green living

Have fun, learn, and help out at Columbia Springs! This family-friendly event is a great opportunity for community members to participate in environmental restoration and projects that improve Columbia Springs' 100-acre natural area and the historic Vancouver Trout Hatchery. Projects may include gardening, painting, trail maintenance, and more. Every Stewardship Saturday includes a lesson about local ecology to start the day and concludes with a fun activity like a craft or nature hike. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome! Children under 14 are welcome with parent or guardian supervision and teens under 16 with parent or guardian permission. Snacks and tools provided. Please bring sturdy shoes, appropriate outdoor work clothing, a water bottle, and your enthusiasm for helping the community! To sign-up or for more information, email volunteer@columbiasprings.org. 

Multnomah County Master Gardeners'

Incredible Edibles Plant Sale 2015

From seedlings to supper, grow your own!

Give new meaning to "Picking up something for dinner!" with organic veggie starts and herbs for your home garden at the fourth annual Multnomah County Master Gardeners' Incredible Edibles Plant Sale.

Plant starts from the Incredible Edibles Plant Sale  are local, organically-grown varieties specifically selected for their ability to thrive in Pacific Northwest conditions, so you'll soon be harvesting nutritious, fresh-picked goodness for your table! Look for a luscious array of both heirlooms and hybrids among the proven varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuces, herbs, edible flowers and more.

OSU Extension-trained Master Gardener volunteers will be on hand so you can 'Get the Real Dirt'  on plant problems, pest control and other gardening questions.

'Plant. Grow. Eat.' workshops  are scheduled throughout the day to inspire and provide education for new adventures in growing your own food. New to growing edibles? The Incredible Edibles Plant Sale is the place for you, with lots of information and helpful Master Gardeners to launch you successfully on growing your own food.

Bop while you shop to fun, lively, musical entertainment  and check out the art and food vendors.

Proceeds  from the sale further the work of the Multnomah County Master Gardeners, whose mission is to support the OSU Extension Service Master Gardener program and to educate the public about all aspects of successfully and sustainably growing and caring for plants.

You've seen Multnomah County Master Gardener volunteers at your neighborhood Farmers Market and other community events, but Master Gardener volunteers also:

*Donate produce from the Multnomah County Community Demonstration Garden to local food banks

*Host a monthly Speaker Series, free and open to the public, where guest horticulture experts share their knowledge on a range of relevant gardening and environmental topics.

*Provide horticulture lessons to young people being treated at Doernbecher Children's Hospital

*Instruct Seed to Supper classes in partnership with the Oregon Food Bank

*Teach gardening methods that support successful gardening and environmental stewardship at area schools, libraries, parks, and community gardens throughout Multnomah County

For more information go to www.multnomahmastergardeners.org/edibles or email

multmastergardeners@gmail.com, or call (503)445-4608

Free admission. Everyone welcome.

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Learn to build a rain garden! A rain garden is a sunken garden bed that captures stormwater and allows it to soak back into the ground naturally. This workshop provides step-by-step details on how to plan, design and build your own rain garden. You'll find out how to decide the best size & placement, which plants to choose, and how to maintain your new rain garden. Participants receive a free how-to manual, and where possible, take a field trip to a nearby rain garden. Space is limited and advanced registration is required.

Weeds - we all have them. Come learn how to identify the most common garden and landscape weeds along with some of the other more notorious plant invaders of the region. We will walk you through how these aggressive plants take over in your yard and provide some simple yet effective tips that will help you get the upper hand without turning to synthetic herbicides.

Come celebrate the NW spring at the Audubon annual native plant sale. Over 100 species of Oregon wild flowers, shrubs, and trees to enhance your yard, woodland, or stream. Special shopping lists for shade, sun, butterflies, and hummingbirds, with experts ready to answer your questions. 10:00 to 4:00 on 4/11 and 4/12