Barbara Low

Time seems to fly – 2024 has already begun!

In looking back at 2023, I hope that you all have had a wonderful, relaxing time with your family and friends during the holidays.

Last year, Marcie Katz led us as we worked to move forward after Covid. We held more in-person events, increased activity in the Demonstration Gardens, reinstated Student Practicum, and held hybrid Board of Director meetings, to name a few.  Marcie is a wonderful role model.

I plan to continue work on moving our organization forward in 2024. This will include increasing activities in our communities and improving our communication with each other and with the OMGA.  To do this, we need to work together.  I encourage you to continue to be involved with our many working groups (Fundraising, Community Outreach, Gardens, Marketing & Technology, Member Services, Program Support, Spring Garden Fair, Winter Dreams Summer Gardens).  If you are not currently involved with a working group, please consider joining one.  It is a great opportunity to learn the inner workings of JCMGA and to meet new friends.

Working together includes discussing old and new ideas, collaborating, brainstorming, setting goals, and – best of all – celebrating our accomplishments!

For example, last year the Community Outreach Working Group and the Member Services Working Group worked jointly to create the Friends of the Gardens program. The Board has approved the program and we are continuing to work on the details so we can implement it in April!

We are a unique organization with tremendous energy, experience and ideas to offer.  I am asking for your support, patience, and insights…

 Our January board meeting will be January 12^th and will be a hybrid meeting (in-person at SOREC Auditorium and via Zoom). From 9:00-9:30 a.m. will be a social gathering; the meeting will be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.  You are welcome to attend.  If you have any questions, contact me at barbaralow@msn.com.

Last year I did a monthly article concerning home gardening based on The Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley – Year-Round & Month by Month book.  It was suggested to have the articles in this year’s Garden Beet. I hope that you find these articles helpful and informative.

The air is brisk and temperatures are just plain cold. Plants are dormant – sleeping for the winter and awaiting the warmer temperatures that spring will bring. Hopefully, we will get lots of precipitation during the coming months for our plants to thrive and survive the summer.

With that said, our gardens still need to be cared for so that they will do well in the spring and summer.

The Jackson County Master Gardener Association has a great resource for gardeners to use. It is the Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley – Year-Round & Month by Month book.  This great reference book for gardeners is mainly about the growing of vegetables, berries, and melons.

In this article, I will briefly refer to what we should be working on during the month of January based on the information in this book and articles on the OSU website.

January is the time to

• Plan what you want to plant in spring – if you haven’t done it already. What seeds do you want to order? Do you want to try some new or different vegetables and/or berries? Last year I tried some new vegetables, and I will be growing them again this year – Italian Sweet Peppers and Midget Cantaloupe.  It’s always fun to try new things.
• Take the time to browse seed catalogues or websites – but don’t take too long or you might not be able to receive the seeds you want to try. Find plants that are good for growing in our area during both cool and warm weather. Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley – Year Round & Month by Month (Revised 2017).  Pages 52-58 (Crops to Grow in Cool Seasons) (Crops to Grow in Warm Seasons) (Berries); pages 58-69 (Planting Tips for Specific Crops); and page 87 (Month of January).
• Plants which you plant as seeds to transplant later are
  • Cabbage
  • Lettuce
  • Parsley
• Plants which you can plant as seed outside
  • Peas (if there are the right soil conditions)
• Time to prune your grapes
  • https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec1639 This publication from the OSU Extension is great in showing exactly what to do to prune and take care of the grapes. 

• Time to spray your blueberries for bacterial canker protection
  • https://jacksoncountymga.org/in-the-garden-video/ The Clackamas videos are great for dealing with berries – including blueberries.
  • https://extension.oregonstate.edu/pub/ec-1304 This is a very comprehensive article on growing blueberries in your backyard. The information concerning the spraying of blueberries is towards the end of the article.

 

The Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley – Year-Round & Month by Month book contains a wealth of gardening information. You can purchase it at our local Grange Co-op or at the OSU Extension office for $21.00.

 

Happy Gardening and Stay Warm

Garden For Life

I had never grown Italian Sweet Peppers before and a friend at JCMGA recommended them. So being adventurous, I picked up a few plants at our Spring Garden Fair. I dutifully took care of them and watched them thrive. They produced many red peppers that were delicious! I used them in green salads, stir fry dishes, and omelets. All were wonderful.

The peppers have an amazing taste and I have been told they are good for making pickles. This summer I am going to try making pickles.

Needless to say, I will be growing these again in 2024!

