Entwine - Domestic Ecosystem Design

08/08/2025

Looking for some garden inspiration? Drop by the Multnomah County Master Gardener Association Open Garden event, on Saturday, August 9, 10am to 2pm, at the Association's Demonstration Garden, SE 57th and Duke Street, Portland!

Free event! All welcome!

Learn about sustainable vegetable gardening techniques, container gardening, gardening for climate change, wildlife habitats, invertebrate conservation, native bees, and more.

Wander among the vegetable plots, native plants, perennials, and blooming annuals! Find inspiration and glean ideas you can utilize as you garden!

Fun activities for youth!

Plus, talk all things plants with OSU (Oregon) Master Gardener Program volunteers!

Visit with representatives from The Xerces Society Multnomah County, Oregon Vector Control, and OSU Extension Master Food Preservers.

Learn more here: https://beav.es/xTA

07/18/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1NLdKvRGsb/

Israeli researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered that plants and insects may communicate through sound. A new study published in the journal eLife reveals that dehydrated tomato plants emit ultrasonic distress signals, which female moths can detect. These insects use the sounds to avoid laying eggs on stressed plants, highlighting a fascinating new form of acoustic interaction in nature.

03/19/2025

This is promising! Thank you, Science!!! https://www.facebook.com/share/18xWVW52yS/

A new part of an ocean plant cell has been discovered that might revolutionize farming one day. The structure can take nitrogen and convert it into the ingredient that helps all organisms grow.

12/01/2024

Fascinating! The world beneath our feet is so vast and continues to amaze me!

Is fungi smarter than we think? New research shows how the mycelial network of Phanerochaete velutina, a cord-forming wood decay fungus, can “recognize” spatial arrangements of wood blocks and adapt its decay strategy accordingly.

Over 116 days, fungi displayed fascinating behaviors, connecting blocks in different patterns based on their positioning. The results? A smarter, more efficient decay process.

This study pushes the boundaries of what we know about cognition in non-brain organisms, suggesting that mycelium exhibits “basal cognition”, the ability to recognize and adapt to its environment. Could fungi’s decision-making capabilities inspire future bio-based computing systems? Learn more: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1754504824000588

08/23/2024

Alphabet Gardening

G is for groundwork.

Plants can quickly become the “fast fashion” of landscapes without a deeper understanding of soil and plant relationships. Soil is alive with countless diverse microorganisms whose main purpose is to break down the remains of other organisms and release the resulting energy, nutrients, and carbon dioxide for further use by additional life at the root level. Organic matter is created in this continuous process in a bustling community located right under our feet! No healthy soil exists without this activity. When a teaspoon of soil contains a billion or more of these microbial citizens, it’s nearly impossible to understand all the intricacies of soil society. However, a little groundwork on the workings underground can fill in a meaningful portion of the gaps between the known and the unknowns of soil’s vast network.

Understanding some basics of soil can minimize plants’ vulnerability to Nature’s whim. Maximizing potential in the process taking place beneath the surface improves the aesthetics of a landscape’s design while literally impacting climate change at the grassroots level. Increasing the soil’s biodiversity by adding organic matter increases the nutrients available to plants; improves soil texture; and reduces the risk of water runoff leading to healthier plants and a healthier ecosystem overall.

A little groundwork on soil’s texture and pH; the role of bacteria and fungi; carbon to nitrogen ratio; and the soil food web’s role in a thriving ecosystem can benefit any plant grower. Maintaining a curious gardener’s mind that seeks continuous growth through knowledge and interactions with soil empowers the gardener to impact the environment.

Ultimately, Nature is the expert in design, but a foundational understanding of soil can lead to a healthier landscape while increasing gardeners’ ability to adapt and respond to climate change in domestic ecosystems. So, dig in and do some groundwork! www.entwinebydesign.com

07/25/2024

Here's a great opportunity for Portlanders to give and gather abundance from local gardens:

A seasonal community event that invites Portlanders to give and gather homegrown, backyard produce.

