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Thoughtful Growing: Resources for Maritime PNW

As an avid lifelong learner, I'm continuously seeking out and absorbing new (to me) information. Having previously grown in rows of raised beds in the southeast, I have a lot to learn about growing a permaculture food forest in the Pacific Northwest. So while I love learning new things, my head is seriously spinning with this constant barrage of new information! I'm a planner by nature, so I've been working to organize all this new information into one place. Hopefully you'll find it useful as well.


This is, and will never be, an exhaustive list of resources, but I'll work to keep it updated as I find new information that I find helpful to me in my area of the world. My goals are to create a healthy environment that supports native biodiversity, produces beneficials (such as food for my family to eat and to share with my community, and a holistic support system for wildlife) and respects and mimics the natural environment around me. I recognize that there are many ways of meeting these goals and that I'll continue to learn and modify along the way, allowing my garden to evolve. My first year has involved a lot of physically demanding work (which most days I love) and a lot of joy and excitement. I look forward to seeing it grow over the coming decades! If you have resources to share, please add them in the comments so we can all benefit!



Plant Lists - More than anything, I LOVE learning what others are growing in my area because it gives me ideas of what I could grow as well. One important factor in a healthy garden is diversity, so the greater variety of plants I add, the better! Furthermore, as I research ways to better support pollinators, I realize that some butterflies, as an example, only feed off a few different types of flowers. Therefore, if I want to attract that particular butterfly to my yard, it's important to have those flowers. Side note: I have benefitted from the generosity of friends, neighbors and people within my community who have shared plants and seeds with me. As you research the plants you would like for your garden, reach out to Facebook garden groups, plant swap groups, friends, family and neighbors to see if anyone has what you're looking for. Everyone can grow their gardens when we share seeds and cuttings to propagate new plants! Some of these lists are PNW-specific while others are general lists that can serve as an impetus for research into a specific plant of interest to see if it does well in your area.

  • Cascadia College/UW Bothell Food Forest

  • Little Known Edible and Useful Plants for the Northwest (Rainyleaf) - Not all of these are appropriate for my part of the PNW, but some do well. It's a great start at researching plants you might not have heard of.

  • Less Common Fruits by Region (Home Fruit Growing) - This doesn't identify PNW as a region, but it's a great list of fruits, along with some pertinent growing information, that helped me start my research on what to grow.

  • Edible Flowers - Multiple options for learning about edible flowers. Not PNW-specific but might include some flowers you were unaware were edible, like the flowers of an okra plant! Gardening Channel, Eat the Weeds, What's Cooking America, and Thompson & Morgan.

  • Great Plant Picks - This site has a lot of plant lists, including plants for drought, pollinators and natives. Pick a list and start your research.

  • Plants that Attract Birds (North Coast Gardening) - This article provides general guidelines for planting to attract birds and also lists which birds are attracted to which plants!

  • Native Plants PNW - Here you'll find lists of native plants that meet certain criteria, such as edible berries, attracts hummingbirds, deer resistant, suggested for rain gardens, and more.

  • Xerces Society Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Lists - Plant lists available by region.

  • Edible Berries of the Pacific Northwest (Northern Bushcraft)

  • Pacific Northwest Native Plant Profiles (Real Garden Grow Natives) - It's a bit arduous to scroll through all these, and I didn't notice a function for sorting by criteria, but the descriptions and images are both helpful and beautiful. It's worth reading through all the plants featured here when you have the time.

  • Medicinal Tea Garden (Modern Frontierswoman) - While there are many blogs out there that provide suggestions for tea garden plants, I have found this particular post to be incredibly thorough and insightful. The author offers guidance for brewing a proper tisane (herbal tea) and shares the medicinal qualities and additional information for over 40 plants.

  • Temperate Climate Permaculture - This site has an excellent list of plant possibilities for each forest garden layer. Plus, click on the plant of interest and you'll find a plethora of details on the plant, including growing conditions, how to harvest/eat, the history of the plant, etc. Of course, not all plants will be appropriate for every temperate climate, but this is a wonderful place to start researching!

  • Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects (Permaculture Research Institute) - This article explains which insects are beneficial for the garden, namely in eating pests, and the myriad of plants that provide nectar and shelter for those wonderful insects.

Plant Databases (searchable)

Guilds & Companion Planting

Garden Calendars

"Critter" Identification

General Resources


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