Barbara Low

It has been a wonderful fall so far. There has been rain and lower temperatures, both of which are needed and appreciated by gardeners. It has been nice to get out in my garden – getting my raised vegetable beds ready for winter, planting cover crops, mulching my ornamentals, shrubs and trees, and putting my garden tools away. Soon I will be planting some lilies, daffodils, crocus, and tulips – once they arrive in the mail. It is amazing how much we can do for our plants and soil in the fall. Now is the time to begin the tasks of planning for next year’s vegetable garden, reorganizing berry patches, and boning up on fruit tree pruning. (Grace gave an excellent presentation on fruit tree pruning and care. It was a great refresher class.)

This cyclical pattern of tasks is one of the things that I love about working in my garden – always checking my plants, modifying what I do to help them be healthier, and looking forward to the future. There is always something to do in the garden – even besides weeding!

One of the projects that I have been working on for the past two years is removing some of my lawn – mainly in the front yard. I have been planting natives. I have also put in a pollinator garden in my vegetable garden. In talking with Lynn Kunstman, I realized the importance of having natives in our yards. Of course she was right. I have seen insects – including bees – which I haven’t seen before. They are fascinating to watch. I continue to plant my ornamentals (many have sentimental value and loving memories), but I am definitely planting more natives. I hope that you will consider planting more natives in your yard too. If you want to purchase natives, definitely visit our JCMGA Native Plant Nursery at the SOREC Extension. Fall is the best time to plant them.

Also, if you have the time and inclination, please consider working in one of our wonderful Demonstration Gardens at SOREC Extension. We have 16 different gardens that all have a unique focus, from flowers to vegetables to fruiting trees! Each garden has a readable brochure found on our website at:

https://jacksoncountymga.org/demonstration-gardens/.  Marcie Katz is in charge of the Demonstration Gardens and can provide you with any additional information that you may be looking for.

It is delightful to be a gardener. Have a great time in your garden or ours!

We had another great Winter Dreams Summer Gardens educational event this year! For four days in October, a wide variety of gardening topics were presented by very knowledgeable field experts. Topics dealt with climate change, use of non-gas-powered garden tools, bees, native plants, vegetable gardening, the importance of soil, cane berries, and much more. Over one hundred participants capitalized on the opportunity to Zoom in to the presentations in real time, or they may view them at their leisure in the coming months.

I want to thank those who are a part of the Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Working Group for their countless hours of work in providing this wonderful educational opportunity. The Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Working Group consists of Colet Allen, Blake Elliott, Susan Koenig, and myself. Together we were able to put together a top-notch program.

For those of you who participated in this event, please take the time to complete the satisfaction survey that was emailed to you by November 7^th.

The Member Services Working Group has updated the JCMGA Membership Renewal Form for 2026. While very few changes have been made to the form, please read through it carefully. The new form will be available on the JCMGA website on November 10^th. It can be accessed by signing into the Member Portal and clicking on the Membership Renewal link in the menu on the right. The form and the $25 annual renewal fee may be submitted online, or in print form and mailed with a check to:

Membership Secretary
JCMGA Member Renewal
569 Hanley Road
Central Point, OR 97502

Please make your check payable to JCMGA. The $25 fee is waived for those with a lifetime, associate, or honorary membership status.

Correctly completing the renewal form ensures that the membership has your accurate contact information. It also affords you the opportunity to list your areas of interest and how you’d like to participate within the association.

We want to make sure everyone understands that if they choose to not have their address included in the JCMGA Membership (Chapter) Directory, they will need to pick up their copy of the new directory at the SOREC Extension Office when it is ready. This must be done because we can’t use our bulk rate on a few directories to mail, so it becomes quite expensive.

Make sure to renew your membership by January 31, 2026 to be included in the 2026 JCMGA Membership (Chapter) Directory.