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Barbara Low

Feb 28

How to Record My JCMGA Recertification Hours for OSU

By Beet 2023 03 March

Recording your recertification hours is a very important part of being a Master Gardener.  Our organization is based on gardening education and volunteers’ hours.  In addition to providing documentation for your recertification, these hours are needed to provide funding for Oregon Master Gardeners.

This task may seem daunting at the beginning, but the more you do it the easier it becomes. 

Currently we are required to have

  • 20 hours of approved volunteer service. Half of these hours must be in the category of direct or indirect education efforts – which are detailed on the OSU website https://vrs.osumg.org/sec_Login/
  • 10 hours of approved continuing education.
  • These 30 hours (minimum) are to be earned from November 1st to October 31st.

The steps are easy to follow as long as you take your time –

This takes you to the OSU Master Gardener Volunteer Reporting System (VRS)

  • In the left-hand side of this page you will find lots of good information. Take time to check out the following –
    • Report Hours button – where you choose if you want to record Volunteer Service Hours or Continuing Education Hours.
    • Documentation Button – there is information here explaining.
      • what is required for re-certification
      • what the new categories are what can be included in each category
    • How To Videos – shows you step by step what to do
  • If this is your first time reporting your recertification hours, you will need to click on the link Enrollment in VRS and follow the directions.
  • If you have recorded your recertification hours before, you should put in your email address and password. Since this is a new website and to strengthen security, OSU has changed their requirements for a password.  You may have to update your password.

 

People keep track of their hours in a variety of ways before they input them into the OSU Volunteer Reporting System.

  • Many people use a calendar or log to keep track of them.
  • Some people officially report their hours weekly, monthly, etc.
  • You can enter your hours for each individual event, or you can “bundle” them. By bundle, we mean you can take the number of volunteer hours – as long as they are the same coding – for a month or longer.  You would need to explain it in the description box.

If at any time you have questions about this process, please feel free to contact Grace Florjancic, Barbara Low, Sandy Hansen or Jane Moyer.

Have a wonderful year gardening!

 

Jan 31

Jackson County Master Gardeners Announcements — February 2023

By Beet 2023 02 February

 

The Plant Clinic is open at the OSU Extension office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 – 2:00 p.m.

 

Speakers Bureau Schedule for February

  • February 4th Susan Koenig will be speaking on “Understanding Vegetable Garden Fertilizers” from 1:00-2:30 p.m. at the Medford Library.

 

  • February 18th Janine Salvatti will be speaking on “No-dig Lasagna Gardening and Spring Garden Cleanup” from 1:00-2:30 p.m. at the Medford Library.

 

Jan 31

February in the Garden

By Beet 2023 02 February

Good morning on this very cold day. Frost on the windows, grass, and shrubs. I’m sitting by my window watching the birds in our backyard – some in the bird feeders, others in the bushes.  I see several different kinds of birds – each with their own habits.

Last month, I talked about what we should be doing in our gardens during the month of January. I am continuing this series of articles and hope that you find them to be helpful and inspiring. 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 February based on the information in this book and articles on the OSU website.

February is the time to:

  • Continue 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?   
  • Plants which you plant as seeds to transplant later
    • Cabbage * Chinese Cabbage
    • Lettuce (head)                         * Endive, Escarole
    • Parsley * Leeks
    • Onions * Oriental Greens
    • Pak Choi
  • Plants which you can plant as seed outside
    • Peas (if there are the right soil conditions)
    • Arugula * Cress, Garden
    • Corn salad * Mustard greens, turnip greens
    • Radishes * Spinach
  • Plants to Transplant this month
    • Asparagus roots * Herbs, perennial
    • Horseradish * Lettuce (head)
    • Onion sets, plants * Strawberries
  • Time to prune your established grapes
  • Remove mulch from established asparagus beds and fertilize.
  • Fertilize over-wintering vegetables with high nitrogen fertilizer
  • Fertilize rhubarb – OSU publication “Grow Your Own Rhubarb” https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec797

 

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. It can also be purchased on-line at https://jacksoncountymga.org/shop/ Note that a shipping fee will be applied.

 

 

 

Other Resource:

Happy Gardening and Stay Warm

Garden For Life

 

Jan 31

Winter-blooming Plants to Nourish Bees

By Beet 2023 02 February

This week, I ran across an article, 7 winter-blooming plants to nourish bees, from OSU, written by Kym Pokorny.  Her source for this article was Andony Melathopoulos.  Andony was one of our Winter Dreams Summer Gardens 2022 presenters. He spoke about the many different types of bees and their importance to our environment.

