Around these parts, we have a small town parade on the fourth of July and all the participants throw candy to the kids on the side of the road. Honestly, when going home with bulging bags of candy, necklaces and marketing gadgets-it always seems more like Halloween. But of course the kids love it. We [...]

I discovered by accident this week that I really like fresh sliced cucumbers on my sub sandwiches. This surprised me as I don’t do pickles on either sandwiches or burgers. Granted, I always plant cukes but we slice them and eat them in salads or by the slice usually. Chris Smith and I had similar issues [...]

  Today was our Farmer’s Market and I was stoked to get there.   So what? Well here on the northern Oregon coast, we don’t commonly have Farmer’s Markets. But our little town of Cannon Beach changed all of that. Last week was the very first one and I heard that the strawberries ran dry! [...]

So what makes a garden sustainable? Kris Burns, Chairperson of the WSU/Jefferson County Master Gardeners’ Secret Garden Tour, shares a checklist of some sustainable garden features. A sustainable gardener conserves water by: Mulching around plants Applying water only as needed according to soil conditions, plant age and type Using soaker hoses or drip irrigation A sustainable gardener [...]

This Saturday a treat awaits all your senses with the Secret Garden Tour in and around Port Townsend, WA. This annual event is sponsored by the Washington State University Jefferson County Master Gardeners and runs from 10 AM to 4 PM. There will be live music at some locations, docents on hand to answer questions [...]

Ciscoe says if you’ve noticed less bees, you are not alone. And many flowers and summer squashes (in particular) are suffering. You can help the process alone by hand-pollinating. Marty Wingate agrees with my view on hostas. Chris Smith reviews ten superstar vegetables that everyone should grow. “To qualify as a superstar, a vegetable needed [...]

July 5 from 10 AM-noon. Gardens of Seattle University garden tour. Meet at the main campus entrance, at the corner of 12th Ave. and E Marion St. in Seattle. Tickets $20 for MOHAI members, $25 nonmembers. July 5 at 11:00 AM. Exploring the Mixed Perennial Bed, 11 AM at Emery’s Garden, 2829 – 164th St. [...]

Green living does not have to be overwhelming. Yes, it must be a conscious step and in most cases, it must be chosen many times in order to become a habit. But as you know, if we keep going as we are, we may not have an earth to stand on one day. For sure, [...]

Well, you would have to live on Mars (my apologies to any Martian readers) to not hear about the daily grind that we as a nation are in. And by that I mean the gas crisis and the ensuing food price increases, environmental impacts, etc. The seed companies report that their sales have doubled and [...]

I seldom see a hosta (“hoss-ta”) that I don’t like and this is their time of year. With hundreds of varieties of these special plants available, your choices are endless. Someday, I will plant an entire bed of them but in the meantime, I nurture the one that I do have and keep my eye [...]