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A practical guide to gardening in Oregon, featuring vegetable varieties, planting dates, insect control, soil preparation, and more.

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Extension In The News

Don’t let disease foul your bird feeder from Democrat-Herald
Pointers on setting poinsettias outside from Democrat-Herald
Vertical Gardening from The Mail Tribune
Hearty hummers from The Register-Guard
Greens all winter for year-round gardeners from The Mail Tribune

Gardening

Flower garden in the afternoon. Photo by: Bob Rost

Hydrangeas in the garden. Photo by: Bob Rost

Potted bedding plants. Photo by: Bob Rost

Spider and a bee on a flower. Photo by: Bob Rost

Flower garden at the base of a house. Photo by: Bob Rost

Using sustainable and research-based techniques, learn how to grow your own vegetables, connect with other gardeners, or use Ask an Expert to seek gardening advice. Watch a video about the OSU Master Gardener program in Newport, Oregon.

Things to do in May

Control slugs with bait or traps and by removing or mowing vegetation near garden plots.
Plant chrysanthemums for fall color.
Plant dahlias, gladioli, and tuberous begonias in mid-May.

Gardening Tips

Got tons of tomatoes? Try drying them.

Plug in the dehydrator and start slicing those tomatoes.

Don't put away the hoe yet – plant some garlic

September through November is the best time to plant garlic.

Need help with your problematic vegetables?

Learn to troubleshoot problems with your carrots, cabbages and tomatoes.

Don't let fungi sour your grapes

During the summer, grape growers should watch for powdery mildew and bunch rot, two fungi, that damage the fruit.

Christmas cactus care doesn't take a holiday

If you want your Christmas cactus to bloom in the winter, you have to take care of it in the summer.

Gardening Courses

Master Gardener Online

Learn the art and science of growing and caring for plants, and even become a Master Gardener, through this two-option online course.

Learn more...

Become a water-wise gardener

Plant an economical and environmentally friendly and garden with the help of the WaterWise Gardening online course series.

Learn more...

Popular Publications

An Educator's Guide to Vegetable Gardening

A new publication from OSU Extension shows a full-circle approach to gardening on school grounds

Grapevine Nutrition

Use this self-guided learning module to find information on grapevine nutrient needs and how to diagnose problems with disease, insects, drought, sunburn, and herbicides.

How to Build Your Own Raised-Bed Cloche

Learn how to create a "cloche" that can be used to protect your plants from cold weather.

Container Gardening

If you lack space for a garden, consider raising vegetables in containers.

Improving Garden Soil

Making a poor garden better often begins with the soil. If your garden soil is poor, consider giving it some help.

Don’t Let the Bugs Beat You To It

Strategies to to keep the bugs out of your garden.

Building Raised Beds

Improve your soil by adding organic matter and creating raised beds.

Training and Pruning Your Home Orchard

Basic instructions on how to prune your trees.

Question of the Week

I purchased some good sized (3-5 gallon) blueberry plants yesterday. I was reading the OSU extension pub EC 1304, which emphasizes heavy pruning upon planting (and removing all fruit buds to prevent berries the first year). I really want to ignore this advice because the plants have nice flowers on them now and I'm eager to get fruit this year. I thought I could ignore the recs since the plants are so big already -- at least 2 ft tall and around. Unwise?

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Addressing real-life questions with research-based answers...
Ask an Expert at Oregon State University.