pollinator Conservation University of Minnesota retrieved from: https://ncipmhort.cfans.umn.edu/beneficial-insects

Zagory, E., Hetrick, K. (2016) Introducing 10 Bees and 10 Plants They Love. University of California, Davis
https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk1546/files/inline-files/10-bees-10-plants_0.pdf

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Patty Puckett Tingler

Patty Puckett Tingler is a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener, Class of 2022.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a Master Gardener may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Learn from the experts at the
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& Modern Homesteading

Saturday, January 27, 2024

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These Gardening Topics and More:

• Fruit Tree Pruning & Grafting
• Microclimates in the Garden
• Low Maintenance Gardening
• Roses
• Bee Keeping
• Soil Sampling
• Veggie Gardening
• Growing in High Tunnels, Cold Frames, and Unheated Greenhouses
• Pest Control
• Hop Growing
• Flower Arranging
• Know Your Native Trees
• Introduction into Mason Bees

Help for the Vegetable Garden Novice

Tips every first-time vegetable gardener should consider

By Anne Hays and Cathy Markham, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners 

I am a vegetable garden rookie! There, now you know.

Some of us become gardeners later than others. I grew up moving from state to state just about every year. Our family’s unique military and government-dictated lifestyle left few opportunities for gardening growing up. As an adult, I found myself living in Alaska, spending 30-plus years tending fireweed, wild lowbush blueberries, and devils-club. Now, living in the abundantly beautiful Skagit Valley, I have the time and desire to learn how to successfully plant and grow a vegetable garden. As a novice, first-time veggie gardener, I turned to my wonderful friend and fellow Master Gardener, Cathy Markham, and asked her to mentor me through the process. The following is a journal of guidance and learning with the goal of a vibrant and bountiful vegetable garden this coming spring and summer.

Think Before You Leap

As both a gardener and a chef, Cathy has been growing a cook’s garden for many years. Both her Italian grandmother, on the central coast of California, and her mother, in the high mountain desert of Idaho, grew gardens. Cathy has never known a time when her family didn’t grow, harvest, and preserve.

Cathy advises working to get the most out of your garden space. When she teaches about gardening, she advises “Think before you leap.” Answer a couple of key questions such as “What do you want to take away from your decision to garden and what kind of commitment are you honestly willing to make regarding time, dedication, and hard work?” There are no wrong answers; it is just very helpful to define your expectations.

After many, many years of experience gained from multiple acres of gardens, and knowledge collected from gardeners who have gone before her, Cathy asks every novice vegetable gardener to consider:

Do you have a space that is prepared to plant? Is the soil in need of amending? Is there adequate water and is the sunlight appropriate for your garden space?

Is your space protected from deer, rabbits, or other animals that see your garden as a free salad bar?

Are you prepared to tend your garden frequently, checking for insects and disease, weeding, tending seedlings, and then harvesting for maximum yield?

Considering these questions will help you decide if “digging in” and starting a home vegetable garden is for you. In fairness, sometimes our lives or interests can’t support the commitment of growing a garden and it is better to support a local farm stand. Gardening is just not fun when you are constantly trying to keep your plants alive in poor soil and conditions, or when you are doing the added work of trying to keep the deer and rabbits out of your garden. If you are serious about getting a harvest for delicious eating and winter storage, the answers to these questions are important.

After listening to Cathy’s advice, considering her questions, and thinking through our commitment to becoming vegetable gardeners, my partner and I said “Yes! We are ready and committed to growing our own vegetable garden.”

This past fall, we set about building a garden space, installing six vinyl-clad trough-style raised beds which were ordered from an online source.

The start of the process of building a raised bed garden on a small, city lot. © Anne Hays/Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The raised bed components delivered by the online retailer. © Anne Hays/Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Opting to use drip irrigation, we installed the necessary infrastructure and then filled the six beds with commercially distributed topsoil. Placed next to the house on the south side, three beds measure 3.5 feet by 3.5 feet. Two beds measure 2.5 feet by 8 feet and one measuring 2 feet by 6.5 feet, adjacent to the square beds with a 6-foot path and workspace in between. We plan to attach hog-wire to the house wall for trellising above the three, square beds.

