Central Oregon garden publications

Welcome to our gardening resources for Central Oregon. Gardening here is different because we live in a high-desert climate with cold winters, hot days, low humidity and short growing seasons. These guides are made for people in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties and focus on the plants, soil and weather we have here. Use these resources to learn what grows well, how to care for your garden and how to handle Central Oregon’s unique challenges so you can grow with confidence.

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General gardening in Central Oregon
Fruit trees and berries
Insects — pests, pollinators and beneficials
Landscape plants
Lawns
Plant damage and disease
Soil testing and amendments
Vegetable gardening
Weeds
Wildlife damage

General gardening in Central Oregon

Gardening in Central Oregon's climate

Behind the beauty of the High Desert, lie many factors that create challenges for Central Oregon gardeners. Learn how to work with cold weather, short seasons, dry summers and other elements that can affect your gardening success.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Mar 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog

Container gardening basics

Choose the right containers, soil and plants to keep your flowerpots blooming all season long. When choosing plants for container gardening, go for "thrillers," "fillers" and "spillers."

Amy Jo Detweiler | Jun 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Fertilizing your garden: Vegetables, fruits and ornamentals

Get fertilizer recommendations for vegetable gardens, fruit trees, ornamental shrubs, flowers, caneberries and strawberries.

John M. Hart, Ray A. McNeilan | Oct 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Raised Bed Gardening

Gives step-by-step instructions for building a raised bed. Discusses special considerations for growing plants in raised beds as well as long-term maintenance of beds.

Brooke Edmunds | Dec 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Mulching woody ornamentals with organic materials

Using mulch around trees and shrubs has many benefits including improved soil quality and reduced water consumption. Learn about the types of mulch, how to use it and how to maintain its benefits.

Neil Bell, Dan M. Sullivan, Tom Cook | Apr 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

How to build your own raised-bed cloche

Find out what materials you need to build a cloche and get step-by-step instructions for building. Close-up inserts show the building process.

Sam Angima, Bill Biernacki | Apr 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Acidifying Soil in Landscapes and Gardens East of the Cascades

Explains the importance of soil pH to plant growth, shows symptoms of plants growing in soil with high pH, and discusses how to modify soil to help maples, rhododendrons, blueberries, fruit trees, and other acid-loving plants thrive in your garden and landscape.

Kerry Locke, Donald A. Horneck, John M. Hart, Robert G. Stevens | Jul 2021 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Collecting and storing seeds from your garden

At some point, home gardeners might want to try saving seeds from their own gardens for future crops instead of buying them. But there are some do's and don'ts that home gardeners should know before giving it a try.

Bill Mansour, Duane Hatch | Apr 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Propagation of Plants by Grafting and Budding

Including a glossary of terms, this handbook is well illustrated with clear photographs and drawings. It covers tools and materials, grafting and budding factors, kinds of grafts, budding methods, topworking, and ...

G.N.M. Kumar | Sep 2011 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Growing wildflowers in Central Oregon

Learn how to grow wildflowers in Central Oregon, including choosing and preparing a site, planting and seeding rate, best times of year to do it, and application rate. Also includes a list of wildflowers that thrive in Central Oregon.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Mar 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Fruit trees and berries

Selecting Berry Crop Varieties for Central Oregon

Several kinds of berry crops can be grown successfully in Central Oregon. The key is to select varieties suited to local growing conditions and to follow recommendations for planting and care.

Amy Jo Detweiler, Bernadine Strik | Apr 2023 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Selecting fruit tree varieties for Central Oregon landscaping and home orchards

Several kinds of fruit trees can be grown successfully in Central Oregon. The challenge lies in selecting varieties that are most likely to bear fruit in the region.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Apr 2023 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Growing Table Grapes

This pictorial guide will teach you how to plant, prune and train grapes to maximize your harvest and keep vines free of pests and disease. Find out which cultivars grow best in Oregon, and learn what it ...

Bernadine Strik | Apr 2023 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Training and pruning your home orchard

A visual guide to training and pruning apple, pear, sweet cherry, sour cherry, peach, plum, apricot, fig, persimmon, walnut, hazelnut and chestnut trees.

Jeff L. Olsen, Neil Bell | Feb 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Managing diseases and insects in home orchards

This pest management guide is for the home gardener. It recommends management practices for controlling diseases and insects in home orchards. It doesn't meet the exacting requirements of the commercial fruit grower.

Jay W. Pscheidt, Heather Stoven, Ashley Thompson, Brooke Edmunds, Nik Wiman, Richard Hilton | Jun 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Growing blueberries in your home garden

Learn to grow your own sweet, juicy blueberries in your Oregon garden! Find out which types of blueberries grow best where you live, and which part of your yard is best suited for planting.

Scott Lukas, Amanda Davis, Emily Dixon, Amy Jo Detweiler, Nicole Sanchez | May 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Growing strawberries in your home garden

Here's how to plant strawberries, fertilize them and solve the common problems that plague many gardeners. Learn which type bears fruit when.

