Every summer, gardeners, homesteaders, dreamers, and curious visitors from across Central Oregon gather for one of the region’s most beloved grassroots traditions: The annual Little Deschutes Grange #939 Coop & Garden Tour in La Pine. More than a garden tour, it is a celebration of resilience, creativity, community, and the pioneering spirit that thrives in Oregon’s high desert.
Hosted as a fundraiser for the Little Deschutes Grange #939, this unique three-day self-guided event invites the public to explore a wide variety of gardens, greenhouses, coops, homesteads, and outdoor spaces that prove beauty and abundance can flourish even in challenging conditions.
2026 Tour Dates: July 24th, 25th, and 26th (Fri-Sun)
Visitors purchase a $15 Guidebook, which contains the addresses and stories behind each stop on the tour, turning the weekend into a treasure hunt of inspiration and discovery.
The Guidebook sale date is the first week in July, and we’ll let you know where to purchase a copy!
What Makes The Coop & Garden Tour So Special Is Its Authenticity
This is not a tour of perfect gardens or professionally landscaped properties, although some certainly may be. It is a gathering of real people sharing their gardening experiences — the victories, the lessons learned, the experiments that worked, and even the ones that didn’t.
One visitor shared:
“I’d heard of the Coop & Garden Tour for a couple of years but assumed it was for picture-perfect, manicured places. Turns out, it’s for sharing regular people’s real-life experiences, successes (and failures), and the fun things they’ve come up with.”
Another attendee described the event simply and powerfully: “It provides inspiration and courage to garden in the high desert.”
And That Is Exactly What Our Tour Delivers
From forested properties carved out of dense woods to open high-desert acreage transformed into productive sanctuaries, each stop tells a story of adaptation and determination. Visitors will see everything from traditional vegetable gardens and pollinator habitats to innovative water-saving methods, raised beds, greenhouses, livestock coops, dig and no-dig Hügelkultur gardens, creative upcycling ideas, and four-season growing techniques designed specifically for Central Oregon’s demanding arctic-type climate.
A highlight of the tour is the Little Deschutes Grange Rosland Community Educational Greenhouse, in partnership with the La Pine Parks & Recreation District, featuring remarkable indoor and outdoor educational gardens. The large greenhouse serves as a living classroom and a symbol of what community collaboration can accomplish. Guests can explore sustainable gardening methods, discover what can truly grow in the high desert, and gather ideas to apply in their own backyards.
During the event, the historic Little Deschutes Grange #939 Hall also comes alive as a welcoming Country Store filled with locally crafted goods, homemade foods, baked treats, jams, canned goods, plants, and artisan creations. Visitors often linger to chat with gardeners, swap stories, win prizes, and enjoy the warm hospitality that has long defined Grange culture.
The annual Coop & Garden Tour Guidebook itself has become a cherished keepsake for many attendees. Part map, part educational resource, and part storytelling collection, it introduces readers to the people and places behind the gardens. As the 2025 introduction beautifully expressed:
“Like the adaptations to conditions of nature herself, so too have the gardeners you will meet on this tour adapted to the unique challenges presented to them in their own special spaces.”
Why Your Support Matters
The success of the Coop & Garden Tour depends heavily on community support, and there are several meaningful ways for residents and businesses to get involved.
Businesses can purchase advertising space in the Guidebook, placing their names directly into the hands of engaged attendees passionate about gardening, homesteading, sustainability, local products, and community events. Guidebook advertising not only supports the Grange’s educational and community programs but also provides valuable visibility for a highly loyal, local audience.
Community members can also support the event through donations to the Grange. Funds raised through the Coop & Garden Tour help sustain educational gardening programs, community workshops, greenhouse projects, youth activities, local events, and preservation of the Grange Hall itself — a longstanding gathering place for the community.
Most importantly, participants are encouraged to consider sharing their own property on future tours. You do not need a flawless garden or a professionally designed landscape. The tour celebrates creativity, perseverance, and the willingness to share knowledge with others. Every garden has a story worth telling, and every gardener has something to teach.
In a world increasingly disconnected from the land and from one another, the Little Deschutes Grange #939 Coop & Garden Tour offers something refreshingly genuine: neighbors inspiring neighbors, practical knowledge shared freely, and a reminder that even in the high desert, extraordinary things can grow.
For more information about the Coop & Garden Tour, Guidebooks, advertising opportunities, donations, or the work of the Grange, please visit the La Pine Grange website at www.lapinegrange.org or email us at events@lapinegrange.org.
Thank you for supporting the Little Deschutes Grange #939.