The investment, not including the raised beds, came to $539.63. Once everything was in place, we invited Cathy to visit the newly minted, naked garden. She thought the raised garden beds looked great; having the potential for lots of sun, available irrigation, and plenty of space for vertical growing! Cathy suggested getting started right away by planting winter veggies such as leeks, kale, and garlic as a first foray into the veggie gardening realm.

Rookie Alert: The eight garlic cloves purchased were about six more than most any household needs. Cathy happily adopted the surplus garlic for her garden. Then she quietly pointed out that the leeks, which by then, looked more like bunches of scallions, needed to be separated from their clumps to grow with adequate space. Who knew?

The raised bed components assembled and ready for DIY drip system installation. © Anne Hays/Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The finished garden beds ready for planting. © Anne Hays/Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener
The Next Step – Planning What to Grow
Here again, Cathy’s advice, based on years of experience and research-based learning, was invaluable-she helped us decide what to grow; when to grow; and whether to buy starts versus seeds. Her advice is to grow what you love to eat. Okay, then not so many cukes since my partner is not a fan. Cathy recommends a wonderful book: Grow Cook Eat by Willi Galloway as a starting point for garden planning.
Starting with Seeds Versus Buying Plant Starts
Locally grown plant starts are a reliable way to get up and running. But spending time with seed catalogs is enthusiastically encouraged! Some favorites are provided in the references below.

The next steps will include getting together during the cold and dark winter months for tea or warm cider to go through seed catalogs and map out the garden planting. Raised bed experts recommend growing tomatoes on a trellis, and weaving in other climbers, such as beans, on the same trellis to efficiently utilize the space. It is key to plant at the right time – don’t start too early!

Here are some of the guiding principles Cathy encourages new gardeners to lean on:

Grow what you love to eat.

• You have a lot of choices for what to plant in your vegetable gardens but the best choices are the ones you or your family are actually willing to add to your diet and eat. You are more likely to put the work into the garden and harvest for foods you love to eat.

Start small and be successful with easy-to-grow plants.

• A very small garden can be very productive and rewarding. It gives you a chance to experiment with plants, maybe one tomato plant or eggplant. Greens, bush beans, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and herbs are an easy way to start. Choose bush and dwarf varieties for small spaces so you won’t have to worry about staking. If you have vertical space, climbing vegetables are great; these include peas, beans, cucumbers, indeterminant tomatoes, and now several new varieties of squash have been developed which grow vertically in small spaces.

Grow nutrition-rich and versatile choices.

• Adding nutrient-dense vegetables to our diet is always a plus! Dark leaved greens like kale, spinach, and chard; rich dark root vegetables like beets and carrots; peas and beans, garlic, onions, leeks, and shallots; broccoli or broccolini; and tomatoes!

Grow what is expensive to buy or is not as flavorful when you buy it.

• This is especially true of herbs which are easy to grow for the most part and make a huge difference in food preparation. Tomatoes and English peas (shelling peas) are examples of vegetables that are so much better fresh from the garden. Potatoes and corn are plentiful and readily available, so you may choose to skip giving up the space it takes to grow them.

Decide what “mountains to die on.”

• Based on your time and patience, decide what you are willing to deal with in your garden. For example, you may choose not to grow many vegetables from the cabbage family because you are not willing to deal with the bugs and worms that they attract. You may choose instead to grow broccolini, a short, early-season vegetable, or maybe Kalettes (a cross between kale and Brussels sprouts) because they are fun. You can buy what you choose not to grow at a farmer’s market.
• We live in an area where an excellent choice of vegetable starts is available. If you have a new garden, this is a big boost to success because you don’t have to deal with the germination of seeds. Beans are the exception here, they do best when grown from seed. The plus for growing from seed is the huge variety of available seed sources. This may not be a priority for new gardeners.

Grow organic as much as possible.

