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Marcie Katz

Sep 30

GEMS to the Compost Rescue

By Beet 2024 10 October

Two very enterprising and hard-working GEMS (Garden Enhancement Mentors), Marsha Waite of the Daylily Garden and Consuelo  Montoya of the Native Gardens, along with students Joe Ulloa and David Gremmels, conceived a plan for bringing back a functioning compost area to the Demonstration Gardens.

The last time we had a working compost area was in 2019. MG Scott Goode and a crew of students invested in a new “cold compost” area (chopped up plant debris placed in a trench and covered with a tarp to decompose over time), along with a tool shed and shade area.

Then 2020 came, and with it Covid, so everything came to a standstill. When gardeners were able to return to the grounds, the “compost crew” did not. Without an actual area for a compost pile and a GEM to manage it, we were told to haul our garden debris out to the fields and spread it out for the flail mower to go over.

As the years went by, the cold compost area became covered in weeds.  Shade cloth hung in shreds from metal framing, rats took over the tool shed, and the area looked messy and abandoned. Fast forward to Alec Levin becoming Director of SOREC and wanting a “better aesthetic look” for the property. This was our hint to get it cleaned up!

Over the last three years we have accomplished that, starting with Doug Kirby, Sean Cawley and Jake Hayman the farm manager.  They managed to lift the tool shed off its pier blocks and move it to a better area than the field. The GEC (Garden Enhancement Committee), which had taken over weed whacking the area, removed the tarps and buried irrigation tubing. GEMS Sharon Maurin and Becky Belau, with their helper John McCole, moved the shade cover framework into their Propagation Nursery to be re-homed.

This year, the Gardens and Grounds WG had decided to get Green Bins from Rogue Disposal so our aging GEMS would not have to trek through the bumpy, hole-ridden field to the compost pile, which was now all the way in the NW corner by the vegetable garden. This was helpful, but the bins filled up quickly with spring cleanup. As they were only emptied once every two weeks, unfortunately we again had to take loads to the fields.

This prompted the energetic Marsha, Consuela, Joe, and David to build two new compost bins from scratch! Situated behind the tool shed, located off the north path behind Extension, they constructed a double bin out of pallets, spare 2 by 4s, and wire. The plan was to make compost mulch, speeding up production by using the chipper shredder once a month to break down the debris. Also a learning opportunity, we can now teach how to compost, which has not been part of the MG curriculum for a long time.

Many thanks to the driven and compassionate people who contributed to this composting project. They did an amazing job!  Please take the time to check it out.  It even has a happy little rock flower design set in concrete. Why?  Because compost makes flowers, worms, and gardeners happy!

 

       

Jul 27

Lavender Fields Forever

By Beet 2024 08 August

It was a triple digit day; one of the many that we experienced last month. The setting was the Lavender Garden for the first Lavender Trail weekend of 2024. The area was all weeded and trimmed, and the pretty new ADA compliant sidewalks gleamed in the midday sun. Benches awaited those visitors who might choose to sit and listen to the droning hum of the busy bees while watching the purple and lavender spikes sway in the breeze. Canopies were raised, shading tables of delicious shortbread cookies, lemonade, cheese and chocolates, all flavored with our herb of the hour, Lavender!

Alas! Our highly prized and renowned Lavender Garden did not make it onto the Lavender Trail website or list because of a technicality that we are not a “Lavender Farm”.  The fact that we are located on a farm does not seem to count. And even though the Applegate Valley unfortunately had wildfires and smoke that weekend, we still did not get many visitors.

Margaret Clark, GEM of the Lavender Garden, did a remarkable job putting together all the edible goodies with pretty plates and tablecloths and was in the garden all three days with volunteers. Prior to that, Janine Salvatti, Chair of Gardens and Grounds and her work crews were out there three separate workdays and are to be commended for their hard work getting the garden ready for the public.

All is not lost, because at least we Master Gardeners can enjoy this beautiful Lavender Garden.  If you haven’t been out there this year, you should take the walk.  And now it’s time to harvest, so bring your clippers and take some heavenly Lavender home!  Margaret is out there every Wednesday to show you how.

I want to thank all the volunteers who came out to help. We will learn from this lesson.  We will try to convince the Trail people that we belong on the list, and we will do our own advertising to entice the crowds back to us next year. Do you have ideas to help with that? Contact Marcie Katz at marciek10@gmail.com, and let’s make our Lavender Garden the star of the show in 2025.  Here are some photos to show what they missed. See you in the Lavender!

 

 

 

Mar 31

Spring Garden Fair 2024

By Beet 2024 04 April

As daffodils and tulips give way to irises and lilies and the trees unfurl their leaves into a spectrum of greens, it brings hints of summertime and thoughts of a garden. With spring in the air, it’s time to plan what to put in your garden. What better way than by coming to the Jackson County Master Gardeners Spring Garden Fair?

