The primary mission of the WSU Master Gardener Program is to provide sound, research-based information on sustainable horticulture and gardening practices to the community. Plant clinics, presentations and garden tours are just a few of the informational programs offered to the homeowner.

Although Master Gardeners enjoy interacting with other gardeners, not everyone has the time or desire to attend a formal plant clinic or presentation. A guide to reliable gardening resources can be very helpful. The goal is to encourage the community to become citizen scientists and experts on their own gardens.

A quick note about online research: It’s always important to look at the source of any information. Blogs are fun and can provide great ideas but the information may not be factual. Read but verify. The domain suffix or “dot” ending of a site tells you what the website represents.

Generally, .edu, .gov or .org sites provide more objective information, whereas .com sites usually represent commercial interests.

WSU, through their Research and Extension programs, provides a wealth of information available to the public that can be accessed online. A good place to start and to bookmark is gardening.wsu.edu. This portal not only has links to the Extension Services and Master Gardener Program, it has an easy-to-use menu of gardening topics from flower beds to wildlife.

The website at pubs.wsu.edu is a direct avenue to WSU publications, many of which are free and available for download. Log on and click on Gardening on the left sidebar. From there you can narrow your search by selecting from the sub-topics.

An important website for anyone considering the use of garden chemicals is www.npic.orst.edu (National Pesticide Information Center). Along with www.growsmartgrowsafe.org (Grow Smart, Grow Safe), these sites inform homeowners about Integrated Pest Management techniques and the proper and safe use of garden chemicals.

Another wonderful resource is the North Olympic Library System (NOLS). NOLS isn’t just about books anymore. If you aren’t familiar with all that NOLS has to offer, pick up their brochure “Welcome to Your Library” or go to www.nols.org/all-services/. What you’ll find is that in addition to great books, digital media, magazine subscriptions and book purchase requests, the local library offers inter-library and inter-system book loans.

Perhaps the best kept secret is that NOLS provides several scientific online databases with full text and peer reviewed material free of charge to library card holders.

To investigate, go to www.nols.org and select Online Resources, then Information and Research. Once there, ProQuest is an excellent place to start. For example, a search in ProQuest for “vermicompost,” or compost from worms, turned up 1,721 results. Refining the search to “magazines only” reduced it to 56 results. Further refinement to the “past two years” provided three suggested articles.

The NOLS librarians are excited to teach people about the all the amazing resources available. For a personal one-on-one introduction, go for a “Tech-Know-Logy” appointment. You can sign up at www.nols.org or send an email to discover@nols.org.

A special thanks to NOLS librarian Sarah Morrison for taking the time to explain and demonstrate all of the NOLS services.

Oh, and by the way, NOLS also has a Seed Library at the Port Angeles branch where you can borrow, grow and return seeds. Check it out, literally.

Whether it’s a clinic, a book, a website or a package label, reliable information is like fertilizer, it gets your garden growing.

Susan Kalmar is a Clallam County Master Gardener.