• The better you take care of your garden the less you will need to use any chemicals on it. Keep the garden clean of weeds, and mulch to keep the weeds down and the soil moist. Keep the pathways clean also; weeds and grass are very difficult to manage when they grow big. It is easier to pick them small, not letting the weeds compete for nutrition. Thinning your growing plants appropriately will cause them to grow strong and able to survive the normal garden bugs. Use a foliar spray made of a mix of kelp concentrate and fish emulsion for fertilizing. Water the plants consistently so they do not become compromised and weak, which leads to disease.

Begin at the right time – don’t start too early.

• It is so tempting to get the seeds or plants in the garden early. The first sunny day seems warm enough – surely we are done with the cold weather! Garden success comes from resisting this temptation. It isn’t a competition with anyone else, or a race to see who can get the earliest peas. Take the time to prepare the gardens, clean out the flower beds, and pace yourself. This may not suit some, but except for garlic, which gets planted in late October, and leeks and shallots in March, planting can wait until April for the cool spring crops, and everything else until mid to late May. Wait patiently until late May and or even early June to plant tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and tender herbs like basil. Until the soil is warm, so many plants just shiver and sit. But if you wait until the soil is warm, seeds will germinate quickly and plants are stronger. A compromised plant may not ever get back the vigor of one that has not been traumatized by the weather!

Commit to what you start, that is – take care of your garden. And have fun!
As winter turns to spring, we will meet, talk, plan, and put these guiding principles into action. We plan to continue with a follow-up blog post in spring to report back about our plans and decision process. We promise, you’re going to want to learn more about our garden pest-repelling strategies.

The end goal – Cathy Markham’s garden yields an abundance of fresh produce for eating and preserving. © Cathy Markham / Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

REFERENCES:

Galloway, W. (2012). Grow Cook Eat: A Food Lover’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening. Seattle, WA. Sasquatch Books.

Raymond, D. (1983) Joy of Gardening. North Adams, MA. Storey.

Damrosch, B. (2008) The Garden Primer: The Completely Revised Gardener’s Bible. New York, NY. Workman Publishing Company.

LeHoullier, C. (2014). Epic Tomatoes. North Adams, MA. Storey.

Robinson, Jo. (2014). Eating on the Wild Side. New York, NW. Hachette Group.

Miles, C. (2013). WSU Home Vegetable Gardening in Washington. Washington State University Extension Publication #EM057E. https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/home-vegetable-gardening-in-washington-home-garden-series.

This is a non-inclusive list of seed purveyors to consider:

Renee’s Garden Seeds, www.reneesgarden.com
For some varieties of seeds, Renee’s offers combination packages of two or three types of seeds, dyed so you can differentiate. This is especially nice for variety without planting a huge garden. The tri-color beans and three variety zucchinis are particular favorites.

Italy-Franchi www.growitalian.com

Territorial Seed Company https://territorialseed.com/

Johnny’s Selected Seeds Company https://www.johnnyseeds.com/

Learn from the experts at the
Country Living Expo
& Modern Homesteading

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Learn More and Register Here >>

These Gardening Topics and More:

• Fruit Tree Pruning & Grafting
• Microclimates in the Garden
• Low Maintenance Gardening
• Roses
• Bee Keeping
• Soil Sampling
• Veggie Gardening
• Growing in High Tunnels, Cold Frames, and Unheated Greenhouses
• Pest Control
• Hop Growing
• Flower Arranging
• Know Your Native Trees
• Introduction into Mason Bees

Anne Hays

Cathy Markham

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Anne Hays and Cathy Markham are certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners, Class of 2022. Cathy has a degree in food and nutrition from the University of Idaho and is a Registered Dietician. Her vegetable garden has been featured in the Seattle Times Sunday Magazine.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a Master Gardener, may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/mg/

Turn the Dark Days of Winter into a Spring Planting Advantage

Start an indoor grow stand and you’ll be enjoying homegrown salad before you know it

By Kay Torrance, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

The Pacific Northwest offers unique challenges for gardeners. In the fall the endless summer comes to an abrupt end, with daylight decreasing over three minutes a day from mid-August into early November. As the winter solstice arrives on December 21^st there are only 8.5 hours of daylight. We can’t change that, so let’s start a project. 

