Garden Ecology Lab

Studying the plants, insects, microbes, and decisions that improve or degrade a garden’s ability to promote environmental and human health.

Research

Our current projects focus on native plant - pollinator interactions, microbes in garden soils, urban agriculture and food production, and garden biodiversity. We work directly with gardeners to identify high priority projects that align with our areas of expertise. We are always on the lookout for new projects, but need to consider new projects in the context of current lab capacity, expertise, and funding.

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Teaching 

Teaching is a core component of the Garden Ecology Lab mission. Our group teaches credit, non-credit, and community classes on a variety of topics related to gardening and urban agriculture. Effective and supportive mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students is central to our work.

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From our Blog

Garden Ecology Lab

Garden Ecology Lab Feed

The Ethics, Politics, and Science of Lethal Insect Sampling

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Nov 7, 2024

A version of this blog post was written for the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon (HPSO) Quarterly Magazine, and was greatly improved by comments and feedback from the HPSO team of editors. I had been to my mom’s hometown of … Continue reading

Cultivating Urban Agriculture: Recap of the Grow(in)’ On! Visioning Summit 2024

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Oct 28, 2024

The Grow(in)’ On! Visioning Summit, held September 17-19, 2024, in Portland, Oregon, bridged agriculture and urban design, exploring ways to integrate farming within urban spaces. Hosted by the University of Oregon’s Institute for Health in the Built Environment, this summit … Continue reading

Garden practices for a wildlife-conscious fall

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Oct 15, 2024

1. Don’t use fake spider webs Fake spider webs can be dangerous for wildlife both small and large. The webbing is fine enough to trap insects like bees and butterflies, and strong enough to ensnare small mammals and large birds … Continue reading

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