Author: Central Gorge Master Gardeners
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Tucking in your garden to awaken next Spring
By OraLee Branch, OSU Hood River County Extension Central Gorge Master Gardener Volunteer A rose bush winter-pruned, surrounded by clean burlap Photo by OraLee Branch As the vibrant colors of autumn fade and the crisp chill of late fall settles over the Columbia Gorge, our gardens begin their long winter slumber. For us gardeners, this…
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Winter gardening in the Columbia River Gorge
By Sarah Smeby, OSU Hood River County Extension Central Gorge Master Gardener Volunteer Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash Many gardeners button up their vegetable gardens in the fall, and turn their attention to some other activity until those warmer months arrive with the promise of another season! You may be someone who exhales in…
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Gardening for a Changing Climate
By Jen Munroe, OSU Hood River County Extension Central Gorge Master Gardener volunteer You have likely noticed changes outside, and I don’t just mean the generally cooler weather as we move from autumn toward winter. Such regular seasonal change is something that is reassuringly familiar, whether or not you welcome the chill that is to…
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CGMGA Spotlight: Dennis Carlson
I met with Dennis Carlson at his undisputed second home, the Fish Food Bank Garden. What I thought I would learn would be a straight path of his gardening life was actually a study of diverse paths with a thread of nature always being prevalent. Dennis was born and raised in rural Venezuela in an…
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How to Plant a Tree
Nope, probably not how you think by Jim Black, OSU Hood River County Extension Central Gorge Master Gardener volunteer Remove a plastic pot from the typical nursery tree, and all may look perfectly fine for immediate planting, but dropping this root system in a carefully dug hole will likely be a disastrous mistake to be…
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Be Wildfire Wise
Planting to Prevent Property Damage By Anne Gehrig, OSU Hood River County Extension Central Gorge Master Gardener Volunteer Fire season has started early this year. As I write this, fire-fighting helicopters and planes drone overhead, fighting the Rowena Crest fire. This human-caused wildfire has claimed over 49 homes and threatened hundreds more, reminding me of…
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Irrigation
Irrigation… it all starts with your water source By Margo Dameier, OSU Hood River County Extension Central Gorge Master Gardener volunteer “Irrigation is the lifeblood that nourishes the growth of our fields and the prosperity of our communities.” -Unknown When I saw this quote it immediately caught my attention and made me think deeper about…
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CGMGA Spotlight: Carol Brown
Everyone has a story, and Carol Brown is no exception. I was fortunate enough to spend an hour with her recently and learned that she not only has stories, she has sage advice to share with new trainees. Carol’s garden journey began almost three decades earlier when she purchased her first home in Hillsboro, Oregon. …
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The Fish Food Bank Garden:
The FISH Food Bank Garden: Feeding the Community In So Many Ways By Jen Munroe, OSU Hood River County Extension Central Gorge Master Gardener volunteer FISH Garden Sign As you have driven along Tucker Rd, you may have seen the FISH (Friendly, Instant, Sympathetic Help) Food Bank, which provides food and sundries to the community.…
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Pollinator Gardens:
Pollinator Gardens: Creating Safe Forage for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators by Sarah Smeby, OSU Hood River County Extension Central Gorge Master Gardener Volunteer In the Columbia River Gorge, native pollinators include a variety of bees (like bumblebees, honeybees, and various wild bee species), butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and hummingbirds. Recently, concern…