 

Friends of the Gardens Program Description

This program will consist of:

1. JCMGA Volunteer Coordinator(s)
   1. Act as the contact person between the GEMS and the Friends of the Gardens participants
   2. Vital to have communication between the JCMGA Volunteer Coordinator, the GEMS, and the Friends of the Gardens participants.
   3. The JCMGA Coordinator will check in with the participants to see how everything is going. This will be done after the first month of volunteering, the 3^rd month of volunteering and at the end of November.
   4. Will develop a basic checklist for new volunteers including what needs to be completed.
   5. Establish a schedule with the GEMs to the group of volunteers through the Demonstration Gardens each week. The week before a GEM is leading volunteers, check with that GEM to be sure they are still available to lead volunteers.
   6. For incoming volunteers, the coordinator will give them an overview of what volunteering will look like including the day of the week and hours volunteering occurs. Let them know they will need to attend an orientation before they begin volunteering. Orientations will most likely just be 1-2 new volunteers at a time and can be held whenever convenient, they don’t have to be on the main workday.
   7. Will make sure that all required OSU forms – including the Code of Conduct Form – is signed before working in the gardens.
   8. For existing volunteers, email them a weekly reminder of the upcoming volunteer day. Include any specific notes about the day like the weather or a cancellation of the day.
   9. Will record each participant’s volunteer hours
   10. TBD — Grace Florjancic will be acting Volunteer Coordinator until we have one.

 

2. MG Program Coordinators Role: the OSU side of paperwork.
3. The MG Program Coordinator would be responsible for ensuring all Friends of the Gardens have their waivers signed before they begin working in the gardens.
4. The coordinator will have contact information and emergency contact information for these volunteers.
5. While establishing the Friends of the Gardens program, Grace is willing to help with coordinating orientation days for the new volunteers, promotion of the program, and working with MGs interested in becoming the Friends of the Gardens coordinator to show ways of keeping organized and scheduling.

 

 

3. GEMs
   1. GEMS would email their volunteers to update them on the Demonstration Garden work that is planned to be done and work reminders.
   2. GEMS would let us know specifically what they would want Friends of the Gardens participants to do.

 

 

4. Friends of the Gardens
   1. Participants will be non-member volunteers who work with GEMS in the Demonstration Gardens.
   2. Friends of the Gardens participants would work on Wednesday’s from 9:00 – 12:00 p.m. with GEMs as they are already working in the gardens that day. Participants could start the first week of April and end the last week of November. An average of 5 Friends of the Gardens volunteers in the garden for 3 hours each week in this time period would equate to an additional 480 hours of volunteering in the gardens.
   3. We feel that participants may want to work in a specific garden – because of individual interests. They would also have the opportunity to move around to other gardens at a later date as long as GEMS involved agree.
   4. Volunteers will check-in and sign out in the office. This way we can keep track of their hours.
   5. To ensure the safety of our volunteers, there should be limits on the tools they have access to. Anything powered like a blower or mower should be handled by a MG.
   6. Anything that needs to be sprayed should be handled by a MG, even if that spray is safe for human contact.
   7. Required to attend an Orientation before working in our Demonstration Gardens.

• Structure of the day
• Tool safety
• Proper gardening attire
• Importance of being up to date on tetanus shots
• Check practicum orientation lesson for other items which should be included

Benefits of Program

We see these individuals as ambassadors for JCMGA and SOREC.  They are a way to make us more visible in the community.

In keeping to one segment of volunteering, Demonstration Garden maintenance, would simplify the work in coordinating volunteers, keeping the volunteer group together as a unit to build comradery, and it is what most non-MGs are interested in doing.

One main benefit of having non-MG volunteers in the gardens is that they can start working in the gardens earlier than students can. There are many big-ticket items like leaf removal and pruning that occur in mid spring while the students are still in class. Another benefit is that currently GEMs often have trouble keeping up with the work involved with garden maintenance but with more volunteers it will lighten their workload.

 

Targeted Audience

Our targeted audience are those individuals who are interested in gardening but not a Master Gardener.

The minimum age will be 10 years old and accompanied by an adult.  All waiver forms would have to be signed by the guardian.

The minimum age for someone to volunteer without a parent/guardian is 16 years old.  Guardian would have to sign the waivers.

No maximum age limit.  Volunteers will supervise their needs – such as drinking water, taking breaks, sitting in the shade

 

More information in the February Garden Beet.

 

 

Community Outreach Working Group

Chair, Ronnie Budge

School Grants:

We awarded the following School Grants: Abraham Lincoln Elementary $250 (for potting soil, pots); Madrone Trail Charter School $600 (for hand tools, wagons); South Medford High School $500 (for soil, bulbs, containers, worms for composting); and Jefferson Elementary School $2,170. This last amount is more money than JCMGA usually awards. However, it is to be used for significant refurbishing, including improvements to the irrigation system, of a large garden that is maintained by students during the school year and as a community garden during the summer.