Like a rite of passage, the fair is always on the first weekend in May.  According to many, it is “THE” place to pick up all those essential garden plants.  We offer organic vegetables, herbs and flowers raised by our very own Master Gardener students. In addition, the Native Plant Nursery grows and sells a wide variety of ground covers, trees, shrubs, and annual and perennial natives which will bring the pollinators flocking to your yards.

This year, we will have over thirty vendors at our two-day Spring Garden Fair held at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point, 9am-4pm on Saturday May 4th and 10am-2pm on Sunday, May 5th.

Come browse multiple local nurseries, the Bonsai Society exhibit, garden art, bee and worm experts, garden tools, furniture and sheds. Take one of our many gardening classes or have lunch in the food court while watching the kids paint rock art. There will be drop-off stands to hold your purchased plants so your hands will be free to continue shopping and plant cart service for ease in loading your car! Admission is free with a $5.00 per car parking fee, so bring your friends and carpool! Let’s start off this spring with a bang at the Spring Garden Fair! We hope to see you there!

 

Mar 01

Jackson County Master Gardeners Association  2024 Spring Garden Fair 

By Beet 2024 03 March

By now, I am sure many of you have heard the buzz about this year’s Spring Garden Fair, affectionately known as the “SGF.” Yes, folks; we are back, and it is happening the first week in May! We rocked it last spring with our one-day comeback (after Covid took us out for two years). This year we are jumping in with both feet and holding it two days – Saturday May 4th, and Sunday May 5th.  

Like last year, it will be held at the Southern Oregon Research Extension Center. Vendors will set up in the Extension parking area, in the arboretum and inside the auditorium. General public parking will be located out in the SOREC fields again, with a parking fee of $5 per car instead of an admission fee. We are adding a food court with 2 or 3 food trucks, children’s activities, and even more vendors.  

The 2024 Master Gardener Practicum is in full swing with an energetic class, and we can’t wait to see those greenhouses fill up with veggies, herbs and flower starts! Of course, the Native Nursery will also be brimming with a wonderful assortment of native plants to tempt fairgoers.  

You know the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, it takes all the JCMGA membership to put on a Spring Garden Fair! There are many volunteer opportunities, and with as little as a 2-hour work shift, it is an easy “can do”, even if you have limited mobility. Please consider volunteering to help. Your support enables our success. 

The community was overjoyed to have us back last year.  Many look forward to the event as a start of their growing season, plus you can go home with your organically grown plants. Please come join in making this a successful and fun SGF. If you can volunteer, please contact Colet Allen coletallen1@gmail.com or Barbara Low barbaralow@msn.com . 

Mar 01

Calling All Rose Enthusiasts and Garden Helpers 

By Beet 2024 03 March

Looking for Master Gardeners who love roses, like to work with roses, and want to learn more about roses.   

Our beautiful Demonstration Rose Garden needs a new Garden Enhancement Mentor and other HELP! We had been fortunate to have a team of dedicated rose helpers and a wonderful GEM for the last several years, but unfortunately Joanne Mitani has stepped down from being the GEM of the Rose Garden. Her group of merry helpers has dwindled due to health and other issues. Since this is one of our most beautiful and prestigious gardens, it requires weekly dead heading (anyone need rose petals?), pruning several times a year and, of course, weeding. Since the GEMs are just getting ready to start working in the gardens, this is the perfect time for new volunteers to step up and fill their shoes. The Garden Enhancement Committee will initially tackle the weeds by laying down weed cloth so it will be easier for the new GEM and helpers to manage. This position needs to be filled, please! 

We are also looking for a replacement GEM for the Waterwise Garden, as Monette Hoffmeister will also transition out, after she does some spring maintenance to the garden. Waterwise is a special garden with plants from all over the world that are drought resistant, as well as Oregon native plants. It is small but mighty, with color all year long and includes trees, shrubs, perennials, ground covers and bulbs. If drought-tolerant plants are your passion, this is the garden for you! 

If you want to be a GEM or helper in either of these gardens, please contact Marcie Katz at marciek10@gmail.com. 

And last, but not least, the Garden Enhancement Committee is looking for a few good helpers. We meet weekly from February to October for 2 to 3 hours to clear pathways, put up signs and brochure boxes, maintain the Gathering Place with a cut flower garden and the Fig Grove. We guide Garden Tours through the gardens, sponsor art groups and basically keep the grounds beautiful. If this sounds like something you would be interested in doing, please contact Janine Salvatti at lesandjanine@gmail.com. 

Nov 29

The Presidents Corner – The Close of a Great Year

By Beet 2023 12 December

As the year comes to a close, I look back at my presidency with pride and satisfaction at all the accomplishments we as an association have achieved! I am further awed and humbled by all of the volunteers, board members and chairs who made these endeavors possible.

