Updates From The Farm

Students from Nooksack Valley HS sampling soil at Alluvial FarmsOn a cold day in late October, 140 sophomores from Nooksack Valley High School explored Alluvial Farms, testing the soil, measuring slopes, learning from farmers Katie Pencke and Matthew McDermott, and...

Dessert quality fruit if we've ever seen it!Walk through a grocery’s fruit section and you’ll notice something – an abundance of beautiful, large, shiny fruit, just waiting for you to choose the best and brightest. There’s a reason for that. As consumers, we’re often...

Walk around anywhere in Whatcom County in August and September and you’ll notice dahlias blooming, families biking around, and more apples than anyone knows what to do with. Those apples are often found in abundance in backyards, city parks, and on the sides of main...

Recently, I received a question about the best time to prune lilacs. The short answer is anytime that is convenient for you! But seriously, the best time is just after blooming. These beautiful blooming shrubs produce flowers on new shoots which begin forming during...

Powdery Mildew!  This group of fungus species has been causing a rash of issues in our gardens this spring.  It is everywhere and I have seen many examples of it this season on everything from apples to ninebark. Mildew is often identified by the powdery coating of...

Plants and people share some pretty basic, essential needs. We both need food, water and shelter to survive and thrive. We have the advantage of being able to physically create shelter and go find food and water, but plants are dependent on having the essentials for...

One of the garden events I look forward to is the explosion of rhododendron blooms this time of year. I have a couple in my yard that are literally vibrating like a transformer with bees working on the profusion of blooms. Visiting the Nursery or any display garden...

The days warm up and become longer finally with overnight results in the garden!  It seems as if everything is growing at once from bulbs and perennials to shrubs, trees and especially weeds! Overwhelming is the term that comes to mind this time of year with where to...

The time is now to plant bare-root trees! They are beginning to break their dormancy and that means we will be potting them up at the nursery...and they become more difficult to transplant too. Planting them now allows the roots to establish in your soil conditions...