07/08/2024

Out with the old and in with the new: This ladybug is leaving its old self and moving on in life - it's time for an aphid buffet to celebrate the transformation!

06/27/2024

A joy to bee-hold!

06/15/2024

Want to DIY your own design but aren't sure where to start? One great way to begin is by focusing on pollinators as the primary purpose. Here's a list of 25 pollinators that attract native bees. What's your number?

Choose a diversity of plants and have some that bloom at different times of the year.

06/07/2024

It's jam season! When you need to eat your fruits AND your vegetables, why not have both in a chia-seed freezer jam of mixed berries and rhubarb? 😉

06/03/2024

Alphabet Gardening

F is for fika.

Whether we are in tune with it or not, we all have a connection to cultivating plants. Our relationship with earth and the soil beneath our feet is in our roots. Working the land is a way of connecting or re-connecting with our historic past. My great grandparents were first-generation immigrants who passed on their gardening practices to their children who often labored alongside them. My maternal grandfather farmed carrots and strawberries in the outskirts of east Multnomah county and rural Clark county in the days long before chemical use became common practice. Organic farming was just farming. That’s it. As a young child, I remember watching my paternal grandparents bury their kitchen waste in their garden to provide nutrients for growing plants. My mother could often be seen planting annuals and perennials on the acreage where I grew up. Tending to the garden was part of a lifestyle - chosen or otherwise. Likewise, recent research out of OSU found evidence of indigenous cultures selectively harvesting camas with the intent of maintaining a sustainable food source by manipulating the environment to encourage its longevity. My personal experiences working with immigrant populations exposed me to additional land-use practices long ago disregarded in landscapes where chemicals are commonly used. The opportunity to embrace fika came as a result of exploring my Swedish immigrant roots and my connection to the culture through my lifelong sisterhood with Helena - an exchange student from Sweden living with me and my family during my senior year of high school. My first trip overseas included a long stay with Helena and her family who hosted my curiosity with generosity. One afternoon, her mother made a lovely cake with lingonberries that I have tried several times to replicate without success. It was my first introduction to fika - the Swedish custom of pausing the day’s work to enjoy an afternoon treat among good company. I grow my own lingonberries now, so I can continue to practice mastering the cake. This multifunctional plant is a low-growing evergreen perennial that spreads over time. Coincidentally, a growing small patch of native plants that include camas is sharing space just across from it. Growing plants and gardening is a way to cultivate relationships with both the land and people. It’s the fika of a long-ago memory and the earthly connection with those who were here before us on the palate. And the flavor is sweetly rewarding!

05/21/2024

Researchers at Oregon State University have studied the role of essential oils in managing slugs for commercial ryegrass and fescue production. We’re currently developing recommendations for the public, translating this science for a home gardener setting. It’s exciting for gardeners to have another effective tool in our toolbox for dealing with slugs and we hope to have these recommendations later this year. In the meantime, here is what the research has found, that you may find interesting too.

The interest in essential oils is widespread and has seen them proven effective against various pests including insects, mites, fungi, and nematodes. The results of the study suggest that thyme and spearmint oil could be effective botanical pesticides for controlling D. reticulatum (common grey garden slug) in ryegrass and tall fescue. Thyme and spearmint oil were not phytotoxic to ryegrass and tall fescue (meaning they did not harm the plants).

Rory McDonnell, associate professor and Extension gastropod specialist says "For the home gardener, essential oils could be used as a barrier. For example, I have done some quick trials by mixing pure essential oil with petroleum jelly and then smearing that in a band around pots in which vulnerable plants are growing e.g. orchids. Slugs and snails will not cross the barrier." What about spraying them? "Spraying essential oils in any concentration more than 1% is of concern as it could damage plants."

Interested in hearing more? Slug Chat with OSU slug expert Rory McDonnell is live on Zoom this Thursday at noon. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/events/slug-chat-osu-slug-expert-rory-mcdonnell