Resources

OSU has many publications available online. Most of these are in PDF format, so they can be read online, bookmarked for later reference, or downloaded and saved to your own device. Publications specifically geared to the home gardener have been collected into a single list (all hyperlinks) for your convenience.

The OSU Gardening Encyclopedia provides links to:

  • A monthly calendar of garden tasks
  • A very large archive of short articles on many gardening topics
  • The PNW Handbooks, an exceptional resource for identifying plant diseases and insects (at many points in their life cycle), together with recommended control options.

For tree fruit questions, the Home Orchard Society discussion forums and activities are an excellent resource.

Information about pesticides is available both online and by phone from the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC), a collaboration between OSU and the US EPA.

An amazing variety of common plants are toxic, either to humans or animals. UC Davis has an extensive list that includes both ingested and contact toxicity for people. And to keep your pets safe, check out the ASPCA list of animals toxics. You can click on the “View by” link to toggle between common and scientific plant names.

Continuing education is required for all active Master Gardeners. OSU’s Brooke Edmunds hosts a wonderful variety of advanced training webinars each year, and makes them available to anyone who is interested. Check out the archive here and bookmark it to find future additions. Webinars are announced in advance on the MCMGA Facebook page, so you’ll have plenty of time to register if you want to participate live.

Metro Master Gardener Weston Miller, together with OSU’s Monica Maggio and the Oregonian have produced a video series of seasonal tips on garden needs. This is a quick way to focus on the most urgent tasks, and see how-to help all at once.

Clackamas Co. Master Gardeners have developed an educational series called the 10-Minute University. This includes both written material and videos on many aspects of home gardens, which provide reliable information to help you enhance your gardening skills.

These are only a very tiny fraction of the resources you’ll find online. We strongly recommend that you focus on research-based information (domains .edu and .org). Many of the “helpful hints” sites do indeed offer suggestions that will address a specific problem, but they often overlook undesirable aftereffects. One common example is using table salt to kill slugs. Yes, the slugs will be dead. But your soil will be contaminated by the salt, and it’s apt to cause problems for your plants.

Let's Garden

Marion County Master Gardeners™ are trained certified volunteers who promote the joy and science of home gardening in our community. We answer questions, teach workshops, provide speakers, maintain a demonstration garden, and connect home gardeners to the information they need. The Master Gardener program is sponsored by OSU Extension.