Guides for Northwest gardeners

Practical advice for the things that make gardening here different: cool summers, wet winters, short high-desert seasons and a lot of slugs.

When and How to Plant Garlic in Oregon and WashingtonGarlic goes in during fall and comes out the next summer. Here's when to plant it where you live, which kind to buy, and how to harvest and cure it.
Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors: A Northwest TimelineWhen to start tomatoes, peppers and other seeds indoors in Oregon and Washington, plus the simple setup that grows strong seedlings.
Growing Blueberries in the Pacific NorthwestBlueberries love the Northwest's acidic soil and wet winters. How to plant them, which varieties to pair, and how to get a big harvest for decades.
Growing Strawberries in Oregon and WashingtonJune-bearing or everbearing? How to plant strawberries, keep them out of the mud, and keep a patch productive for years.
Native Plants for a Northwest Pollinator GardenNative shrubs and flowers that feed bees, butterflies and hummingbirds from late winter to fall, and how to plant for pollinators in Oregon and Washington.
Winter Cover Crops for Northwest Vegetable BedsWhy to sow cover crops in empty beds each fall, which ones grow well in Oregon and Washington, and how to turn them under in spring.
How Much to Water Vegetables in a Dry Northwest SummerThe Northwest is rainy for nine months and bone dry for three. How much water vegetables need in summer, when to water, and how to waste less of it.
Raised Beds for Rainy Northwest GardensWhy raised beds suit the Northwest so well, how big and deep to build them, what to fill them with, and the mistakes to avoid.
Growing Potatoes in Oregon and WashingtonWhen to plant potatoes in the Northwest, how to cut and plant seed potatoes, hilling, and when to dig for new potatoes and storage potatoes.
Growing Vegetables in Containers on a Northwest Balcony or PatioNo yard? Herbs, greens, tomatoes and more grow well in pots. Container sizes, soil, watering and the best crops for small Northwest spaces.
The Best Tomatoes for Cool Northwest SummersWhich tomato varieties actually ripen in Portland, Seattle and the coast, and how to give them the heat they need.
Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardening West of the CascadesHow to keep harvesting kale, carrots, garlic and greens through a mild Northwest winter, and when to plant for it.
Gardening in Bend and Central Oregon's Short SeasonHow to grow vegetables where frost can come almost any month: what to plant, when, and how to protect it.
How to Control Slugs in a Northwest GardenPractical, pet-safe ways to protect seedlings, lettuce and strawberries from the Pacific Northwest's most famous garden pest.
Why Northwest Gardeners Should Plant by Soil TemperatureThe air warms up long before the soil does here. A $10 soil thermometer tells you when it's really time to plant beans, squash and tomatoes.