Nesting Green Home & Garden Special Issue
Seasonal Salads What to plant for tasty greens year-round
Small Space, Big Tastes Ten herbs you can grow in your apartment
Not a Yolk Backyard chickens produce
Eco-Paint the Town Environmentally friendly options
On the Wing Plants that attract birds and butterflies
Conserving Water,
Anticipating Surprises
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Deborah Brady has been gardening for more than 20 years. She started out working on organic farms and then did a gardening internship with master gardener and permaculturalist, Ianto Evans. Talking about her current garden in Eugene’s River Road area, Brady says: “I am blessed with rich clay loam soil that I have been working for 16 years. For my spring and summer garden nowadays I avoid disturbing the soil whenever I can by doing spot fluffing for transplants or seeding. I then mark paths by scuffing along in the dirt. I don’t do full-on raised beds in the hot season in order to avoid the water loss that happens along the edges of the bed. I like to conserve water as much as possible and also favor deep infrequent watering. That said, when we have a really hot spell I give my lettuce a quick spray in the afternoon to help keep it cool.
“No matter what I sow in my garden, I never know what the final bed will look like because I let many plants go to seed. This is part of the magic and joy of my garden. Plants come back true to form or cross breed with a close relative — you never know what you’ll get or where you’ll get it.” Brady adds: “My back yard is like a bird sanctuary because of all the forage I leave for them. It never fails to amaze me that people can revere nature when they go hiking and somehow think they’ve left it behind the minute they get home.” — Rachel Foster
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519