KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Nicole Sanchez was seeking new challenges when she applied for a job as an assistant professor of horticulture for Oregon State University’s Extension Service office in Klamath Falls.

“I wanted the opportunity to see a different part of the country,” says Sanchez, who was raised, educated and worked in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. “I wanted to come out here and apply my knowledge in a different place.”

Different indeed. On the day of her interview in Klamath Falls in April 2016, it rained 17 inches in coastal North Carolina, where she was working for the North Carolina State University Extension Service. That one-day total, she laughs, was more than Klamath Falls receives in a year.

Over the past seven years Sanchez has experienced several differences, including the Klamath Basin’s drier, far less humid climate and its shorter 90- to 100-day growing season. She notes the basin’s drier climate reduces overwintering insects while the brief growing season is challenging because it impacts what plants and crops might succeed.

“We really underestimate the value of soil temperatures early in the season,” she says, noting spring and even summer mornings are often below 50 degrees, which can cause tomatoes to “essentially shut off.” Tomatoes, she’s learned, are often planted too early, especially by people new to the high elevation basin.

With the cooperation of six areas farms, studies are being done to determine if the use of tunnels and row covers can result in success with earlier plantings of tomatoes and other vegetables and extend their growing seasons.

Other tests include starting seeds for various vegetables indoors, growing quick-maturing varieties, and using black plastic to raise soil temperatures and reduce the need for herbicides and fungicides. “It remains to be seen what the benefits are here,” Sanchez says.

Sanchez, 52, is no stranger to farming and gardening. She earned a bachelor’s degree in horticulture and master’s in entomology, both at the University of Tennessee after working several years in nurseries, flower shops and garden centers. “I knew very early my career would have something to do with plants. By the time I went to college I had a working background in plants.”

Working and coordinating with other groups are among her goals with OSU’s Extension Service. “We’re working on a practical and professional approach to bring that university training and research and apply it to the community,” Sanchez says, citing ongoing and expanding efforts to work with a broader spectrum of commercial and individual growers.

Those efforts include creating information targeted for rural Eastern Oregon and the Klamath Basin, offering question-and-answer Zoom sessions with individual and commercial growers and gardeners, and developing cooperative efforts with the Klamath Falls Farmers Market. She and other OSU extension agents are also providing training and support for Klamath Grown, a nonprofit, online, farmer-owned organization that provides training and support for small farmers and commercial growers, allows them to connect with other producers, and helps market their locally produce locally.

“There are a lot of interesting things going on,” says Sanchez. “I see gardening and growing still continuing to grow in popularity.”

A Capital Press’ annual special section that highlights the contributions women make in the agricultural sector.

Read the stories of the exceptional women featured Women in Ag 2023:

Erika Ackley: ‘I like the independence of farming’ 

Geri Byrne: ‘I love to organize’ 

Lerrina Collins: Fluent in the language of stockdogs 

April England: ‘It’s not just a job, it’s a life’

Suzanne Gallagher: ‘I love the work, I love the land and I love the cattle’ 

Denise Godfrey: A love of plants, and for the community 

Mary Hood: Shattering ceilings in ag banking 

Sharon Hoyt: A passion for the ranching lifestyle 

Jessica Jansen: ‘I love agriculture, and I love teaching people about it’ 

Jean Kurtz, Ali Rodgers: Telling wine’s story in the Umpqua Valley 

Anne Mitchell: Perseverance pays off 

Lori Moore: A bison believer turns vision into reality 

Keri Roid: Lavender farm a dream come true 

Nicole Sanchez: Taking on new challenges 

Wendy Swore: Staying busy with farming, writing