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Contact our gardening/composting/recycling question and answer clinic at master@co.thurston.wa.us
Gardening, Composting and Recycling Resources for Thurston County
Growing Fruits & Vegetables Successfully in Thurston County (pdf)
Fall Composting Handout (pdf)
Diagnosing Plant Problems Tip Sheet (pdf)
Gardening Resources
Gardening Info & Fact Sheets
Fact sheets on dozens of topics, published by Washington State University Extension. Click on the link below to open the list and browse the categories. Most fact sheets are free to download to your computer or other device.
Gardening in Washington State
Pacific Northwest Gardener’s Handbook – Growing for the Future (revised and edited 2025)
WSU Extension’s new, definitive gardening resource, the expanded, modernized, and regionally focused Pacific Northwest Gardener’s Handbook: Growing for the Future is a multi-year culmination of expertise covering the fundamentals of gardening as well as advanced horticultural knowledge.
WSU Publications 1-800-723-1763
https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu
Hortsense
http://hortsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/Home/HortsenseHome.aspx
Pestsense
http://pestsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/Home/PestsenseHome.aspx
Pacific Northwest Management Books
WSU Puyallup Plant & Insect Diagnostic Laboratory
http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/plantclinic/
Thurston County Noxious Weeds
https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/pw/nw/Pages/default.aspx
Select “Noxious Weeds” from the menu.
Thurston County Environmental Health (IPM, Gardening Guides, Grow Smart/Grow Safe etc.)
http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/ehadm/index.html
https://www.growsmartgrowsafe.org/
National Pesticide Information Center 1-800-858-7378
Great Plant Picks
https://www.greatplantpicks.org/
A Home Gardener’s Guide to Soils and Fertilizers (a WSU Publication)
https://wpcdn.web.wsu.edu/wp-extension/uploads/sites/2056/2018/10/WSUGuideToSoils.pdf (pdf)
Home Pruning: Reasons to Prune Trees and Shrubs (Home Gardening Series)
https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/home-pruning-reasons-to-prune-trees-and-shrubs-home-gardening-series
Gardening for Life: a guide to gardening adaptations (a publication by WSU Spokane County Master Gardeners) (pdf)
Growing Your Own ( bilingual publication – Spanish and English)
https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/em9027
HOA Firewise Guidelines
HOA Firewise Guidelines – 2024 – P.Pajot (pdf)
Growing Dahlias
- Growing Dahlias (pdf) (presentation slides)
- Growing Dahlias Factsheet (pdf)
Composting Resources
Backyard Composting (a WSU Publication)
How to Use Compost (a OSU Publication)
How-to-Use-Compost-in-Gardens-and-Landscapes-em9308 (pdf)
Herbicide-Contaminated Compost and Soil Mix (A OSU Publication)
Herbicide-contaminated-compost-and-soil-mix (pdf)
Silver Springs Organics Composting Facility in Rainier:
http://www.silverspringsorganics.com/index.html
Brady Trucking Composting Facility in Shelton:
Adventures of Herman the Worm (everything you want to know about worms)
https://extension.illinois.edu/worms/history/
WSU-sponsored Composting Pages
https://puyallup.wsu.edu/soils/compost/
Washington Organic Recycling Council
http://www.compostwashington.org/
WA Department of Ecology compost program
https://ecology.wa.gov/Waste-Toxics/Reducing-recycling-waste/Organic-materials
US Composting Council
Seattle Tilth Composting Information
https://tilthalliance.org/resources-category/compost/
Soils for Salmon
Recycling and Waste Reduction Resources
Thurston County Solid Waste
- Links to Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center and Where do I take my? database.
https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/pw/sw-grhome/Pages/sw-Main.aspx
City of Olympia Garbage, Recycling, & Organics
https://www.olympiawa.gov/services/garbage___recycling/index.php
Waste Connections/LeMay, Inc
https://thurston.lemayinc.com/
Destination of garbage from Thurston County
Roosevelt Regional Landfill: https://www.republicservices.com/roosevelt-landfill
Destination of organic materials from Thurston County
Brady Trucking: http://bradytrucking.com/
Silver Springs Organics: http://www.silverspringsorganics.com/