BUG Gardeners: Greg & Luke
Greg and his family had grown vegetables in San Diego and Las Vegas before moving to Bend and inheriting an existing raised garden bed at their west Bend home.
As Greg geared up for his first growing season in Central Oregon, he reached out to Bend Urban Gardens for help. He reflects, “It took the guesswork out of what grows here in Central Oregon, when to plant, etc. As a newcomer to Oregon I wasn't sure about the growing season or even what plants would be successful here. Bend Urban Gardens helped put together a comprehensive plan and made gardening with my hectic schedule much more appealing.”
After Greg collected input from his family and narrowed down his priority plants for the growing season, we chose to plant their spring short season crops in the spots where longer season peppers, tomatoes, and squash would go in June. We also grouped half season crops (like broccoli, kale and kohlrabi) together so that more half season crops could replace them once they’d be harvested in the middle of summer. Parsnips, jalapeño peppers, lettuce, and tomatoes were top requests for Greg’s family, but they also embraced new-to-them cooler season vegetables that tend to thrive in the high desert. Greg remarked, “I was able to grow a lot of vegetables that I had never tried before. I was pleasantly surprised with the kohlrabi. I had never heard of it before - the whole family really enjoyed it and we will definitely be adding it to our list of what to grow for next year.”
Greg committed to 6 hours of garden lessons for the season, which definitely kept him motivated to continue gardening when confronted with new challenges and limited time. Having Bend Urban Gardens bring the seeds and plant starts for his first succession truly saved his garden. He recounted, “Early on there was an issue with some of the plants wilting and dying. Bend Urban Gardens was able to diagnose the problem and come up with a solution that worked. Without Ashley I may have just given up.”
After root maggots devoured most of Greg’s early season transplants, we modified his crop plan, happily replaced his plants, and he was still able to get some meaningful harvests.
Greg gained confidence in his ability to produce food in his new garden space in a new climate, with new pest issues he’d never experienced before. With just a little bit of early season guidance, he was able to supplement family meals and include his son in the garden. The crop plan we developed proved to be a very helpful guide in maximizing time and space and gave him a calendar for starting seeds indoors on his own for his succession plantings. Unfortunately, many new Central Oregon gardeners get discouraged in their first season. We’re so happy to have helped Greg and Luke overcome challenges and give them a taste of what’s possible in their space!