Want to grow herbs and vegetables in the middle of the winter? Want to get a jump on spring gardening by starting vegetables indoors to plant outside after the last frost? Do it with an indoor growing stand. It can be as simple as hanging a light from the ceiling and placing a few trays on a table. Prefabricated kits are available in all shapes and sizes, or build your own. Many Master Gardeners use their grow stands year-round. In the summer it is great for starting fall vegetables, and flowers, or to protect tender plants such as basil from outdoor insects and slugs.

Find a Suitable Location
Gardeners naturally want to place their grow stand near a window. However, with good artificial lighting, you can use a dark corner, unused room, or heated basement. Unused kitchen counters or shower stalls also work well.

Grow stands look tidy, but you are working with dirt and water. Locate them away from carpets and wood floors. Office chair mats work well to protect delicate floors. Hang a white shower curtain behind the stand to keep the wall clean and reflect light. If you are setting the stand on a table, use a vinyl tablecloth. For wood tables, make sure the trays are not touching the wood as the heat and humidity will damage the finish. Locate the stand near a power source for the lights and heating pads. Plants add moisture to the air, so make sure you have good ventilation to keep you and the plants healthy. 

1020 flat of 6-pack cells under a dome ready to start germination on a heat pad. Seeds must not dry out during germination. © Photo by Kay Torrance

1020 flat of one-month-old romaine lettuce, Bok choy, spinach, and parsley (back right). Ready for transplant into 3 1/2-inch pots except for the parsley. © Photo by Kay Torrance
Sizing Up Your Stand
Think about the size needed to match your growing goals. 3.5-inch square pots often work well as a final size. Once the plant outgrows the 3.5-inch pots, the plant is either harvested or ready to go outside. The most common greenhouse tray size is 10 by 20 inches, commonly called a 1020 tray. One tray holds 18 3.5-inch pots, or 12 6-plug trays (72 plugs total), or eight 5-inch pots. If you only have room for one tray, herbs are a great choice. If you have two trays, lettuce, spinach, fennel, and microgreens are good options. If you have four trays, you have room for a dedicated seed starting tray, while the other three trays are staggered to produce enough salad to feed two people.

Once you have an idea of the size, it is time to decide whether to purchase a kit or build your own. If you decide to purchase a kit, there are many options available; some fit on a small tabletop, others are large tents that are mini-indoor greenhouses. Save money by repurposing shelving and lights or by building your own out of pipe or wood.

6-pack cells of flat and curly parsley at eight weeks. Ready for transplant to 3.5″ pot. © Photo by Kay Torrance

1020 flat of two-month-old romaine lettuce and three-month-old parsley in 3.5″ pots. Ready to start harvesting. © Photo by Kay Torrance
Building a DIY Grow Stand
The easiest way to get started is to hang a grow light from the ceiling, throw a vinyl tablecloth over a table, and put up a section of shower curtain to protect your wall if needed. Add a heat pad and you are ready to go. Hanging lights from the ceiling gives the most flexibility for lighting with unlimited options for height above the plants. If you don’t want holes in your ceiling, a lighting support can be built using shelving, or a frame from PVC, metal conduit, iron pipe, or wood. Think about things you already have that can be repurposed. Sawhorses or a six-foot ladder can make a good light stand support.

Repurpose common household items for your light support. Pictured here is a spare sawhorse. © Photo by Kay Torrance

PVC is easy to work with and has lots of joint options. If you search online, many design plan options are available. Some guidance recommends against using PVC cement on the joints so the racks can be easily disassembled for storage; however, this can result in a wobbly stand. One alternative to gluing is to drill a small hole in the joint and insert a screw.  This allows for disassembly but does not allow pieces to come loose while you are using the stand. (PVC does not accept most paints so don’t expect to hide the bright white pipe with paint.) Using threaded metal plumbing pipe creates a heavy/sturdy stand with a steampunk look, but the pieces are more expensive than PVC. Threaded metal pipe is available in many lengths so you don’t have to cut it. The threads make for easy assembly. Metal pipe can be painted, and you can disassemble it for storage.

