WSU Master Gardener Program

10/01/2026

🌿Did you miss your chance to register for the Washington Green School Certificate this year?

Don't worry-another opportunity is coming! Registration will reopen in August 2027 for the next Washington Green School course.

Until then, keep learning, keep growing, and most importantly-keep your hands in the dirt!🌿💚

We look forward to welcoming a new group of gardeners in 2027!

https://greenschool.extension.wsu.edu

10/01/2026

⏳ Last chance to register for the 2026/2027 Washington Gardener Certificate course!
Registration closes today, September 30, and the course kicks off October 5.

🌿 Offered just once a year—don’t miss your opportunity to grow your skills and earn your Washington Gardener Certificate.
https://greenschool.extension.wsu.edu/home/registration/

09/30/2026

Fantastic job helping your local community! 🌿

09/30/2026

🌿 Want to grow your sustainability skills—or just become a more confident gardener?

Green School is a fully online, self-paced course open to learners everywhere—no matter where you live! Participants can earn the Washington Gardener Certificate while exploring composting, pollinators, soil health, and more.

Whether you're in parks & recreation, education, landscaping, passionate about environmental stewardship, or simply passionate about plants, this course gives you practical, research-based tools to help you thrive.

🗓️ Register today, September 30 to start blooming this fall!
https://greenschool.extension.wsu.edu/home/registration/

Let’s cultivate a greener future—together. 🌎💚

09/30/2026

Easy listening, easy learning🌿 Enjoy😀

New episode of The Evergreen Thumb is live! Episode 82: How to Grow Thriving Garlic in the Pacific Northwest

Host Erin Hoover covers hardneck vs. softneck varieties, site selection, planting timing, and spacing. She also walks through scape removal, when to stop watering before harvest, and how to cure garlic so it stores well through winter. Plus tips on avoiding common pests and diseases.

If you're planning to plant garlic this fall, this episode has the details you need.

🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast app or on our website at https://buff.ly/1xHRcNc

09/29/2026

Grow your gardening knowledge with research-based education!🌿

Register at: https://greenschool.extension.wsu.edu/home/registration/

09/28/2026

🐝🌼 Can bumblebees “self-medicate”?

New research suggests that bumblebees may change what they forage for when their colony is exposed to certain pathogens.

Researchers offered buff-tailed bumblebees a choice between regular artificial nectar and nectar containing quercetin, a naturally occurring plant compound with antimicrobial properties. Colonies exposed to a fungal pathogen increasingly visited flowers containing quercetin and spent more time feeding there. Healthy colonies and those exposed to a bacterial pathogen did not show the same preference.

Could worker bees be seeking out plant compounds that help protect their colony? Researchers say the behavior is consistent with the possibility of “social medication,” but more research is needed to determine whether consuming quercetin actually improves bee health.

It’s another fascinating example of the complex relationships among plants, pollinators and the microorganisms around them. 🌿🐝

Read the research in Royal Society Open Science:
Hints of self-medication? Pathogen exposure-dependent foraging decisions of bumblebees⁠:
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/8/rsos260777/482901/Hints-of-self-medication-Pathogen-exposure?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

*This is not a gardening recommendation, although it is informational ad hopeful, The research is intriguing, but it doesn’t yet tell gardeners to plant particular quercetin-rich plants for bee health.

Abstract. Self-medication is the selective consumption of compounds that reduce infection and is a widespread form of adaptive plasticity across animals. H

09/27/2026

⏳ Time’s running out!

Registration closes September 30, and the course begins October 5.

🌿 Offered just once a year—don’t miss your chance to earn your Washington Gardener Certificate and grow your impact.
🔗 https://greenschool.extension.wsu.edu/home/registration/

09/26/2026

📅 Just one week left to register to earn a Washington Gardener Certificate!

This once-a-year opportunity begins October 5—and registration ends September 30.
🌱 Learn sustainable gardening
🌍 Build community
🎓 Earn your Washington Gardener Certificate
🔗 WA Green School | Washington State University

09/25/2026

🍎 Food Waste Prevention Week | Sept. 28–Oct. 4 🥕🌎

From farm to fork to future… make every bite count!

Since 2021, states, cities, and organizations have come together to build the National Food Waste Prevention Week movement—a shared space for learning, action, and reconnecting with the value of food.

Food waste doesn’t just mean wasted food—it also means wasting the water, energy, land, labor, and other resources used to grow and bring that food to our tables.

This coming week, consider simple ways to make a difference: plan meals before shopping, store fruits and vegetables properly, enjoy leftovers, preserve or freeze extra garden produce, and compost food scraps that can’t be eaten.

🌱 As gardeners, we know the value of the resources that go into growing food. Let’s help make sure more of it is enjoyed and less is wasted!

♻️ Learn more about Food Waste Prevention Week:
https://foodwastepreventionweek.com/
Enjoy multiple daily, free, educational webinars. View the webinar calendar and register at:
https://foodwastepreventionweek.com/webinars/

Join the global campaign to reduce food waste and make a positive environmental impact.