2025 Edible Garden Tour - Thursday 8/14/25 in SW Corvallis

[ami...@willamettewatershed.com]

Don’t miss Thursday’s Edible Garden Tour in SW Corvallis!

Here’s a “sneak peek” at the seven sites that will be featured on the tour:

 

3303 SW Long Avenue
Hosts: Taylor and Dani
Comments: Two DIYers at heart, when our family grew to include two kiddos, we shifted our renovation focuses from indoors to out. In our second year growing food in this garden, we’ve focused on creating a space that nurtures a love of being in nature and being a part of the food system. Kid-play spaces adjoin growing areas, becoming one large area for exploration. We also focus on low-cost, small footprint inputs, leaning heavily on cow manure from the OSU dairy, compost from the city dump, and mulch from local arborists to build soil. Come see our in-ground veggie beds, greenhouse, fruit trees, chicken coop and berry patches, and share your advice for how we can improve and build upon the space!

 

3293 SW Long Avenue
Hosts: Tricia and Bruce Martin
Comments: Gardening to provide food for pollinators, people and birds sums up our objective for the front and back yard space.  Several fruit trees – figs (4), apple, cherry and plum – dot the front and back yards, with space in between for vegetables and pollinator plants. As fall arrives, many pollinator plants produce seeds loved by birds. Habitat for garter snakes is also provided, as they keep our slug population in check.

 

3290 SW Willamette Avenue
Host: Esther McEvoy (Willamette Gardens)
Guidance: Entrance is 2 lots to the east of 3290 SW Willamette Avenue – follow the signs.
Comments: Willamette Gardens is a small native plant nursery specializing in container grown perennials, shrubs and trees. I do not use herbicides or pesticides. My hope is that by providing native plants we can help the insects, birds and the wildlife in our area. The organic vegetable garden uses amendments from kitchen scraps, chicken droppings, but no meat scraps.  

 

3428 SW Chintimini Avenue
Host: Dan Edge
Comments: The Edge-Olson-Edge gardens are a work in progress. Our goals are to: 1) grow high-quality fruits and vegetables for year-round use; 2) cultivate ornamental plants that appeal to our botanical interests and whimsy including bonsai and container plants; and 3) provide a haven for wildlife and pollinators. Our vegetable garden features several new raised metal beds that reduce our bending over. Most of our front yard is a xeriscape that receives no supplemental water. We have been experimenting with watering regimes for our ornamental beds that minimize the amount of water and we have lost a few plants in the process—they are being replaced with more drought tolerant species. Our compost bins produce 2-3 yards of compost each year. Pests typically are not a serious problem, but this year we have experienced more deer damage than usual in our ornamental beds.

 

3435 SW Cascade Avenue
Host: Chere Pereira
Comments: We call our garden Edge of Chaos. It is a mixture of dahlias, roses, perennials, other flowers and greenery for arrangements, and edibles in a freeform style that encourages pollinators and a nice variety of birds. Chere is a master gardener and will have a display of the organic fertilizers we use and information about compost, weeds to watch for, and disease and pest control including deer deterrents. Other master gardeners may also be present to answer questions. Every year we experiment with planting vegetables in different places to get more sun, so you will see they are quite spread out and interspersed with other plants.

 

3315 SW Cascade Avenue
Host: Mari Goldner
Comments: The overarching theme of our garden is “Irrational Exuberance.” Though it has been years since we relocated from Minnesota, we are still trying to learn how to reign  in our plants, rather than trying to coax them to survive. Much of the garden supports pollinators; human edibles consist of an eclectic assortment of plants such as cardoons (fabulous artichoke flavor in the stems), josta berries (wonderful addition to homemade applesauce) and a prolific medlar bush (fruit can be cooked down to make a kind of membrillo). We also love creating little seating areas for birdwatching and general contemplation. Always a work in progress!

 

3225 SW Cascade Avenue
Host: Diana Rohlman
Comments: Our garden was designed following our love of fresh fruits and veggies, our dog, and whimsy. Over the years we have replaced grass with edible perennials, fruit trees, and bee-friendly flowers. We have created a space for Italian herbs, and herbs used in ancient times. Dragons and woodland creatures roam the garden.

 

Thursday’s self-guided tour runs from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

Plan to arrive in time to see as many of these amazing gardens as possible.

 

See you on the tour!