Golden Roots Bokashi has partnered with a local builder and engineer to expand operations in the Gorge! As a result, They’ve moved into new farm space. They will be producing additional earth-friendly products aimed at healing the soil and empowering growers- from backyard enthusiasts to career orchardists, farmers, and ranchers. With refreshed branding, they’ll be providing the same Bokashi, Soil Amendments (and more!), under the new name of Noble Grove Farms, LLC. Available at www.azurestandard.com
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Nichols Garden Nursery has Moved
After seventy years, Nichols Garden Nursery has moved from Millersburg on the outskirts of Albany to Philomath, Oregon, on Highway 20/34 across from the Philomath Museum. While Nichols Garden Nursery is primarily a mail-order garden seed company, visitors are always welcome. In addition to the physical relocation, Nichols’ online store has been updated for a better customer experience. The improved website should run faster and smoother. This family business is now in its third generation. New Address 1136 Main St. Philomath, OR 97370 New Mail Address PO Box 1299 Philomath, OR 97370 For more info: nicholsgardennursery.com
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Recycling in the Garden
If you are reading the Green Living Journal, you probably are committed to protecting the earth and reducing your drain on its plentiful resources. But the term “recycling” in the garden environment is often overlooked by mindful gardeners. Your garden is the most precious and vulnerable area you can impact and has all of the basics from which other recycling concepts arise. Consider: “they” are not importing atoms from Mars, or any farther planet, according to NASA. The particles that make up every rock, animal, plant, fungus, bacteria, or other earth forms—living or inanimate—were here at the creation of the planet. Our natural world is the simplest form of recycling.…
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Herbs Are Native, Too
Most of the herbs we grow or harvest are native somewhere. Many of them have Mediterranean backgrounds, but many more began in the woods and prairies nearer to home and were here before Europeans arrived. Some native plants are still foraged in their natural settings for personal use. Others have been domesticated, which we plant in our herb beds. Indigenous peoples were well acquainted with these native plants and used them for cooking, healing, and general well-being. Let’s dive into some native plants! Yarrow – Achillea millefolium This native plant is not only found in the woods, where it may come in handy when camping or hiking but is often found…
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Regenerative Agriculture
for the Herb [and Home] Garden More and more farmers are switching to Regenerative Agriculture principles. One main reason for the switch is to take better care of topsoil, so less carbon is released into the atmosphere. The methods used increase soil water holding capacity, stop erosion, protect the purity of groundwater, and create conditions for more disease and pest-resilient crops. These worthwhile approaches to taking care of the planet can be incorporated on farms large or small, as well as home gardens. Maybe you are already using some of these practices but didn’t realize what an innovator you are. We do, and we’ve found that most of the methods…
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Soil My Undies
Measuring Soil Biology with a Pair of Skivvies Healthy soil means hungry soil. With proper management, the ground beneath your crops should teem with millions of tiny lifeforms—bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, earthworms—all busy transferring nutrients, eating, and decomposing organic material through nutrient cycling in processes that help plants thrive. So how do you measure the biological activity of your soil? Enter the “Soil Your Undies” test. Simply bury a pair of white, 100% cotton undies beneath your soil, come back two months later and dig them up. Sterile, lifeless soil will keep your tighty- whities clean and intact whereas busy, organically thriving soil will eat away at your briefs,…
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Camas Plant and Garden Fair
**Cancelled for 2020 Here’s the link for online sales to support the vendors: https://downtowncamas.com/plant-fair-vendor-online-salesand here’s the link to 2019 vendors: http://cwplantfair.org/vendors Downtown Camas Saturday, May 9th, 9 am to 4 pm Everything for your yard &garden! Held the day before Mother’s Day each year, the plant fair draws in thousands of people to enjoy and explore the amazing selection of plants, trees, garden art and supplies, and much more provided by our dedicated local growers and vendors. Kids’ activities, live music, entertainment, fresh food, and the shops and restaurants in Downtown Camas all add to the community experience. Come make a day of it! For More Info: www.cwplantfair.org
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Make a Change
An untidy garden can benefit birds and insects It’s that time of year when plants are turning brown as they complete their time with us after providing tasty food, medicine, and beauty throughout the summer months. Final harvests are being completed and thoughts turn to all the garden and yard clean-up we need to do, including herb beds. Often, we are eager to put the pruners and rake to work while we can still get out without getting completely soaked by the rain here in the Pacific Northwest. After all, preparing tidy herb beds and garden spaces for spring is what we’re supposed to do in the fall, right? Last…
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Herbal Plant Companions
Herbs are typically hardy and resilient. In these times of unpredictable weather, herbs provide beauty, flavor, medicine and food for people and pets. One additional benefit of herbs is serving as good companions for your flower and veggie gardens. When certain herbs are planted near or among other plants, they help those plants be resilient, too. Companion planting with herbs attracts beneficial insects or draw unwanted pests away from more vulnerable plants. Here are a few examples of our favorite companion herbs. Calendula This cheery, sunny, fragrant flower (also known as pot marigold) pairs well with eggplant and tomatoes. It attracts a wide variety of pollinators, including striped bees and…
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How I Upgraded My Electric Mower
My introduction to cordless mowing was a Black and Decker “ factory reconditioned” CMM 1000, which I babied well past its expected lifetime. I had promised myself that if I could get it through until the end of its last summer, the long winter would give me plenty of time to research a replacement. A very helpful article in Green Living Journal (*) came just in time to greatly aid me in my search. I know that lawns and mowing are not appropriate in many places. Here, where we live in a pine forest, we keep a circle of mowed lawn around our modest home as a fire-break. We also…
