Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

Each Earth Day we focus on, well, the earth. How we can live better on the planet – energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction – in all areas of our lives.

Many of us connect with the green world around us through gardening. On Thursday, at Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland, the Multnomah County Master Gardeners and the West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (WMSWCD) will be available to help others connect with the green world.

From 9:00 am to 11:00 am the WMSWCD staff and volunteers will actually install a native plant garden at Montgomery Park. Visitors can see how these plants could fit into their own gardens and learn how to enhance their backyard habitat.

Master Gardeners will be on hand in the building lobby to answer home garden, landscaping, and lawn questions and help resolve pest problems. The Multnomah County Master Gardener office (open weekdays from 10 to 2) is on the 4th floor of Montgomery Park – Room 450.

For more information on WMSWCD projects (fighting invasive plants, bringing gardens to schools, encouraging native pollinators, and more), check out their website.

For gardening questions in any of the three metro counties, contact your Master Gardeners by phone, email, or visiting. Start here!

DIRT! The Movie

Let the soil beneath your feet inspire you. Tonight on Oregon Public Broadcasting you can see dirt from many perspectives – both global and personal.

We know how important to our gardens our backyard “dirt” is. Find out how our relationship to the soils around the world have impacted and will continue to impact us.

It’s a fascinating, intriguing, educational look at a busy world just beyond our doorsteps.

Oregon Public Broadcasting
Independent Lens
11:00 pm

Coming up . . .

Metro’s Natural Gardening Guru - Carl Grimm

Saturday we’ll get the chance to talk to Carl about all the gardening information Metro has available.

On the website, you’ll find all the tips you need for making your own compost and even plans for building your own garden debris compost bin. And if you want to try your hand a worm composting for kitchen scraps, you’ll find help there, too.

Metro also has several sites open for visitors. From the Zoo’s Backyard Make-over exhibit, demonstrating easy steps to bring nature into your yard, to the Natural Techniques Demonstration Garden in Southeast Portland. Find out more here.

For a copy of the Grow Smart, Grow Safe guide to lawn and garden products, the native plant guide, and a money saving coupon for natural garden products, click here.