Community Gardens:

We still do not have a JCMGA chair for the Community Gardens Committee. Without a chair who is a JCMGA member, we cannot administer the grants program. The chair could also attend the Network meetings to see if there are other ways JCMGA can provide support and be a contact person for individuals in the community who are looking for a location where they can garden. Ronnie and Grace will each try to find willing volunteers to chair or co-chair the committee.

Speakers Bureau:

It was noted that although attendance has been sparse at gardening presentations given in person or via Zoom for the public library, the recordings have each been viewed 30-100 times on the library’s YouTube page. We are working on more ways to publicize the library presentations. There will be a spring series with a “natives” theme and Colet Allen is seeking presenters for fall and winter programs with themes yet to be decided.

 

Fundraising Working Group

Chair, Sandy Hammond

The JCMGA Fundraising Working Group has fun while working on ways to make money for JCMGA.  Without its efforts, JCMGA would struggle to implement many of its programs.

There are several ways we raise funds. Selling JCMGA’s two volumes of Garden Guides to many vendors in Jackson and Josephine Counties has been a strong success.

The Fundraising Group is involved in searching for grants. This year we received a grant to help pay for beautiful new paved paths in the Lavender Garden.

We also have an ongoing bottle and can return project. Anyone who wishes to donate their own returnable items will find the bags to use in the entrance of the Extension.

This year we had a Fall Festival in October at the Extension grounds. We learned a great deal, as this was our first attempt at holding a Fall Festival.

We are always looking for additional ways to raise funds.  The group meets once a month at the Extension. We would love to have more volunteers join this jovial group.

The new 2024 chair is Jane Moyer, who would like to hear from you if you want to participate. Please contact her at janemoyer@mtashland.net.

 

Garden Enhancement Working Group 

Chair, Janine Salvatti

In 2023, the Garden Enhancement Working Group accomplished the following:

• Installed beautiful large-scale interpretive signs for the Native Plant Garden and Water Catchment project.
• Our two biggest and most labor-intensive projects were:
  • Pathways: hauled and spread DG on several pathways in the gardens and tried to keep all communal pathways weed-free.
  • Fig Grove: pruned trees, weeded, card-boarded area, completely covered with wood chips.
• Contracted to have trees on the south side of the gardens pruned, including the iconic white oak in the Gathering Place.
• Signs and information boxes
  • Installed the “Gardens open” feather flag
  • Reinstalled info boxes and information sheets for each garden.
• Maintained the Gathering Place and planted a colorful flower garden in the raised beds.
• Maintained the planting area near the entry sign.
• Created and hosted a new event/workshop – Glass Art Mosaics for the Garden.
• Assisted in giving Garden Tours to 6 local Garden Clubs over a 2-month period in the summer.

 

Marketing and Technology Working Group

Chair – temporary – Barbara Low

We were busy this year keeping the technology part of JCMGA helping to promote our organization and all that we do.

We are planning to continue to work on using technology and marketing to promote JCMGA this year.

Our new co-chairs for 2024 will be Randa Linthwaite and Barbara Low.

 

Member Services Working Group

Chair, Barbara Low

We had a very bury year!

We organized successful events –

• 1^st lunch for 2023 Student Master Gardener class
• Plant A Row (food for Access)
• JCMGA Member Annual and Awards Picnic
• 2023 Student Master Gardener class Graduation Celebration

We worked jointly with the Community Outreach Working Group to create and present a proposal concerning the Friends of the Gardens program to the JCMGA Board.  This proposal was approved.  We are continuing to work together to complete the details and plan to have the Friends of the Gardens program start in April.

The Member Services WG sent out a member survey and are now looking at the data to help to make plans for 2024.

 

Program Support Working Group

Chair is Grace Florjancic

We had a 2023 OSU Student Master Gardener Class.  It was a great class including enthusiastic students and wonderful presenters.  We had 45 students graduate.

In 2024 we are bringing back our Seed to Supper classes! Seed to Supper is a 6 weeklong basic vegetable gardening class for folks in our county with lower incomes to help increase food security in our communities. This program was put on hold during the past few years but is coming back. We have a few locations in the county to pick out to hold these classes, but we need instructors! The more instructors we have, the more classes we can hold next year. If you are a certified Master Gardener looking to help with this program, contact Grace Florjancic at grace.florjancic@oregonstate.edu

 

Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Working Group

chairs are Colet Allen, Susan Koenig, and Barbara Low

We had a very successful event this Fall!

The Winter Dreams Summer Gardens 2023 included a wide variety of gardening topics presented by 14 knowledgeable and experienced presenters.  This was a four-day event, and we had 105 people register for the event.  Recordings of the presentations were made available until the end of December to those who registered.

We have already started planning for the WDSG 2024 event which will be October 18, 19, 25, and 26.  This will again be a virtual event.