Articles written by Kym Pokorny
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 92
By 
Beneficial bats help control insects in the garden
With a swish of his cape, Count Dracula ruined the reputation of bats forevermore. Maybe. In the 125 years since Dracula came on the scene and spooked us into believing bats are bad, we’re...
Add new flavor to the table with 8 unusual vegetables
David Coon is on a mission. Not exactly a Mission Impossible save-the-world mission; more of a quest. He’s out to educate others about the potential for unusual vegetables in the garden and the...
OSU breeding program produced first purple tomatoes with healthy antioxidants
In 2011 Jim Myers did something no one had done before. The Oregon State University vegetable breeder released the first purple tomato containing the same healthy compound found in blueberries. The...
Growing peppers adds flavor to ethnic dishes
Ezequiel Lopez-Reyes will never forget the taste of fresh fruit and vegetables brought straight from his father’s farm field when he was a child in Mexico. In honor of that memory, he established a...
Let soil temperature guide you when planting vegetables
Weeks of cold temperatures and rain have unsettled the gardening season. You may be raring to get your garden – but hold. Sowing seeds or planting seedlings at the wrong time will bring nothing but...
The dawn of lawn alternatives
The expansive lawns in Europe and the invention of golf in the late 1900s launched America's obsession with a perfect plot of grass. The invention of the rotary mower and the development of...
Pump up your plant knowledge by learning family relationships
Learning to recognize 400,000 species of plants is more than daunting; it’s impossible. But making a start by learning how to identify family characteristics can help you manage a healthier garden....
Host houseplants in best possible site to keep them healthy
Gardeners hear it often enough: right plant, right place. It’s a fundamental rule of gardening, said Heather Stoven, a horticulturist with Oregon State University Extension Service, and one that app...
Five tips for properly planting a conifer tree
If conifer tree planting is on your late winter or early spring to-do list, there are some things you can do to improve your success. When it comes to planting conifers, timing is everything,...
Save money by starting vegetable seeds at home
The calendar doesn’t say spring, but gardeners are ready to go. Turning vegetable seeds into plants helps satisfy the urge to put your hands in the soil. It’s best to seed cool-season crops such...
Myth vs. reality: What's the truth behind some common gardening practices?
Reality can get skewed when there are so many sources of information – books, magazines, newspapers, nurseries, and, most of all, the internet and social media open up lots of room for...
Disease-resistant roses make gardening life easier
Struggling with rose diseases often converts affection to frustration for the millions of gardeners who grow the beloved shrubs. Instead of cursing the big three – black spot, powdery mildew, and...
Don't be timid when pruning grapes
Once grape vines lose their leaves, the plants fade into the background of the winter landscape. That's the time to take action and get out the clippers. January through the first of March is the...
These 8 winter-blooming plants give bees needed nourishment
Bees and other pollinators out and about during the dark days of winter look to gardeners for the nourishment that keeps them going until the more abundant seasons of the year arrive. “Black-tailed...
Gear up for the new year with 10 ways to garden on a budget
Any time of year is a good time to start a budget, but the new year when resolutions are in the air seems especially suitable. Since the gardening season is still a few months away, there's a good...
6 winter-blooming plants brighten gardens in dark days
In January and February the flowers of winter arrive, blooming as cheerfully as the showoffs of spring. "One of the coolest things about gardening in the Pacific Northwest is winter gardens," said...
Harvesting peat moss contributes to climate change
The harvesting of peat moss used by gardeners and the nursery industry to improve drainage and retain water in soil contributes to climate change, according to an Oregon State University Extension...
Control moss in the lawn by keeping grass healthy
Many homeowners struggle with moss that invades lawns as winter rains provide just the right conditions for its growth. “The most frequent wintertime question I receive regarding lawn maintenance...
8 tips to gear up garden for cold weather
As freezing weather moves in, gardeners may be worrying about how to protect their plants from the cold. Experts with Oregon State University Extension Service, recommend several ways to guard your...
5 worthy trees for small gardens
As cities get bigger, gardens get smaller and large trees no longer make the cut. No worries. The plant world teems with appropriately sized trees. The best place to start a search is in your own...
Tips to keep chickens in a laying mood
Care for chickens correctly and they’ll reward you with cartons full of fresh eggs. Get it wrong and the eggs stop coming. The good news is that getting it right isn’t difficult, said Jim Hermes,...
Poor soil? Build up with raised beds
It's a lucky gardener who digs into great soil right off the bat. Most often, it takes years of adding organic material to bring it up to snuff. There is a shortcut, however. For areas of the garden...
Large increase of brown marmorated stink bugs poses serious threat to Oregon crops
The amount of invasive brown marmorated stink bugs in 2022 tops anything that was seen in Oregon for at least five years and poses a serious threat to Oregon crops and garden plants, according to...
Snip some stems and have new plants in spring
Snipping some cuttings from the garden will produce your own private nursery of plants by spring. Whether you plant the results of your "snip and stick" project or give them away, propagating by...
Control slugs now as they lay eggs to hatch in spring
Just as we begin to think about wrapping things up in the garden for the season, slugs slither out of their homes underground to lay their eggs for next year. That means it's time again to slug it...