This caught my eye because I really enjoyed his presentation. Andony, the Oregon State University Extension Service pollinator specialist and assistant professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences, is a very good presenter with a great deal of knowledge about his topic.

In the article, I learned that black-tailed bumblebees can be out and about as early as January.  With bees starting to come out that early, it is important that we have plants which are starting to bloom to provide them nutrition.

The winter-blooming plants which he suggests having in our yards are:

  1. Hazelnut (Corylus):Members of the Corylus genus – including the popular contorted and weeping hazelnuts – are one of earliest sources of pollen for bees.
  2. Oregon grape (Mahonia):No garden – or bee – should be without one of these evergreen shrubs, especially since it’s designated as Oregon’s state flower. But an even better reason are the insanely yellow flowers that last for weeks.
  3. Heath and heather (Erica and Calluna):Bees zoom in to heaths and heathers like they’re approaching a runway. In shades from purple to copper to gold, these low-growing plants make a mat of color throughout the year, including winter.
  4. Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflora):Though it doesn’t have the fragrance of other jasmines, this vining shrub has bright yellow flowers that are a welcome sight in winter.
  5. Witch hazel (Hamamelis):Bees get fired up over witch hazel with its crepe paper-like flowers in orange, red and, most famously, yellow.
  6. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis):The periwinkle-colored flowers of rosemary will pop out all winter but really provide a spectacular spread of nectar and pollen in late winter when many bees and hummingbirds are gearing up.
  7. Manzanita (Archtostaphylos):These evergreen shrubs explode with white flowers that bumblebees and hummingbirds flock to. Manzanitas are native to the western United States and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from large, treelike shrubs to ground covers.
  8. Chaparral currant (Ribes malvaceum):Bees go gaga over this California native, which blooms after Christmas and keeps on blooming through the end of winter.

“Even a small amount of habitat will sustain bees, even rare species,” Melathopoulos said. “These are tiny creatures. Well-thought-out landscapes can provide all the food they need in winter. Gardeners can really help with that.”

He also suggests checking out the Extension publication Trees and Shrubs for Fall and Winter Bloom.

These are plants that I will consider planting this spring for blooming next year.

Resources

By Kym Pokorny,  kym.pokorny@oregonstate.edu

Source: Andony Melathopoulos, melathoa@oregonstate.edu

 

Dec 31

Jackson County Master Gardeners Announcements — January 2023

By Beet 2023 01 January

Class of 2023 Master Gardener Volunteers

If you know anyone who would be interested in becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer, registration for 2023 OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Training in Jackson County will be open later this Fall!    Please call the OSU Extension office at 541.776.7371 and leave your name, phone number, and email.  We will contact you when registration is open.

 

January 25th   Class of 2023 OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Training starts.

 

                                                   

Dec 31

Jackson County Agricultural Master Gardener & Home Horticulture Outreach Program Coordinator at SOREC

By Beet 2023 01 January
Good afternoon,

I welcome Grace Florjancic as the newest member of the Southern Region Team with great enthusiasm. Grace will serve as the Jackson County Agricultural Master Gardener & Home Horticulture Outreach Program Coordinator at SOREC. Grace will begin her role on Tuesday, January 17.

Please look out for an opportunity to welcome Grace to our organization!

A special thank you to the search committee for this position!

  • Committee Chair, Didgette McCracken
  • Committee Member, Danielle Knueppel
  • Committee Member, Gordon Jones
  • Committee Member, Jane Moyer
  • Search Advocate, Kayla Sheets

Grace’s Bio
Grace Florjancic (she/they) graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in microbiology and horticulture. During undergraduate studies, Grace was a member of the Virginia Tech soil judging team, competing against schools along the East Coast. Also, she researched both beneficial and harmful microbial interactions with plants. These interactions have become a point of interest for her. Post-graduation, she was employed by George Washington University as the greenhouse manager. Grace worked with professors and students to support research experiments, learning in and out of the classroom, and to foster an interest in plants. Later, they worked at Meadowlark Botanic Garden, maintaining and designing garden beds. Caring for the pollinator garden sparked their interest in the roles native plants have in the environment and the importance of native biodiversity. Now, she is excited to learn about Southern Oregon’s ecosystems and how homeowners can positively impact them. She is also delighted for the opportunity to work with the community to build strong connections with nature, food, and each other.