From a rich history of successful enterprises, we knew how capable we could be. We survived the Covid years, relying largely on pop up plant sales. But our member base was reduced and we didn’t have the resources we once had. This year was our opportunity to make a comeback, and we needed to take a different approach.

After many discussions, meetings, and a lot of finger crossing, we pulled off the Spring Garden Fair (SGF), a one-day event. It took many Master Gardener volunteers, as well as the wonderful Class of 2023, to make it a great success by growing and selling plants, carting wagons and parking cars.

The Greenhouses were cleaned up by the Practicum Mentors after three years of disuse. They became the Practicum classroom, propagation workspaces, Mosaic Glass Art workshop and home of SGF Plant sales and the Fall Festival! With the help of volunteers, the Native Plant Nursery also expanded to increase production. Under the supervision of Lynn Kunstman, it now provides a steady stream of income for the Association and Practicum, while spreading the word of the importance of native plantings in the home garden.

On the gardens side, two new beautiful, large interpretive signs were commissioned for the Water Catchment System and the newly renamed Native Plant Garden (replacing the Rain Garden). Both of these areas serve as teaching platforms to demonstrate our mission, namely sustainability in a changing environment. We also had new enthusiasm in the Demonstration Gardens, with many of the student apprentices taking on major roles under or in place of absent GEMS. Areas that had been decommissioned, like the compost area and Dahlia Garden, have been cleaned up for future new projects. The Garden Enhancement Committee created a beautiful cut-flower garden in the Gathering Area that serves as a meeting place for garden tours from the local garden clubs and a place of rest and snacks for the hard-working gardeners on Wednesdays. Even the Fig Grove got a good cleanup and a thick layer of chips!

The Member Services Working Group had a booth at several public events, getting us in the public eye once again. It is hoped that next year we will be able to maintain a weekly booth at the Growers Market with Plant Clinic and MG information. Anyone can volunteer at this booth. Any questions will be recorded and the Plant Clinic will get back to the person with a response.

Our Community Outreach Working Group has reestablished connections with School and Community Gardens and worked to replenish the Speakers Bureau. The Marketing and Technology Working Group (formerly Communications) is busy updating the website, creating links and making it more user-friendly, and keeping us current on Facebook.

All in all, it’s been a wonderful year. I am looking forward to seeing how much more we will do in the year ahead. Plans include a two-day Spring Garden Fair on extension grounds, enticing more visitors to the gardens with Garden Tours, and perhaps a “Friends of the Gardens” group for those who want to come out to help but are not ready to take the full class. It will be a year of change, with Alec Levin’s new plans for the grounds. We will have a big part in the planning, which is exciting!

I want to thank everyone who made my job easier and gave me the support that I needed. I have been honored to work with such an amazing group of caring, smart, and wonderful people. This is truly my community, and I wish all of you Happy Holidays and a healthy and prosperous New Year. See you in ’24!

 

Oct 30

The Presidents Corner — “November”

By Beet 2023 11 November

 

November is here, and the year is winding down. Leaves are turning brilliant colors, plants are concluding their life cycles, and nature is going into hibernation. After the holidays are over, thoughts of feasts and festivities will be tucked back into the recesses of our minds like Christmas ornaments in the attic.

November is a time for reflecting on what the year has brought us, both good and bad. That is true for organizations like the Master Gardener Association also. We enter each new year with the expectation that our organization will be as strong, if not stronger, as before. But unexpected things happen, as we all remember the changes Covid brought: diminished membership renewal, abbreviated MG classes, limited garden upkeep, etc. As we were just getting back to normal, the drought came and literally dried up our well.

Thank goodness for our leadership in those trying years. Each January we start with a new Board of Directors – elected in November – who lead us on. They take on the duties needed to keep the organization running for another year, keeping house so our family can come together to have events like the Spring Garden Fair, Picnic, Fall Harvest Festival and the Practicum. Our leaders deal with internal issues and make decisions; they are the heads of the family with the relatives branching out in all directions coming to them with wants and needs. Ours is a family of volunteers. They are dedicated to preserving the Master Gardener way, using science to educate and bring gardening information to the people.

Without our volunteer Board of Directors, there would be no Master Gardener Association.

This year, please consider running for the board as an officer or member-at-large. Without a Board of Directors, our chapter would be dissolved and the hard-earned money that we share with our community through scholarships, grants, and classes would be given directly to the OMGA. No one wants to see this happen! If no one volunteers to run for open positions on the board, especially for the President Elect position, it could happen to our chapter.

The President Elect stays on the board for three years (President Elect the first year, President the second year, and Past President the third year). The Board meets once a month for under 3 hours with a great group of people. You would be at the center of what makes this organization work and have the satisfaction of helping the dedicated Jackson County Master Gardeners keep going and pursuing our mission.

