Community Garden Club of Camas/Washougal

06/06/2026

FREE! 3rd Annual Vancouver Pollinator Festival is Saturday, June 20, 2026, 9am-3pm.

Most everything will take place in Marshall Park, the adjacent Clark Public Utilities Building, City Arts Hub and VITA Elementary School. (See map.)

“The Vancouver Bee Project is thrilled to announce that Dr. Doug Tallamy, author and founder of Homegrown National Park, will be the keynote speaker at our 3rd Annual Pollinator Festival!”

“Join us on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Marshall Park in Vancouver, WA, for a day dedicated to celebrating pollinators and their essential role in our ecosystems.”

MORE INFO: www.pollinatorfestival.org
Schedule: https://pollinatorfestival.org/schedule
Speakers: https://pollinatorfestival.org/speakers
Direction & Maps: https://pollinatorfestival.org/directions-maps
Passport (helps you explore): https://pollinatorfestival.org/passport
Kids Markets: https://kidsmarkets.com/markets/vancouver-4
EcoArts: https://theartscentered.org/pollinator-2026
PreBuy Books: https://vintage-books.net/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vancouverbeeproject
WEBSITE: vancouverBeeProject

NOTE: This is not a Garden Club event, but, we are happy to share the info with you and hope you will attend some or all of the events at the Festival. Rain or shine!

[Images: Pollinator Festival & Rob Cardillo]

06/06/2026

Saturday, June 20!

Looking for inspiration for your own pollinator garden?

Be sure to visit the beautiful Clark Public Utilities Pollinator Garden during this year's Vancouver Pollinator Festival! We're especially grateful to Clark Public Utilities for being a sponsor of this year's festival and for their ongoing commitment to pollinator habitat, environmental education, and our community.

Join Michael O'Loughlin and Jane Tesner Kleiner at 9:30 a.m. for a guided Bee Walk and Pollinator Garden Tour. You'll learn about the plants that make this garden successful, discover some of the pollinators that visit it, and pick up ideas you can use in your own yard or community space.

The tour is free and is a great way to kick off your festival experience before exploring vendors, speakers, art, food, and all the other activities happening throughout the day.

Participating in the Pollinator Festival Passport? You'll earn a Passport stamp by attending the tour!

Thank you, Clark Public Utilities, for helping make this year's festival possible!



¿Buscas inspiración para tu propio jardín para polinizadores?

¡No dejes de visitar el hermoso Jardín para Polinizadores de Clark Public Utilities durante el Vancouver Pollinator Festival de este año! Estamos especialmente agradecidos con Clark Public Utilities por ser patrocinador del festival de este año y por su continuo compromiso con el hábitat para polinizadores, la educación ambiental y nuestra comunidad.

Acompaña a Michael O'Loughlin y Jane Tesner Kleiner a las 9:30 a.m. para una caminata guiada de observación de abejas y un recorrido por el jardín. Aprenderás sobre las plantas que hacen exitoso este espacio, descubrirás algunos de los polinizadores que lo visitan y obtendrás ideas para aplicar en tu propio jardín o comunidad.

El recorrido es gratuito y es una excelente manera de comenzar tu experiencia en el festival antes de disfrutar de los vendedores, conferencistas, arte, comida y todas las demás actividades del día.

¿Participas en el Pasaporte del Pollinator Festival? ¡También recibirás un sello por asistir al recorrido!

¡Gracias, Clark Public Utilities, por ayudar a hacer posible el festival de este año!

05/29/2026

"2nd Finger Joint Test for Moisture" in soil

Here's an "old timey" way to check the moisture in your soil, to see if your plants need more water - the "2nd Finger Joint Test for Moisture".

Thanks go to one of our member's grandfather, a South Dakota farmer/rancher, born in 1887, who taught her this method when she was a toddler, first learning how to garden.

As he explained, you pretty much always have a finger along with you when you're checking your garden or fields for pests and water.

This is also a good method of teaching children how to plant peas and corn - poke the ground, drop in a seed - then cover it.

You do have to adjust which joint you use for measurement as you grow. :-)

[Image: B.R.]

Website: https://gardenclubofcamaswashougal.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommunityGardenClubOfCamasWashougal

05/29/2026

That time of year – Deer Repellent Recipe – eggs & water! (Apply to dry plants)

Deer find raw eggs on plants disgusting and a scientific study backs it up!

6 eggs & one gallon of water working effectively as a deer repellent for several Garden Club members who’ve tried it!

A study at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in 2001, titled “Comparison of Commercial Deer Repellents”, showed that two commercial products, that were effective at reducing deer predation, included “putrescent whole egg solids“. The study can be found here: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1568&context=icwdm_usdanwrc

The above home made recipe, using raw (and slightly stinky) eggs, has resulted in very effective reduction in deer damage, as well, for several garden club members who live in and adjacent to wooded countryside in Clark County, Washington state. (You can cut it back to smaller volumes, same ratios.)

