OUTDOORS
Gardening It’s
Time!
Tips for facing the challenge of high desert growing
By Joshua Savage
A
t the first sign of spring, with warmer days ahead, many of us are excited to get outside and play. We are ready to start tinkering in the garden and dreaming of the season’s abundance. Wait a minute, not so fast! This isn’t the Willamette Valley, where rain is plentiful and vegetation grows easily. No, this is the High Desert, and here in Central Oregon gardening requires patience and persistence. These are great attributes for kids to learn, not to mention that gardening provides an opportunity to teach children other valuable
Photo by Joshua Savage
The author’s daughters, Sofi and Kaia, in the garden 28 | BendNest.com
practical skills and show them where our food originates. Plus, a bit of exercise and sunshine has endless benefits for physical health and emotional well-being. Yet the cold, the wind and the deer—these are all factors that can frustrate even the master gardener. But don’t despair, because a rewarding garden can be created and maintained even here in the High Desert. Luckily, plentiful local resources exist to help us learn about native species and what to plant in our area to maximize our chances of gardening success. One of my favorite resources is the Central Oregon Gardeners group on Facebook because the members are interactive and always helpful. If I ask a question, I usually get a quick answer. Oregon State University also has tons of downloadable information to reference online, and its years of research and experience makes them a reputable source. The college even offers related gardening courses, as well. The SEEK app, though not always accurate, is helpful to identify plant and animal species in real-time from your iPhone photos. For a more hands-on approach, my daughters and I have volunteered at The Environmental Center. We’ve planted tomatoes, watered the garden, moved mulch and helped in whatever manner needed. In addition, Deschutes Land Trust events are very informative and fun, as knowledgeable guides lead walks on the nature preserves and point out local plant species. More recently, they have been offering Nature Nights on Zoom, too, completely free of charge. Our family loves to spend time in the yard. Coming from an area of the country where everything grows with ease, it took us a while to learn and adapt to the High Desert. Truthfully, we are still learning. One of our first discoveries was how quickly the temperatures drop in the evenings. When planting, it is necessary to wait until the frosts pass, or at the very least, cover plants at night. Those lucky residents with a greenhouse are a step ahead of the game because they can extend their growing season.
