Growing bored with planting the same thing in your vegetable garden year after year? The Olympic Peninsula’s growing season isn’t always kind to vegetable varieties that need a warmer climate or a longer growing season.
Join Carol Miles, Director of Washington State University’s Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, for a look at new vegetable varieties that can bring renewed interest and additional nutrition to your garden and table.
“New Vegetable Varieties,” her Zoom presentation and next in the Green Thumbs Garden Tips series, is set for noon-1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11. Get the link at extension.wsu.edu/clallam/events. Or join by phone by calling 253-215-8782 (meeting ID 920 0799 1742, passcode 709395).
Miles will explore interesting new vegetable crops that can be grown in western Washington — like sweet potatoes, bulb fennel, cantaloupe and popping beans. She will also talk about general production information, which varieties are suitable for our area and handling procedures to ensure success.
New vegetable varieties help to increase diversity and success in home garden production, program organizers say; they provide a more diverse and healthy local diet, and they can expand one’s understanding of new growing opportunities based on climate and variety selection.
Miles has been trialing new crops for western Washington for almost 30 years. She works with breeders to test their advanced breeding lines that can result in the release of new varieties that are suitable for our region.
“I especially enjoy the final test for all crops I work with … how good are they to eat,” she said.
Carol Miles received her master’s degree and doctorate from the Department of Fruit and Vegetable Science at Cornell University. She joined Washington State University in 1994 and is the WSU Vegetable Extension Specialist and Director of the WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center. She specializes in vegetable production, especially new crops, new varieties and organic and sustainable production practices.
Sponsored by WSU Clallam County Master Gardeners, the Green Thumbs Garden Tips education series seeks to provide home gardeners with education on research-based sustainable garden practices in Clallam County.
The series is offered via streaming presentations from noon-1 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday each month through October (in November, December and January, one program is offered).
For more information, call 360-565-2679.