Bernadine Strik, Emily Dixon, Amy Jo Detweiler, Erica Chernoh, Nicole Sanchez | Nov 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Growing blackberries in your home garden

Home gardeners can enjoy a choice of blackberry varieties with fruit far superior to that of wild blackberries. What’s more, home gardeners can pick fruit from early summer all the way to the first frost. ...

Bernadine Strik, Emily Dixon, Amy Jo Detweiler, Nicole Sanchez | Nov 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Insects — pests, pollinators and beneficials

Common insects that cause plant damage in Central Oregon

Insects are divided into categories based on the type of damage they cause. See images, where they can be found and links to potential management practices.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Nov 2024 | Educational gallery

Common Spiders Found in Central Oregon

A list of spiders that can be commonly found in or around central Oregon.

Jul 2018 | Collection

Enhancing Urban and Suburban Landscapes to Protect Pollinators

The way we garden can help promote the health of bees and other insects. This guide offers detailed plant lists, garden designs and advice on creating pollinator habitat.

Andony Melathopoulos, Neil Bell, Signe Danler, Amy Jo Detweiler, Iris Kormann, Gail Langellotto, Nicole Sanchez, Heather Stoven, Dave Smitley | Dec 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Landscape plants — trees, shrubs and flowers

Fire-resistant plants for home landscapes

Home landscaping is an important part of a community's resistance to wildfire. Learn what plants can help you create an attractive environment and reduce the risk of fire.

Amy Jo Detweiler, Stephen Fitzgerald, Ariel Cowan, Neil Bell, Thomas Stokely | Oct 2023 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Waterwise gardening in Central Oregon

You can have a colorful and beautiful landscape while conserving water and saving time, energy and money. Learn innovative conservation techniques for waterwise gardening in Central Oregon.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Dec 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Selecting native plants for home landscapes in Central Oregon

If planted in a suitable habitat, native plants are well adapted to Central Oregon soils and climate. When grown in the right conditions, native plants experience less environmental, insect, and disease damage than nonnative plants.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Dec 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Tips for growing spring flowering bulbs in Central Oregon

Knowledge is everything when it comes to growing spring bulbs in Central Oregon. Find out how to create conditions for bulbs to flourish with tips on purchasing, site selection, timing and planting.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Nov 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Winter care of perennials in central Oregon

When temperatures begin cooling off in the fall, it is time to put your perennials to bed for the winter. Learn how to mulch and water perennials to protect them from central Oregon's cold, dry soils and freeze-thaw cycles.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Jul 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Plant selection for windbreaks in Central Oregon

A fact sheet including sufficient windbreaks in Central Oregon. Three of the groups consist of deciduous trees, evergreen trees and shrubs.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Aug 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

OSU Landscape Plants

The site contains images and information on over 1,800 landscape plants, mostly woody. Individual plants can be accessed via ether the Latin Names (e.g., Acer) or a Common Names (e.g., Maple). Both lists are in alphabetical order; for the Latin Names, from Abelia to Ziziphus and the Common Names from Abelia to Zelkova.

Jul 2018 | Online resource

Growing wildflowers in Central Oregon

Amy Jo Detweiler | Mar 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Lawns

Practical Lawn Establishment and Renovation

This publication will take you through the steps needed to successfully plant a new lawn or renovate an old one. If you follow these steps, you will get it right the first time!

Tom Cook | Sep 2022 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Efficient Lawn Irrigation in the Intermountain West

Proper irrigation, despite being one of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy lawn, is the most often overlooked variable in lawn care. This publication describes common turfgrass species, soil water ...

Brian Charlton, Rob C. Golembiewski, Tom Cook | Mar 2023 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Lawn maintenance calendar for Central Oregon

Properly timed maintenance is the key to having a nice lawn. Watering, mowing, fertilizing or dethatching at the wrong time yields poor results. Here's how to maintain a healthy lawn in Central Oregon.

Amy Jo Detweiler, Tom Cook, John Whisler, David Wienke | Mar 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Plant damage and disease

OSU Plant Clinic

The Oregon State University Plant Clinic is a diagnostic facility associated with and housed in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. The Plant Clinic has been operational since 1954. As part of the OSU Cooperative Extension Service, the primary mission of the Plant Clinic is educational. Extended education is provided by helping our clients recognize the nature of their plant problem (diagnosis) and by helping them to manage the disease or disorder using proper control methods, including cultural, biological, and chemical measures. Emphasis is on prevention of problems by proper management.

Melodie Putnam | Mar 2018 | Online resource

A Systematic Approach to Diagnosing Plant Damage

To determine what factors damaged a plant requires an inquisitive, investigative approach combined with careful observation and the ability to put all the pieces together to reconstruct the event(s) that produced the plant damage.

James L. Green, Joe Capizzi, Otis Maloy | Nov 1990 | Online resource

Soil testing and amendments

Improving Garden Soils with Organic Matter

Soil organic matter is important to good plant performance. Adding organic matter can improve any soil, no matter how compacted. Learn how to check your soil for organic matter and improve its quality with amendments.