For shelving, plywood is readily available and sold in small pieces, called project panels, at home improvement stores. Often, stores will make cuts for you. Use at least 5/8-inch-thick plywood because thinner pieces will sag over time. Countertop remnants are a sturdy and waterproof alternative. I have found that two-inch foam board insulation panels are easy to use. These panels are inexpensive, lightweight, and can be cut with a utility knife. They are also waterproof, and are available in two-foot by two-foot precut panels, which will hold two 1020 trays. Foam board can also be used on a tabletop to protect the surface from heat and moisture emitted from the heat pad and trays.

Selecting Lighting for Your Grow Stand
Grow stands need a good source of artificial lighting, ideally lights that produce a full spectrum of high-intensity light for rapid plant growth. Leafy greens and herbs need around five hours of direct sunlight each day. Most garden vegetables need up to 14 hours of light each day.

Fluorescent or LED tube lights are an inexpensive alternative to a plant or grow light. Florescent lights give off some heat, which is beneficial to plants, but the glass bulbs can be easily broken. LED grow lights produce the highest intensity light but are the most expensive. They are also more energy efficient and rated for long life. Incandescent lights are not a good choice because they use much more energy and generate a lot of heat which can dry out leaves.

Setting Up the Lighting
Fluorescent lights should be hung one to three inches above the plants. The tubes need to fully cover the plant trays. Choose a fixture with four to eight bulbs or mount multiple fixtures side by side to ensure coverage. Fluorescent bulbs sold for home lighting are not as intense as grow lights and will need to be turned on longer each day. Plan on 8-10 hours of light a day for herbs and leafy greens, and 12 to 14 hours for vegetable starts if you are using fluorescent lights.

LED grow lights are placed 10 to 30 inches above the plants. Follow the manufacturer’s directions. Box-shaped LED grow lights are easy to work with. The added height of the light above the plants increases the overall height of a grow stand; however, it is easier to water and tend plants without moving trays. Plan on six hours of light a day for herbs and leafy greens and eight to ten hours for vegetable starts. When selecting an LED grow light, be mindful of the color of the light. Blues and reds are great for plant growth, but if your stand is in the living room, you might not enjoy being bathed in a purple glow.

Experiment and adjust the height of the lighting and duration based on your specific setup. All lights generate some heat. Make sure the lights have adequate clearance per manufacturer’s directions and keep an eye on your plant growth so the plants don’t grow into the lights. When purchasing lights, compare all the features. Some fixtures have outlet plugs for connecting multiple lights. Some of the grow lights have built-in fans which keep the lights cool and provide some air circulation for the plants. The fans do generate noise.

Heating Pad Selection and Use
Make sure to size the pad to cover as much of the footprint of the plant tray(s) as possible. Place the plant tray on top of the pad. Do not put the pad inside the tray with the plants directly on top of it as the pads are not designed to be in direct contact with water. Often heat pads are sold rolled up in boxes. At room temperature, the pads are stiff. Before unrolling a pad, plug it in and let it warm up. Forcing them flat can break the heating elements inside.
Trays, Domes, and Pots
Using standard 1020 greenhouse trays makes pot sizing easy because many pots sold are designed to fit in the trays. Select the trays without holes in the bottom. Use a dome (plastic cover) for starting seeds.  If seeds dry out during germination, it will kill them. Use 6-pack cells to start the seeds and 3½-inch pots after the plants outgrow the cells. When starting vegetables with large seeds like squash or cucumbers, begin with 3½-inch pots. You may want several small trays if you are growing microgreens. It is important to sterilize trays and pots if you are reusing them.
Growing Media and Fertilizer
Always use sterilized growing media. This will help prevent dampening off as well as fungus gnats. Use a water-soluble fertilizer designed for vegetables per the manufacturer’s directions.

Important Safety Considerations:

• Hang lights with appropriate clearance following the manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Make sure lights are properly supported. If you are attaching eye bolts connected to the ceiling, make sure they are affixed to the ceiling beams and not just into drywall or other materials where the screws could pull out.
• Make sure to use UL rated lights, heat pads, and surge protectors.
• Make sure that any electrical components that require grounding (3-prong plug) are properly grounded.
• Protect wood surfaces from heat and moisture or you can ruin the finish or warp the wood.
• If using shelving, attach the shelving to the wall so that the stand isn’t accidentally knocked over.