As outgoing President, I have enjoyed my tenure. I am an “event person”, so my agenda was to positively push for having a new, redesigned Spring Garden Fair and to try a Fall Harvest Festival. Both were experiments because we held the fairs on SOREC property. Whatever you are passionate about could be on your agenda.

I beseech each of you to seriously consider running for President Elect this November. Write yourself in or contact Barbara Low to get on the ballot. Without a President elect for 2024, there will not be a President for 2025 and we will be in default of our by-laws, meaning no more Jackson County Master Gardener Association.

Sep 29

The President’s Corner October – the Harvest Month

By Beet 2023 10 October

 

 

 

 

October. My favorite month, but then again, I’m biased. I belong to those who are October-born, and “Libra” all the way through. Known as the tenth month of the year and the second month of autumn, October was the eighth month in the Roman calendar – hence “octo”, the Latin word for eight. When they converted to the twelve-month calendar, several Roman emperors tried to change the name, but it stuck when it entered into old French and then into old English.

When you think of October, it signifies everything autumnal. The weather is cooler at night, leaves are turning colors, and the long summer of working in the gardens is rewarded with bountiful harvests to put up for the long winter.

October has many days of observance too. There’s the Hunter’s Moon, the full moon closely tied to the autumnal equinox and folklore. There is Lief Eriksson Day, Columbus Day, and Indigenous People Day (an oxymoron having them in the same month, don’t you think?). International Ships in a Bottle Day, National Fossil Day, Word Origami Day, and Frankenstein Friday! And let’s not forget the original Friday the 13th, in October this year. That’s the day in 1307 when French King Philip IV, owing a large debt to the Knights Templar, ordered their arrest and burning at the stake. When their leader Sir Jacques De Moray was burning, he cursed the King and Pope Clement V that they would both meet their death before the end of the year. Both men did meet their demise shortly after, contributing to the clout of the lore about Friday the 13th.

Of course, how could we leave out the most popular day in October – Halloween? Also known as “All Hollows Eve”, the day before the Catholic holiday of “All Saints Day”. As “hollows” means saintly or holy, the name evolved into Halloween. There are many customs and practices of Halloween. The Irish used to hollow out turnips for candles and carve faces of demons on them. Placing it by your front door kept the evil spirits away. When immigrants came to America, there were no turnips, so they used the bountiful native pumpkins to carve. Corn husk dolls and shrunken carved apple heads were traditions taken from the Native Americans. There is also the ancient celebration of “Samhain”, a sacred Celtic and Druid festival honoring the harvest, the end of the year and when the spirits can cross over while the moon’s veil is at its thinnest.

All in all, October is a fun month! It embraces celebrating the end of the growing season before the earth goes into its winter sleep. This year the JCMGA is celebrating the wonderful year we have had by having a “Fall Festival”! It will be a small one-day event with native plant sales, several vendors, fall and holiday décor, dried flower bouquets, lavender from our demo garden, hanging glass garden mosaics, and a petting zoo with the “3 Amigos” – goats from Sanctuary One! So come on out on October 14th from 9am-2pm at the Extension and help us celebrate! Happy October!

Sep 29

Wednesdays in the Gathering Place

By Beet 2023 10 October

I want to give a huge shout out to all the Garden Education Mentors (GEMs) and student Master Gardeners who attended the Wednesday Demo Garden workdays this season! We have had a steady turnout every week. There were only two Wednesdays that were called off due to excessive heat and/or smoke. The students were exceptional. They came out to work and in return got to know each other and the GEMs. In two gardens, the students took the lead while their GEMs were on vacation or out of commission. Many of the students continued coming, long after they fulfilled their volunteer hours obligation, much to the delight of the gardeners.

When the cow bell rings, it’s time for us to head to the Gathering Place each week. We take a break under the shade of the beautiful old oak tree, as hummingbirds and bees buzz throughout the flowering beds and we recharge ourselves with yummy snacks. Fruit, cakes, chips, cheese and meat trays, biscotti and cookies were some of our favorite delights, along with dispensers of ice water and lemonade or iced tea.

This is a vital part of the Demo Gardens because it is where we meet each other, “talk story” about gardens and share quality time with each other while taking a breather in our grubby work clothes. But alas, the season is ending as September comes to a close. I would like to thank the many GEMs for contributing to our weekly snacks. It was fun to see what was served. I believe the grand prize for imagination goes to Marsha Waite, with her ladybugs on leaves! So, so cute and delicious. THANK YOU, Marsha, for the time you spent making them.

Next year, hopefully there will be an apprentice coordinator who will lead this weekly event. With or without an apprentice coordinator, it will carry on. That’s just how we roll (or dig) out there in the gardens!