In the fall of 2014, April and I made a visit to Victoria, British Columbia also known as Canada’s “Garden City” on Vancouver Island. We woke up early to make a seven-hour drive to catch the ferry in Port Angeles, WA across the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. As the…
Transplants or seedlings started in containers are a great way to get an early start in the vegetable garden especially in short season climates. If you are ready to plant the transplants you purchased from a nursery or the ones you started on your own several weeks ago, watch my…
Now that spring is upon us, I can’t wait to get out in the vegetable garden and get things growing! If you are new to gardening and/or growing veggies from seed for the first time here are some basic tips for planting vegetable seeds. For starters, select the crops you…
Sometimes when I tell people I am a gardener, they respond: “I would love to grow a garden but I don’t have a green thumb!” I believe we all have the capacity for a green thumb. Even if you have never cultivated the soil, you are part of an ancient…
How do you know when to plant your potatoes? Spuds can be planted in spring once the soil can be worked. However, they won’t start growing until soil temperatures reach 45°. A good soil thermometer works wonders in planning and timing potatoes and other vegetables in your garden! The soil…
In June 2015, April and I purchased our first home in Central Oregon. The house was built on land once occupied by a farmer but had now been developed into a suburban neighborhood offering the American Dream to over 51 families. Like so many new housing developments, our vacant-lot-of-a-backyard was…
A Gardener’s Manifesto By Nathan O’Meara In an age of hands-on extinction with the earth, I am proud to be a gardener: To know flowers, bulbs, and seeds. To know vegetables, fruits, and greens. To know the way of trees and shrubs. To know weeds. To know the sun’s warmth…
In the cool darkness of a summer morning, I stared in wonder at the bright faces looking back at me. My young sunflower (Helianthus annuus) grove was standing like soldiers waiting to salute the rising sun. During the previous day their leaves and flowers tracked the sun as it made…
What happened when we stumbled upon a 400-year-old garden that was recently restored in the Medieval town of Kilkenny, Ireland? We were humbled by the realization of just how much garden history was hiding under our feet! An archaeological excavation carried out in 2004 CE in what was then a…