Two types of timer controls. The light controller on the left has a single outlet. The model on the right has four switched outlets for lights and four additional untimed ones for heat pads and other uses. © Photo by Kay Torrance

UL rated LED grow light with fan and plug outlet. © Photo by Kay Torrance
Accessories to Make the Process Easier
Adding a timer to your lighting to ensure consistency is highly recommended. Even the most organized gardener will forget to turn on or off the lights sometimes, especially if the grow stand is located in a basement or out-of-the-way area. Make sure the timer accommodates the three-prong grounded plugs used by plant lights. Some timers are also surge protectors with multiple outlets controlled by the timer. The heating pad needs to be plugged into an outlet, not on a timer. A small oscillating fan provides good ventilation, reduces fungal problems, and the motion helps strengthen the plant stems as they grow. A set of pulleys allows quick and precise adjustments to the height of the lights.
Selecting What to Plant
As a rule of thumb, plant what you like to eat. However, avoid vegetables that take a long time to grow, keep well, and are inexpensive to purchase. Concentrate on herbs and greens that are best eaten fresh. For detailed information and a planting calendar, read the WSU Home Vegetable Gardening in Washington for help selecting vegetables, learning how to harden and transplant starts, and growing them until harvest.

If you are growing plant starts to transplant outdoors, start seeds around eight weeks before the last frost date. Per WSU AgWeatherNet, the last frost for Skagit Valley is generally in May, so March is a good time to plant indoors. Temperatures in many areas vary due to micro-climates, so experiment to see what works for you

Tabletop grow stand with lights suspended from the ceiling. A shower curtain liner and vinyl tablecloth protect the surroundings from water and dirt. © Photo by Kay Torrance

Plastic shelving used for stand. © Photo by Kay Torrance

Bok choy pulled from a 6-pack cell to check root growth. Ready for transplant to 3.5-inch pot. © Photo by Kay Torrance

Starting Seeds
Plant each 6-pack with the same or similar seeds. Some plants like parsley will stay in the 6-pack for four to six weeks whereas lettuce will need to be transplanted in two to three weeks. Twelve 6-packs will fit in one 1020 tray – that is 72 plants! It is easy to get carried away and outgrow your grow stand. Think of how many of each plant you want. You may only need two parsley plants but a dozen lettuce plants. Plants grow at different speeds. Check days to harvest on the seed packets. For each tray, I will usually plant three 6-pack (18 cells) that will grow into 18 four-inch pots. I use small trays to plant microgreens to fill the remaining space as they will be harvested before they need to be moved to larger pots.
Transplanting and Harvest
It will take 5-14 days for seed germination. Some seeds will germinate faster if you soak them in water first. Follow directions on the seed packet and research specific germination information from various seed companies. Growth rates will vary based on your temperature, light, and fertilizer. The young plants should be ready to transplant to 3 1/2-inch pots around three to five weeks from germination. If you are unsure if your starts are ready for a larger pot, carefully pull one plant out of the container and look at the roots. Parsley and spinach seem to take forever whereas lettuce, Bok choy, and tomatoes grow really fast. Look for well-formed roots starting to emerge from holes in the plugs or pots.

Grow light results © Photo by Kay Torrance

When harvesting, take only what you need for a meal and leave the rest on the plant, using the come-and-come-again method. Harvest the older/outer leaves leaving the young leaves for later. This provides enough foliage to keep the plant healthy and prolong your harvest time. When the plants become too big for the 3.5-inch pots, it is time to transplant them or harvest all the leaves and start over. It is great to stagger crops so you are always in fresh greens.

Questions or Comments
Have fun making the most of the dark days of winter with an indoor grow stand. If you have questions or concerns, add them in the comments section below and members of the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Plant Clinic team will be happy to answer, or visit a plant clinic in person.

