pendragon orchard and vine

You can grow wine grapes in Western Washington—if you pick the right varieties and stay ahead of powdery mildew. Forget the mystique; with soil, sun, water, and patience, a backyard vineyard is within reach.

Figs aren’t just for the Mediterranean. In the Pacific Northwest, a handful of hardy cultivars thrive with the right microclimate and pruning. Learn which varieties deliver, how to favor breba crops over late-ripening duds, and why now is the best time to experiment with figs in Cascadia.

From bad plant choices to nightly deer raids, here’s what sinks most first-time gardens.

Chestnuts aren’t just nut trees — they’re living inheritance. From ancient groves in Italy still feeding families after 500 years to young orchards rising in the Northwest, these trees promise shade, food, and continuity long after we’re gone. Plant a pair today and you’re building more than a food forest — you’re building generational wealth.

Why Aronia (Chokeberry) Is the Shrub That Crushes Blueberries in Nutrition, Resilience, and Design

Russian comfrey isn’t a crop you grow and forget — it’s a permanent fixture in the food forest. The sterile Bocking 14 hybrid won’t spread by seed, but once rooted it becomes a long-term nutrient engine, pulling minerals from deep in the soil and cycling them into leaves you can cut again and again. We plant it around fruit trees not only for its mulch and pollinator blooms, but also as a living barrier that keeps out runner grasses.

A dense patch of Jerusalem artichokes with tall green stalks and bright yellow sunflower-like blooms, growing along a hillside with trees in the background.

America’s biggest crop isn’t corn or wheat. It’s grass — and it’s complicit in cooking the planet. Here’s how we fix it without killing the lawn.

Hazelnut (filbert) is a top permaculture design species: storable calories, oil, mulch, fencing, habitat, and a living screen—all from one resilient shrub.

Pruning is not conquest. It’s a negotiation with biology. It should be a conversation across seasons. And the blade should be an instrument of guidance — never of amputation . Every winter the cycle repeats: trees pruned down to stubs, their silhouettes reduced to skeletons against the sky. Owners look on, wincing but resigned, convinced this is what stewardship demands. They’ve been told it’s gospel. They’ve been sold on myth.  But in summer the truth appears. Instead of fru

I love vegetables. I love to eat them. I’ve eaten them on porches and back steps, under summer light and winter cloud. I’ve pulled them from soil I amended by hand. I’ve bent to weed them in heat that wrung the salt from my skin. And still—I don’t grow annuals. Mix of annual and perennial vegetables in the OCS garden. Zone 8b. Pacific Northwest gardening at its best. As a permaculture designer, I’m often asked to build out classic vegetable beds for clients. And I do, becaus

Landscape design notes from the cutting edge of Orcas Island Out here in the maritime Northwest, where moss grows on the north side of everything and trees carry the hush of old rain, you learn to watch the land closely. You learn that life and death are quiet things. They don’t come with warning signs or flashing lights. Sometimes they come with a pair of dirty pruning shears. Likely apple anthracnose. Since there are no other trees around, we suspect dirty pruning shears. O

Are you ready to delve into the fascinating world of permaculture and explore the top 10 species that can transform your sustainable gardening and farming practices? We're excited to announce that Pendragon Permaculture is embarking on an insightful journey, publishing a curated list of the most impactful permaculture species that every nature enthusiast, gardener, and eco-conscious individual should know about. Starting this month, we'll be unveiling a series of articles tha

In the realm of superfoods, there are a few that stand out for their exceptional health benefits and remarkable nutrient content. One such unsung hero is the chokeberry (Aronia), a small dark berry that packs a powerful punch when it comes to promoting wellness and vitality. Despite its relatively low profile, chokeberry is a nutritional powerhouse that deserves a closer look. The Basics of Chokeberry: Chokeberries are native to North America and have been prized for centurie

It came upon us fast here in the Maritime Northwest: winter! Not the season, but the time to plan our fall and winter garden. That happens now, in July and August, at the height of summer, as part of a four-season gardening strategy. Gardening in the fall can be just as productive and enjoyable as summer...and easier. To start, you won't be pulling as many weeds as in spring and summer, and the ground will be much softer, so working the dirt and pulling any weeds won't be as

Here in the Maritime Northwest there are several reliable pepper varieties we can grow without climate hacking. These mostly produce fruit that are lower on the Scoville scale, as higher, generally, requires more heat units than we can offer in our local ecology without a greenhouse. While appropriate variety selection is important, you can be most successful growing peppers by planning to grow them as perennials and not annuals. Jump Start It’s June, and my first peppers, S

Wondering how to feed yourself fresh greens, berries, and fruit in the maritime northwest winter without a greenhouse or a trip to the grocery store? It's not hard; it's about appropriate species and variety selection. Our maritime climate is kind to us gardeners, and we should give thanks by growing all year long, especially in winter when food is scarce. There are less pests to worry about in winter too, and no watering. Below are some of the species and varieties that are

Part II: Apiaceae (Carrot Family) Carrot family members are, generally, cool-season cultivated and may not grow when the soil gets too warm. They are widely accepted as excellent companion plants due to their flowers clustered into umbels that are well suited habitat for ladybugs , parasitic wasps , and predatory flies , which prey upon insect pests on nearby plants. Members of this family that produce scents may mask the odor of nearby plants and make them more difficult for

Part I: Solanaceae (Nightshades), Chenopodiaceae (Beet Family), Compositae (Sunflower) You may have noticed the calendar says April, though your skin may not be in agreement with the calendar. Don’t be fooled by the colder than average temps: you already need to be knee deep in growing food, just as you do every month of the year in the PNW. Why? Because you can and should be growing or harvesting food here all year around. This is a blessed four season growing/harvesting

Since the first monastery gardens of Europe, growers have wrestled with the same quiet dilemma—how to fit Eden into a courtyard. The problem is not new. Every walled garden, every cloister orchard, was a study in constraint: soil, sun, and stone dictating what could live together and what must be left out. Space has always been the gardener’s first teacher.