Request for Assistance
I will develop a framework schedule to support Grace’s onboarding with prearranged meetings and connection opportunities for Grace’s first 60 days. If you have meetings that you would like Grace to attend, which are scheduled for January and February – please share this information with me by Tuesday, January 10. I will safeguard this time on Grace’s schedule.

In partnership,
Jamie
Jamie Davis, Regional Director
Oregon State University | University Outreach and Engagement | OSU Extension Service
C: 541-815-0963 | 103 South E St., Lakeview, OR 97630

Southern Region: Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Lake Counties

Oregon State University Extension Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services, activities, and materials on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, genetic information, veteran’s status, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

El Servicio de Extensión de Oregon State University prohíbe la discriminación en todos sus programas, servicios, actividades y materiales en base a la raza, color, origen nacional, religión, sexo, identidad de género (incluyendo la expresión de género), orientación sexual, discapacidad, edad, estado civil, estatus de la familia/padres, ingresos derivados de un programa de asistencia pública, creencias políticas, información genética, estado de veterano, represalia o represalia por actividad previa de los derechos civiles. (No todos los términos prohibidos se aplican a todos los programas.)

 

(Message from Jamie Davis, Regional Director, which was sent in December.)

 

 

 

Dec 31

Unsung Hero of the Jackson County Master Gardener Program — Ronnie Budge

By Beet 2023 01 January

This month we want to recognize Ronnie Budge as Jackson County Master Gardeners Association’s Unsung Hero.  Over the years, Ronnie has been very involved with Jackson County Master Gardeners Association.

Ronnie retired from the Jackson County Library System in 2007.  She spent 20 years as director of the 15 library branch organization.  Ronnie was named the 2004 Oregon Librarian of the Year by the Oregon Library Association. When Ronnie retired, she traded in her business attire for her now recognizable flannel shirts. Whenever I see her, she has a smile on her face and encouraging words.

Ronnie is a member of the 2011 OSU Master Gardener class and became a very active Jackson County Master Gardeners Association member.  She has done many different jobs for our organization, including being a Practicum mentor; presenter for our Speakers Bureau; working on Spring Garden Fair; being President-Elect and President.  She chaired the Awards Committee, the Nominations Committee, and the Community Outreach Working Group and has  been involved in many more activities.

I have personally known Ronnie for only two years but during that time I have found her to be a very positive person who can take on a challenging situation and help find the solution.  She is a very hard worker with a great wealth of knowledge.  As the chair of the Community Outreach Working Group, she is a member of the Board of Directors.  We rely on her Jackson County Master Gardeners Association historical knowledge and her knowledge of the Roberts Rules of Order.

This past year, Ronnie moved out of state, but she is still very involved with the Jackson County Master Gardeners Association.  This is now possible by business conducted with Zoom and hybrid meetings.

Ronnie, thank you for your service and friendship.

Dec 31

January in the Garden

By Beet 2023 01 January

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?
  • 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

 

 

 

 

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

Dec 31

Report for 2023 JCMGA Board of Directors Election

By Beet 2023 01 January

Teresina Christy – 2022 Membership Secretary

The 2023 JCMGA Board election ended at midnight on Friday, November 4. Thirty-seven people voted online. Four people voted using a paper ballot. The three election tellers—Membership Secretary Teresina Christy, Recording Secretary Jane Moyer, and Archivist Pam Hillers—met on the following Tuesday to count the ballots.

Results were announced at the November 11th Board Meeting:

President—Marcie Katz (elected in 2022)

President-Elect—Barbara Low

Recording Secretary—Jane Moyer

Membership Secretary—Margaret Saydah

Treasurer—Sean Cawley

Assistant Treasurer—Keltie Nelson

OMGA Representative—Kathy Apple

Archivist—Pam Hiller

Members-at-Large—Dee Copley

Lucy Pylkki

Cassandra Toews

Colet Allen

Trina Stout

 

 

Thank you to all who voted.

 

Nov 29

Jackson County Master Gardeners Announcements – December 2022

By Beet 2022 12 December

 

Jackson County Master Gardeners Announcements

December 2022

 

Winter Dreams Summer Gardens 2022

For those of you who attended our Winter Dreams Summer Gardens 2022, you have access to the 15 presentation videos until the end of December…

 

 

Class of 2023 Master Gardener Volunteers

If you know anyone who would be interested in becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer, registration for 2023 OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Training in Jackson County will be open later this Fall!    Please call the OSU Extension office at 541.776.7371 and leave your name, phone number, and email.  We will contact you when registration is open.

January 25th  —  Class of 2023 OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Training starts.

       

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