REFERENCES:

VanDerZanden, A. (2008). Environmental factors affecting plant growth. Oregon State University Extension. Retrieved from https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/environmental-factors-affecting-plant-growth

Wooten, H. (2020) Artificial Lighting for Growing Vegetables at Home. University of Florida/IFAS Extension Orange County. Retrieved from https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/orangeco/2020/04/09/artificial-lighting-for-growing-vegetables-at-home/

Miles, C. (2013). WSU Home Vegetable Gardening in Washington. Washington State University Extension Publication #EM057E. Retrieved from https://skagitmg.org/wp-content/uploads/Public-Pages/Food%20Gardening/Food%20Gardening%20Library/WSU%20Bulletin%20EM057E%20Home%20Vegetable%20Gardening.pdf

Planting Calendar from WSU Home Vegetable Gardening in Washington https://skagitmg.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Planting-Guide-Calendar-Final-2023-03-15.pdf

Grabowski, M. (Reviewed 2018), How to prevent seedling damping off. University of Minnesota Extension. Retrieved from https://extension.umn.edu/solve-problem/how-prevent-seedling-damping

Pennisi, B. (Reviewed 2022). Growing Indoor Plants with Success. University of Georgia Extension Retrieved from https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1318&title=growing-indoor-plants-with-success

Peronto, M., Wertheim, F., Fournier, E.(Rev. 2021) Starting Seeds at Home. Bulletin #2751, University of Maine Extension. Retrieved from https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2751e/

Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Grow Your Own Food Website
https://skagitmg.org/home/food/
Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Publication Library
https://skagitmg.org/home/library/

Learn from the experts at the
Country Living Expo
& Modern Homesteading

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Learn More and Register Here >>

These Gardening Topics and More:

• Fruit Tree Pruning & Grafting
• Microclimates in the Garden
• Low Maintenance Gardening
• Roses
• Bee Keeping
• Soil Sampling
• Veggie Gardening
• Growing in High Tunnels, Cold Frames, and Unheated Greenhouses
• Pest Control
• Hop Growing
• Flower Arranging
• Know Your Native Trees
• Introduction into Mason Bees

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kay Torrance has been a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2019. She is garden coordinator of the Naturescape garden and pond in the Discovery Garden on SR 536 west of Mount Vernon. https://skagitmg.org/home/discovery-garden/

Questions about home gardening or becoming a Master Gardener, may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/mg/

These raised beds in the Discovery Garden show the multiple advantages of raised bed gardening.© Photo by Nancy Crowell / Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Gardening with Raised Beds

Raised Beds Provide Many Advantages to Home Gardeners

Editor’s Note: 
As the daylight hours continue to wane, many gardeners turn their attention to planning for next season. Some of us even have a Christmas wish list which has been known to be filled with tools and even projects that will enhance our gardening endeavors. For this reason, the Ask a Master Gardener Blog editors are reprinting a favorite article, complete with plans, a materials list, and updated references which answer one of the most asked questions at plant clinics and market kiosks —“How do I build a raised bed garden?”

_  _  _ 

By Dave Buchan, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Want to grow better vegetables but concerned about poor soil quality in your garden plot? Are you frustrated with continually trying to amend your soil for better growing but getting nowhere? Do you have site conditions or drainage problems that prevent establishing a good garden? Your solution might be gardening with raised beds.

What is a Raised Garden Bed?
A raised bed is really nothing more than a device containing a vertical column of quality soil to create the best possible growing conditions for your garden. Raised beds can vary greatly in size, but typical garden beds are generally 12 to 24-inches in height and about 4-feet in width. Your ideal width may vary, but a 4-foot width is a dimension that most gardeners use because you can easily tend half the garden from one side, and then the other half from the other side. Length can vary depending on space and site conditions. Some gardeners choose raised beds up to 16-feet long.
Why Use Raised Garden Beds?

Two beds, at different heights, add interest to the garden. © Photo by Nancy Crowell / Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Raised beds offer many advantages for gardeners. Most importantly, raised beds allow you to control the quality of your soil. Soil quality is the number one consideration for successful gardening. The second major advantage of raised beds is that you can garden without getting down on your hands and knees to tend your garden. For older gardeners, this is a real benefit and can make gardening more fun. Placing a wood or metal “seat rail” on top of each side of the raised bed allows you to sit on the edge of the planter for easier weeding or tending.

