Gardening techniques

OSU Extension can provide you science-based techniques and answers to some of your gardening challenges or to help meet your gardening goals.

Growing Your Own

By Gail A. Langellotto

Learn about composting, container gardens, fall/winter gardens, fertilizing, insect pests, plant diseases, planting guidelines, raised beds, site selection, slugs, soil improvement, tilling, warm-season crops, watering, and weeds. This publication includes regional tips for various parts of Oregon.

Growing Your Own is now available as a bilingual publication in Spanish and English!

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Photo Credit: Patrick Daxenbichler - Adobe Stock (Cropped from original)

Featured Resources

What's in a name? Useful definitions for reading plant labels

Plant labels can be difficult to read, even for the most experienced gardener. From wild-types to ecotypes and varieties to subspecies, this guide is designed to teach you about the botanical Latin and abbreviations seen on plant labels across the nursery trade.

Jen J-M. Hayes | Oct 2023 | Educational gallery Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Gardens Are For Everyone

Accessible gardens for home and community garden locations allow everyone to reap the benefits of gardening.

Corinne Thomas-Kersting, Weston Miller | May 2023 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Sweep wood ash from the fireplace to the garden

As you clean the fireplace, do your plants a favor and sprinkle the ashes in the garden instead of throwing them in the garbage.

Kym Pokorny | Oct 22, 2021 | News story

Pruning with the pros

This video series covers a variety of pruning challenges associated with older trees and mature landscapes. Pruning of mature trees that have not seen ideal care in the past can present unique challenges. In these clips, tree ...

Nicole Sanchez | Feb 2022 | Collection

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Become a Master Gardener!

The Master Gardener™ program educates Oregonians about the art and science of growing and caring for plants. This program also facilitates the training of a highly educated group of volunteers, who extend sustainable gardening information to their communities through education and outreach programs.

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Latest Resources

Streamside gardening: your garden, our shared watershed

On land surrounding a stream, how you garden can maintain or restore some of the functions of a healthy streamside to benefit plants, wildlife, and humans. Here are six tips for protecting our watershed while gardening.

Shannon Rauter | Nov 2024 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Guides for beginning gardeners

Learn the basics of gardening with these helpful tips. General growing information for a variety of vegetables and plants for pollinators is included. Exploring gardening with children? Each guide in this series includes activities with kids.

Sep 2024 | Collection

Dry farming resources

A collection of materials on dry farming from the Small Farms Program at Oregon State University.

LeAnn Locher | Sep 2024 | Online resource

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Best Tools to Use in your Garden with Mike Peters

This talk will show examples of some of the best garden tools to help make landscaping projects easier and tips for keeping the tools sharp and clean.

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Photo Credit: Crystal Jo - Unsplash.com (Cropped from original)

Latest News

Insects and spiders out to find shelter for winter

The insects trying to get into homes aren't going to hurt humans or houses.

Kym Pokorny | Oct 12, 2024 | News story

Coastal gardening brings challenges and rewards

Gardening on the often extreme Oregon coast might seem intimidating and risky but it's possible to grow a wonderful garden — even if you live next door to the Pacific Ocean.

Oct 11, 2024 | News story

Hydrangeas play a pretty role in the garden

Hydrangeas play many roles in the garden, whether it's shining in a special place or creating a hedge.

Kym Pokorny | Oct 5, 2024 | News story

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Berries and fruit

Flowers, shrubs and trees

Garden soil and compost

Garden vegetables and herbs

Lawn and turfgrass

Nuisance wildlife

Upcoming Events

Dec 14

Plant Propagation Education & House Plant Exchange

11:00 am - 12:00 pm Monmouth, OR

Jan 8

Fruit tree pruning

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm PST Online

Jan 11

Propagating Native Plants: A Gardener's Guide

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Eugene, OR - Registration closed.

Jan 15

Pruning solutions for trees and shrubs

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm PST Online

Meet Our Experts

Cindy Brown

4-H/FCH-SNAP Program Coordinator

Contact me for questions on 4-H youth development and healthy living programming in Sherman County as well as healthy living topics such as MyPlate, gardening, food preservation and food storage!

Signe Danler

Home Horticulture Online Program Instructor

Contact for questions about Home Horticulture online. Submit other questions to Ask Extension, link below.

Amy Jo Detweiler

Horticulture

Brooke Edmunds

Community Horticulture, Master Gardeners

Contact me about the Master Gardener Program or gardening questions from Marion or Polk counties

Have a question? Ask Extension!

Ask Extension is a way for you to get answers from the Oregon State University Extension Service. We have experts in family and health, community development, food and agriculture, coastal issues, forestry, programs for young people, and gardening.

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Can essential oils control slugs?

Q: I've heard essential oils may be useful in keeping slugs away from my plants and vegetables. Is this true?

A: View answer | View all featured questions

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