WARNING: be sure to clean your horticultural sprayer RIGHT AWAY with warm (not hot) soapy water after using this mixture or it will CLOG your sprayer permanently!

S.L. says:

“If you let the eggs sit out on the counter for a day or two, the little white parts of the egg white will absorb a little so your sprayer won’t clog as much. When it does clog, just unscrew the spray head and pull out the lumpy egg white and continue. Be sure to mix the eggs well, before putting them in sprayer. Then add one gallon of water and spray.

“You need to spray anytime there’s new growth. (Two to three times during the spring/summer season works quite well for most.) The egg will stick so you don’t need to reapply if it rains. Spray on a dry day for best results.

“I don’t spray plants when they are fruiting. The deer won’t touch anything that’s been sprayed.

“I’ve been doing this for years. The only time the deer get something is when I haven’t sprayed new growth or it’s something that is fruiting and I haven’t sprayed it.”

B.R. says:

“I didn’t think this could work, but, it sure does! My grapes are on trellises with no fences around them in the woods. As long as I keep spraying new growth every 3-4 weeks throughout the summer, they leave them alone. The fawns will sometime take a nibble, but, no more. Be sure to wait until the plants are dry or the mixture won’t stick.

“Don’t spray it on leafy or parts of the plants that YOU eat raw. Best for things like grapes, roses, raspberries, carrot tops, etc.”

[Image: B.R.]

05/29/2026

The "Community Garden Club of Camas/Washougal" is on "summer break" from now, May 28th, through August 26, 2026. We are tending our own gardens, going on field trips to other gardens and more fun summer stuff!

Our first meeting for fiscal year 2026-2027 will be Wednesday, August 26, 2026, starting at NOON and it will be a POTLUCK!

Our meetings takes place in the Ballroom of the Camas Community Center, 1718 SE 7th Ave., Camas, WA 98607. Most of our meetings run 1pm-3pm, but, our "first" and "last" fiscal meetings - in August and May - are generally potlucks that run from noon-2pm.

You may join our club at any of our public meetings. $12/yr OR at the Plant Sale. (NOTE: the fiscal year’s dues are due in August or when you join! Fiscal year begins August.)

Application form is at this link; print and snail mail to us (at PO Box 746, Washougal, WA 98671) or bring it to any of our meetings: https://gardenclubofcamaswashougal.org/faqs/

Speakers’ presentations at our meetings are free and open to the public. Meetings, times, speakers and locations are subject to change. Unless otherwise noted, meetings generally begin at 1pm and TAKE PLACE in the Ballroom of the Camas Community Center, 1718 SE 7th Ave., Camas, WA 98607. (This is NOT our mail address!)

MORE INFO:

Website: https://GardenClubOfCamasWashougal.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommunityGardenClubOfCamasWashougal

05/29/2026

They want to hear from you!

Don't miss out on our raffle for two $50 gift certificates for our annual Native Plant Sale! Fill out our annual survey by June 1st to be entered!

The survey gathers community feedback on local conservation priorities, program needs, and potential funding approaches to help guide our programming over the next five years.

Take the survey: L.clarkcd.org/survey. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and support local conservation efforts.

05/25/2026

Washougal's Community Market will start weekly on Fridays from 2 to 6 p.m. for nine weeks starting June 5th in Reflection Plaza, offering a platform for small businesses, artisans, bakers, and food vendors to showcase their work and engage with the community.

05/19/2026

TODAY! It’s a potluck! May 27, 2026, Wednesday, noon-2pm . (ONE HOUR EARLIER.)

This is our last meeting for the fiscal year until August. It is at the Camas Community Center, 1718 SE 7th Ave., Camas, WA 98607. It will start at NOON.

Members are encouraged to bring a dessert, entree, side dish or other interesting item to share. (Please come by 11:30am to help set up and put your food out!)

Guests and members of the public are welcome!

We’ll induct our new officers, sign up for field trips and other open positions, review our plant sale (which took place May 16th – hope you didn’t miss it!) and kick back, relax, eat, meet and visit.

All general club meetings take place the 4th Wednesday of every month, with these exceptions: no meetings in December, June or July; the November meeting takes place the 3rd Wednesday, to avoid conflict with Thanksgiving. Unless otherwise noted, meetings begin at 1pm in the Ballroom on the top floor. We generally meet at NOON at the May and August meetings, because we have a potluck those days!

The public is welcome to attend any of the club’s General Meetings. Anyone may join the club with full membership privileges for $12/year. (Fiscal year is August – July.)

For more information: http://www.GardenClubOfCamasWashougal.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommunityGardenClubOfCamasWashougal