Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

Knowing your customers

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“Location, location, location.” I have often heard that those three words are paramount for any brick-and-mortar retail business. I do not dispute their importance. Location matters for garden centers, too, but I think that three other words have greater importance: “Know your customers.” Knowing your customers — where they are coming from and what kinds of […]

Cumulative impacts have consequences

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The nursery and greenhouse industry is once again Oregon’s top agricultural commodity by value, according to a sales estimate for 2018. High-quality plants and green goods continue to be in demand here and abroad. With this momentum at our back, we now must turn the page to 2020. The new year promises a tumultuous presidential […]

Slowing down to take stock

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The days are shorter, colder and wetter, which means it’s beginning to look a lot like the winter season around the nursery.  This time around the holiday season is a slower time of year. The greenhouses are all buttoned up for winter. The pipes are drained and winterized. We have the time to slow down […]

Oregon Invasive Species Council seeks member nominations

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The Oregon Invasive Species Council (OISC) is seeking nominations for eight volunteers interested in serving a two-year term on the council. As approved by the passing of Senate Bill 445 in 2019, the council is comprised of additional members now that they will collaborate with a broader mix of private industries and non-government organizations to […]

November 2019

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The Transportation Issue offers insight on how nurseries work closely with shippers to keep their products rolling and customers satisfied. We talked to growers about their efficient processes and well-managed teams to quickly get orders on the road. Plus, OSU researchers test treatment tools against Nostoc, a nuisance on many growing operations. In this issue: Keep […]

The continuing battle against nasty Nostoc

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Additional treatment methods are tested against this nursery nuisance By Heather Stoven and Jennifer Parke Slimy colonies of the cyanobacterium Nostoc are increasingly noticeable in nurseries and sports infields throughout the country. They appear as green-to-brown-colored globby mats, which, in nurseries, grow on multiple surface types within container yards and greenhouses.  What is referred to […]

Ready to roll

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An efficient shipping process depends on working as a team There are countless ways to prepare an order for shipment. What works or one nursery may not be the best process for all operations. “Every shipping process is different because every farm has a different layout,” Elizabeth Peters of The Peters Company said. She and […]

Keep on truckin’

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Nurseries work closely with shippers to keep their products rolling Here’s something to think about: The top agricultural commodity in Oregon is nursery and greenhouse products. In 2018, nursery and greenhouse sales in the Beaver State topped $996 million — a quarter-of-a-million dollars higher than the No. 2 commodity, cattle — making Oregon one of the […]

Shades of meaning

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It’s my privilege to work with a team of talented designers. One of them — Rachel Getsinger, Pivot’s senior design lead — takes the lead on many of our logo and branding projects. Recently, she has introduced Color Theory 101 to our clients when we present logo color options. In this month’s article, I’m passing […]