Posts By

Jerad Bryant

Jerad Bryant is a plant nerd, botanical writer, and avid gardener in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Jerad is an active member in his local community of plant nerds in both the Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group and the American Rhododendron Society.

Pitchfork and gloves in a wheelbarrow full of compost to easily improve fall soil

Soil Improvement

9 Easy Ways to Improve Your Soil

Improving your soil is always a good use of time! It helps future plant species gain all the nutrients, moisture, and air they need to survive. It also boosts beneficial fungi, bacteria, and archaea belowground. Join native plant gardener Jerad Bryant and discover nine easy ways to amend your garden’s soil.

A pair of hands in yellow boots and gloves working with a small trowel to break up the brown, crumbly dirt in a raised wooden bed. A green bucket and metal watering can are placed beside the bed, and the surrounding area is neatly arranged with gravel.

Soil Improvement

7 Benefits of Amending Your Soil in the Fall

Autumn is an ideal time to amend soils. Why? Soil amendments decay during fall and winter to form fertile, rich, crumbly soils in spring. You’ll have plantable beds ready for vegetables, wildflowers, and fruits. Join native plant gardener Jerad Bryant and learn the benefits of applying improvements now rather than in the spring.

A shot of a sapling with wooden supports that shows a method on how to stake trees

Trees

How to Stake A Tree in 5 Easy Steps

Windy weather and harsh rains threaten weak trees! Their young, thin trunks bend under the pressure. Some saplings need the pressure to grow strong, while others require staking to reach tall and wide. Learn when and how to stake your trees alongside seasoned landscaper Jerad Bryant.

A focused shot of berries that is proof that you grow cranberries home garden

Fruits

Can You Grow Cranberries in the Home Garden?

Cranberries make the delicious juice you find in grocery stores. But can you grow cranberry plants at home? They have some cultivating challenges but can thrive in home gardens with the right treatment. Learn what cranberries need alongside native plant gardener Jerad Bryant.

A person in blue jeans and boots kneels down while inspecting the ground with a small gardening tool, surrounded by a grassy area and patches of green foliage.

Soil Improvement

13 Fall Soil Improvements You Can Apply Now

Autumn is the ideal time to add soil improvements. They’ll start to break down this season and continue working slowly during the cool months. In spring, you’ll enjoy fresh, crumbly dirt that’s prime and ready for new seedlings! Join native plant gardener Jerad Bryant to see the 13 fall soil amendments you should add today.

Clusters of Filipendula rubra bloom with soft, pink plumes, standing tall amidst dark green foliage. The fine, fluffy flowers are bathed in warm sunlight, with reddish-brown leaves and shrubs in the background providing contrast.

Fruits

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Queen of the Prairie

Decorate ponds, naturalistic landscapes, and native pollinator gardens with the queen of the prairie! A meadowsweet relative, this perennial blooms bright pink flower clusters atop tall stems. It’s perfect for boosting biodiversity throughout North America. Learn how to grow and care for it alongside native plant gardener Jerad Bryant.

A pink diseased apple hangs from a branch, its skin marred by deep cracks and rough, dark lesions, set against a blurred green background.

Fruits

9 Common Apple Tree Diseases: ID, Prevention, and Treatment

Apples are iconic fruit trees for home gardens, but they may see some diseases during their lifetime that threaten successful harvests. Learn how to prevent and treat these pathogens and they’ll be issues no more. Join backyard gardener Jerad Bryant in identifying and banishing these 9 common apple tree diseases.

gloved gardener placing frost protection over rose bush

Gardening Tips

How to Protect Your Garden From Early Frosts

First frosts are never welcome! If you’re like me, you’re trying to hang onto summer weather before freezing winter arrives. Frost threatens tender crops and wildflowers while they grow. With some protection, your garden can continue performing through autumn. See how to protect your plants when they need it most with Pacific Northwest gardener Jerad Bryant.

A woman in blue gloves holds a large wicker basket filled with freshly harvested onions in a sunlit garden.

Vegetables

When and How to Harvest Homegrown Onions

Homegrown onions are a tasty treat. They’re special because you grew them yourself! Don’t let all that hard work go to waste. When you harvest your onions on time, they last a long time. Learn how to take care of your bulbing crop this year alongside seasoned grower Jerad Bryant.

Close-up of a large, ruffled bloom in deep magenta, showcasing layered petals and a prominent central stamen against a soft-focus background in a goth-themed garden.

Gardening Inspiration

41 Plants Perfect for a Dramatic Goth Garden

Goth lovers unite! The garden is the perfect place to throw a spooky get-together for you and your goth friends. Plant any of these 41 species to add eerie colors and haunting shapes to your landscape. With trees, shrubs, vegetables, and perennials on this list, there’s sure to be a perfect plant for you. Discover these dramatic, gothic species alongside seasoned grower Jerad Bryant.

A robust Eastern Red Cedar, showcasing its densely packed, needle-like leaves in vibrant shades of green, with thin, upward-reaching branches, set against a bright blue sky.

Ornamental Gardens

11 Native Juniper Varieties for Year-Round Beauty

Junipers are tough as nails! They thrive throughout North America, from the deserts of Texas to the wet valleys of Oregon, and through the States to the East Coast. There are many native junipers to choose from. Join native plant gardener Jerad Bryant and discover these 11 beautiful species for year-round ornamental interest.