Another advantage with raised beds is that with bed sidewalls exposed to the sun, soil temperature in the beds can be slightly higher than with a normal garden. And surprisingly, a simple degree or two in soil temperature can make a big difference in the growth of your plants.

Other benefits of raised beds are that: (1) vegetables can be planted a bit closer together and thereby a better yield per square foot of garden space, and (2) raised bed soil will not be as compacted as normal garden soil. There are no rows between plants that are walked on and no wheelbarrows traveling over to compact the soil. Less compaction means more fertile soil for better plant growth.

What Types of Raised Beds are Commonly Used?
Raised beds are made from many materials: stone, concrete block, concrete riprap, treated or plain lumber, galvanized steel panels, railroad ties, and more. Whatever material is used the structure needs to be strong and durable. You can imagine that a well-watered 18 to 24-inch high column of soil carries a lot of weight, especially laterally. So, your “container” needs to be strong enough to support that soil weight. If you’re not too handy, there are raised bed kits available online and in some box stores. These kits can vary in quality and durability, so take care choosing a unit that will work for the long haul.

If money is no object, you can buy commercial galvanized steel feed troughs as your raised bed. They come in a variety of sizes and are sturdy, good-looking, and will last years. Simply drill a series of ½ inch holes in the bottom for good drainage and VOILA! -a great raised bed.

More likely, you will choose to make your raised beds using materials that are commonly available from local stores or surplus outlets, such as treated or kiln-dried lumber, concrete block, concrete riprap, stone, or galvanized steel panels.

A completed raised bed awaits installation of weed cloth and galvanized hardware cloth at the bottom of the bed interior. © Photo by Nancy Crowell / Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Material Considerations
Concrete block: Concrete block can make a good raised bed, but you need to be prepared to spend some time tweaking and adjusting rows of blocks. You need to start with a level site. Blocks are heavy to work with and even a slight change in ground level on the first row can translate to a bigger problem on the second row. This requires patience and some determination to get it right.

Stone or riprap concrete: If you have a supply of stone or riprap to use, great. But this can be heavy work and you need to be careful with stacking stone or concrete to create a solid structure that will last.

Treated or kiln-dried lumber: All wood will eventually rot, even treated wood. Whenever wood is in contact with soil, wood will begin to deteriorate. Especially at today’s lumber prices, you want your investment in a raised bed to provide years of reliable service. There are techniques to add to the life of wood used in raised beds, which are discussed in the website materials described below. Caution: Chemicals used to treat lumber can leach into the soil and contaminate the plants being grown.

A raised bed complete with successful plantings. © Photo by Nancy Crowell / Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Corrugated galvanized steel panels: From both a cost and durability perspective corrugated galvanized steel side panels with treated wood corner posts and treated wood seat rails are sturdy and long-lasting. The steel panels are lightweight and easily cut with metal shears, skill saw or jig saw with metal cutting blades. These materials are available at almost any hardware or box store. The galvanized steel sidewalls will last many years and will not leach chemicals into the soil as can some treated wood. Placing a treated 2-foot by 6-foot board horizontally across the top of each sidewall creates a handy seat for use when weeding and tending your garden.

If you’d like to learn more about how to build this raised bed, download the pdf here> which includes detailed “how to” information, complete with construction diagrams, instructions, materials list, and cost estimates for a typical 4-foot by 8-foot by 2-foot-high raised bed.

REFERENCES:

Boeckmann, C. A step-by-step guide to building an easy DIY raised garden bed. Updated July 26, 2023. https://www.almanac.com/content/how-build-raised-garden-bed/

Cogger, C. Raised beds: will they benefit your garden. https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/raised-beds-deciding-if-they-benefit-your-vegetable-garden-home-garden-series

Faust, A. Finlay, E. How to Construct a Raised Bed in the Garden. July 5, 2023. Penn State Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/how-to-construct-a-raised-bed-in-the-garden

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dave Buchan has been a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2012.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a Master Gardener, may be directed to: Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/mg/