Neil Bell, Dan M. Sullivan, Linda Brewer, John M. Hart | Jul 2021 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

A Guide to Collecting Soil Samples for Farms and Gardens

Laboratory soil tests help you develop your soil and increase crop production by providing information on available nutrient content. Soil testing helps you select the correct kind and amount of fertilizer and ...

Melissa Fery, Jeff Choate, Elizabeth Murphy | Nov 2022 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Get actionable results from a soil, plant or environmental testing lab

Learn how to work with an analytical laboratory to get useful results from your plant tissue, soil or water samples.

Shannon Cappellazzi, Clare Sullivan, Gordon B. Jones, Linda Brewer | May 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Soil Test Interpretation Guide

This publication provides an overview of soil testing and general guidelines for interpreting soil test results for nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, calcium, magnesium, boron, zinc, copper, manganese, iron, ...

Donald A. Horneck, Dan M. Sullivan, Jim Owen, John M. Hart | Jul 2023 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Acidifying Soil in Landscapes and Gardens East of the Cascades

Kerry Locke, Donald A. Horneck, John M. Hart, Robert G. Stevens | Jul 2021 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

USDA National Resources Conservation Service - Soil

A variety of soil tools from spatial to climate data. The Web Soil Survey provides agricultural producers, agencies and others online access to relevant soil and related information needed for finding what kind of soil is in a particular region.

Jan 2024 | Online resource

Vegetable gardening

Growing vegetables in Central Oregon (Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties)

Learn how to have a successful vegetable garden in Central Oregon, where temperatures, low precipitation and infertile soil pose a challenge.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Nov 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

When to start seeds indoors in central Oregon

Wondering when to plant vegetables? Use this handy table to figure out the optimum time.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Apr 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Grow your own rhubarb

This publication describes how to successfully grow rhubarb as a vegetable or as an ornamental plant in the home garden.

Toni Stephan, Jack Parsons, N.S. (Bill) Mansour, James R. Baggett | Jun 2023 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Grow your own cucumbers

Cucumbers are a favorite in home gardens, appreciated for their crunchy texture, fresh color, and mild flavor that pairs well with many dishes. Cucumbers are tender, warm-season vegetables that produce well with proper care. They ...

Russell Smith-Ollivierre | Mar 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Grow Your Own Peppers

Peppers come in a great variety of sizes, shapes, colors and tastes. They produce a large yield in a small amount of space. Learn the secrets to growing great peppers in Oregon.

Brooke Edmunds, James Myers, Ed Peachey | May 2023 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Grow your own tomatoes and tomatillos

Learn how to grow tomatoes and tomatillos in your home garden. Topics include site and soil preparation, propagation, planting, pruning, harvest and storage.

Neil Bell, Amy Jo Detweiler, Heidi Noordijk, Chip Bubl | May 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

An educator's guide to vegetable gardening

This primer on vegetable gardening outlines a full-circle approach to educational gardening, provides a basic introduction to outdoor vegetable gardening and recommends plants and a garden calendar.

Weston Miller, Beret Halverson, Gail Langellotto | Oct 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Central Oregon Plant Resource Guide

A list of Central Oregon nurseries, their plant specialties, and contact information.

Central Oregon Master Gardeners

Soil temperature conditions for vegetable seed germination

What's the best temperature for vegetable seeds to germinate? From asparagus to watermelon, see the results of an experiment that sought to determine the optimal temperatures for germination.

J. F. Harrington | Apr 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Weeds

Common weeds found in Central Oregon in landscapes and lawns

These are weeds commonly seen in Central Oregon.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Apr 2025 | Educational gallery Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Identification and control of knapweed species in Central and Eastern Oregon

In the Pacific Northwest, knapweeds pose a serious threat to native vegetation by aggressively outcompeting it for water and nutrients. Learn how to identify and control this perennial pest.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Mar 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Wildlife damage

Deer-resistant plants for Central Oregon

Deer have been known to munch on many garden species. Look to this plant list for varieties that are less attractive to Central Oregon ungulates.

Amy Jo Detweiler, Paul MacMillan | Dec 2025 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage

University of Nebraska - Lincoln's handbook on wildlife damage to plants and animals and suggested control.

Scott E. Hygnstrom, Robert M. Timm, Gary E. Larson | Jul 1994 | Online resource

Meadow Voles and Pocket Gophers: Management in Lawns, Gardens, and Croplands

Starting with background on the biology and behaviors of gophers and voles, this publication dwells primarily on the gamut of ways to manage these widespread pests.

Danielle Gunn, Ronda Hirnyck, Glenn E. Shewmaker, Sherman Takatori, Lance T. Ellis | Jun 2023 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Rockchucks (Woodchucks)

In general, rockchucks (aka woodchucks) prefer open farmland and the surrounding wooded or brushy areas adjacent to open land. Burrows commonly are located in fields and pastures, along fence rows, stone walls, roadsides, and near building foundations or the bases of trees.

Rene M. Bollengier Jr. | Jul 1994 | Online resource

Jul 2018

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