Wednesday, August 12, 2026 • 5–8 pm
Featuring NW Corvallis Gardens
Want to see some amazing gardens that produce food for people and pollinators? If so, the 2026 Edible Garden Tour is for you! This self-guided tour includes five inspiring gardens in Northwest Corvallis in which local gardeners have successfully met the challenges posed by deer and other critters. Tour locations are:
- 2910 NW Hayes Ave
- 3238 NW Garfield Ave
- 1922 NW 23rd St
- 3120 NW Ashwood Dr
- 2722 NW Monterey Dr
Access a Google map version of the tour here.
Participants are welcome to begin their tour at any of the above sites and to determine the order in which they visit the various gardens. Host gardeners will be on hand to talk to participants about their gardens and to answer questions.
Parking is limited in the neighborhoods, so carpooling, biking, or taking the bus and walking to the event sites are encouraged. (Please note that some sites are in a hilly area of Corvallis, so please expect a steep walk.)
Whether you’re a new or experienced gardener, be sure to mark your calendar for this special event!
Below are the garden hosts’ descriptions of what you can expect to see:
2910 NW Hayes Avenue
Host: Francie O’Shea
Comments: This Neighborhood Farmlet is a half-acre organic garden. The garden was first planted in 1983 and has had a productive garden every year since then. “It was a family affair for many years,” says Francie, “as we raised our two children and taught them the beauty, deliciousness, and practicality of raising our own food. In 2005 we added a flock of chickens to our operation and another food source for the family. In 2015 we opened the FarmStand to create a home business and to share with our neighbors and Farmlet friends the abundant produce and eggs that we grow here. Over the years, we have gardened intensively, experimenting with new varieties and techniques, added 20+ fruit trees to our ever developing half acre, canned and put away lots of food every summer and, needless to say, have had a lot of fun here.”
The Farmlet is still owned and worked by the original owner (Francie), plus a wonderful group of garden loving friends! “We hope you’ll find inspiration here and enjoy learning what you can do with a little land and a lot of heart! Please visit!”
3238 NW Garfield Avenue
Host: Kathy O’Brien
Guidance: Be aware that there are slopes leading to this garden without handrails.
Comments: The O’Brien’s 3-level backyard farm, which came with deer fencing, is a mix of berries, fruit trees, raised beds for edibles and flowers, and a dog lawn. The front yard is shady with deer resistant plants. The deck is filled with pots of bouquets that like full sun. “This is my fifth serious garden,“ Kathy explains. “I gardened for 22 years in LaGrande before starting this garden 13 years ago. You can grow most anything in Corvallis. I live on a south facing hill, so my climate is not really typical of other properties in Corvallis. ALL soil and amendments come down the hill in wheelbarrows. I use organic fertilizer on edibles and Miracle Gro on my flowers. My major pest is city rats. I’m still working on how to not share my tomatoes with them. I don’t seem to have other pest problems. “I planted fruit trees and berries and terraced the lawn when I first moved here. Four existing beds contained dahlias, lilies and some perennials. I continue to add to those, and many plants are gifts from other gardeners. My edible gardens are in raised beds. I order and start vegetable seeds with a group of friends so someone always has a new idea about what to grow. I am currently trying to use science to revitalize raspberries I moved from my mother’s house. My yard is totally on timed drip irrigation with different water zones. I couldn’t have the garden I do without drip.”
1922 NW 23rd Street
Host: Laura Uhler
Comments: “I always wanted an edible garden. Fifteen years ago, I bought a home with a large, sunny bare lawn extending back to Dixon Creek, the last 25 feet in flood plain. I’m grateful the neighborhood is part of a healthy urban forest. The creek is a wildlife corridor with deer, squirrels, raccoons, nutria, rats, moles, possums, crows, songbirds and other creatures – all inhabitants. Sod was removed and placed at the low end of the property with cardboard and leaves, and a wire creek-friendly fence built. I planted hazelnut, fig, persimmon, apple, cherry, and plum trees, as well as grapes, hardy kiwi, blueberry, loganberry, raspberry, strawberry, gooseberry, currant, and the more unusual: pomegranate, honeyberry, aronia berry, Russian silver berry, and passion fruit. I originally tilled and planted ground crops, but five raised beds now make up the bulk of the veggie garden. There’s yearly layering of manure, compost and leaves, and more recently arborist chips to keep the paths free of mud and weeds. A good canine running path around the garden perimeter has proved essential, as has creative deer fencing. My younger visitors pull a wagon, push a truck, or race along the paths; the sun shed has been converted to a playhouse.
“The air is very fresh! I’ve learned a small bit about the lichens – not so good for hiding pests in fruit trees, but welcome on the grape arbor. Additional “windows” in the fence help with ventilation. There’s a rainwater harvest system and a well-used irrigation system that need care. Visitors to my garden will find a solar water pump, K-Nex Ferris Wheel, as well as solar baked treats for kids. Compost tea will be brewing for the plants.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the lushness of this valley, clean air, good water, our local organic farmers, Ten Rivers Food Web, Sustainability Coalition, Master Gardeners, Extension Service, etc.! So many wonderful things come from loving the earth. Alice Walker wrote: “Despite the hunger, we cannot possess more than this: Peace in a garden of our own.”
3120 NW Ashwood Drive
Host: Shawn Hazboun
Comments: The Hazboun garden is relatively new. “We bought the property in August 2022,” Shawn explains, “and by the next summer we began installing a few raised beds. Each year after that, we got rid of more lawn and put in more garden space. We grow things we and our children like to eat and look at. We don’t worry too much about order.” Shawn calls her brand of gardening “chaos gardening”, referring to lots of companion planting. “We do make sure beds get enough nutrients and water. We have planted different types of berries, so we always have something going all summer long – strawberries, cherries, raspberries, currants, and thornless blackberries. Our first love is tomatoes though, and we grow 16-20 tomato plants each summer.”
2722 NW Monterey Drive
Host: Deanna Messinger
Comments: “I’ve been working on the back garden since July of 2023, when we bought the property. It was mostly lawn with border shrubs and plants. I designed the garden layout, and my husband and I built the three raised garden beds for vegetables. A year later, we had a professional put in an irrigation system, and a year after that the walkways and an Environ Lawn strip were installed. This is an organic garden, using compost from kitchen waste and garden cuttings. The garden is my happy place. My favorite pastime is tending and witnessing an increase of birds and insects that now live in the garden.”