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Beet 2023 08 August

Jul 28

GLASS ART CLASS

By Beet 2023 08 August

GLASS ART CLASS BY POPULAR REQUEST

Many Master Gardeners and visitors have admired the glass art pieces hanging in a few of the gardens which were made by members of the Garden Enhancement Committee. They have requested a class to learn how to create their own framed glass art. So here goes! It is so much fun!

Date:  September 15th         

Time:  1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Location:  SOREC Administration Building – Auditorium

The class is free, but you will need to bring your own supplies. Suggested supplies are:

  1. Suitable glass options to use for a base or substrate, preferably one that will permit you to hang for display. (Keep in mind most pieces in your project should be transparent.):
    • Glass platter or large plate
    • Unframed flat glass. Choose a standard size so you can frame later. Tape the edges to avoid cutting yourself.
    • Frame with glass.
      • You can choose any size, but first projects are easier if you start out with a small to medium size.
      • Glue the glass into the frame with one of the glue options below before class. It should be dry before you arrive.
  1. Glue options suitable for outdoor use: clear silicone, Wellbond, E-6000.
  2. Various sizes and colors of glass flat-backed beads or “blobs”, transparent pre-cut mosaic glass, colored glass saucers, small china bowls/cups, small glass figures, shiny aquarium sand, small pebbles, colored bottles, ANYTHING THAT STRIKES YOUR FANCY. Think outside the box! Sources: Dollar Store, on-line, garage sales, thrift stores, hobby store, etc.
  3. Think of a simple design. This project does not lend itself to a lot of detail unless you wish to cut glass to certain sizes and shapes, as you would for stained glass.
    • Design examples: simple flowers in a grass meadow, hearts, simple butterfly shapes, geometric shapes, abstract designs.
    • Design inspirations: Pintrest. Search for: “Gluing glass beads to window glass.”
    • Draw your design on paper that fits your substrate. This pattern goes under the glass for you to follow.  Choose your glue-on items with a color scheme if you wish or just embrace the random!
    • Several pre-made patterns will be available for you to use if you don’t have something in mind.

This is a fun, fun, fun event! We would love to help you make glass art. You can make it for yourself – or you can you donate it to the display in the gardens or it can be sold by the JCMGA at the Fall Festival.

Your questions are welcome.  Call, text, or email:  Janine Salvatti or Marcie Katz.

Jul 28

Jackson County Master Gardeners Announcements — August 2023

By Beet 2023 08 August

Every Wednesday in August

Monday, August 14th

  • Registration open for Winter Dreams Summer Gardens 2023

Saturday, August 19th

  • JCMGA Membership Annual Picnic at OSU Extension, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point.  It will be from 5:00-8:00 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Saturday, August 26 from 9am to 12pm.

ART-IN, the Gardens – A plein air event for artists of all skill levels

  • are invited to draw, paint, photograph the scenic JCMGA Demonstration Gardens on:
  • Wander the gardens until inspiration sprouts, then settle in to capture your vision.
  • If you have questions, contact Janine Salvatti by text: 541-973-7456. Please share this invitation with your creative friends!

September 13th Field Trip to Oshala Farm in the Applegate

  • Oshala is a certified organic farm that uses regenerative, sustainable cultivation practices. 
  • The field trip is free and, if we have a sufficient number of MG participants, Oshala will give us an exclusive tour.
  • Additionally, we have the option to stay after the tour for a class on making tinctures and extracts. There will be a cost for the class, but it should be a really fun learning experience.
  • If you are interested in attending this event, please contact me by August 31st. Sandy Hansen (707) 332-4934, or sandyhansen08@gmail.com .

 

Jul 28

Coordinator’s Column

By Beet 2023 08 August

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Gardeners,

We are getting into that hot time of year when fires pop up. Many of us have heard about ways we can manage large areas of land to reduce the chances that fire could spread. What can homeowners with smaller yards do?  Here are just a few of the many tips to help.

Keep your driveway accessible to first responders.

Can a fire truck fit in your driveway? Check to see if you need to prune any low hanging, far reaching branches so fire teams will be able to park their trucks in your driveway.

Hardscape the immediate space around your home.

Create a space within the first 5 feet of your home where there are no flammable materials. This can mean mulching with gravel closer to your house instead of wood chips or removing shrubs directly against your house.

Remove ladder fuels in your yard.

Ladder fuels are flammable structures (plants included) that allow the flames to spread up. Removing the lower branches of large trees up to 6 feet, or limbing up, can reduce the chance of the fire reaching the tree’s canopy. Removing tall plants under trees and replacing them with shorter plants can also reduce the chances of fire spreading to a tree’s canopy.

Most importantly, talk to your neighbors.

When houses are close together, fire resistance is a team effort. Encouragement and education of our neighbors can help create more resistant neighborhoods.

There are many more ways to increase your home’s resistance to fire. Each neighborhood and part of the county is different. It can be overwhelming to try to change your entire yard so pick a few tasks and work towards becoming more fire resistant. Some questions to consider are:

  • How close is the nearest fire station? How long will it take them to arrive?
  • What type of land surrounds my home? Urban? Industrial? Farm? What are the potential fire risks of these lands?
  • Which plants am I OK with moving or replacing?

For more information on reducing the fire risk of your home check out these sources.

Fire resistant plants for home landscape: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/pnw590

Prioritizing your home hardening approach: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/video/prioritizing-your-home-hardening-approach-recorded

Oregon Defensible Space: https://oregondefensiblespace.org/

How to harden homes against wildfire: https://www.oregon.gov/bcd/Documents/fire-hardening-grant-guide.pdf

 

 

 

 

Jul 28

2023 Oregon Master Gardener of the Year Award Winner: Lynn Kunstman

By Beet 2023 08 August

Jackson County Master Gardener Lynn Kunstman is the recipient of the 2023 Oregon Master Gardener of the Year Award!!  Lynn volunteers tirelessly for JCMGA.  She is always eager to share her knowledge relating to gardening and native plants. She has helped many of us to realize the importance of planting native plants in our own gardens.  I for one have started planting more native plants and have noticed a marked increase in beneficial insects in my own yard and gardens.

Lynn has been a Practicum mentor and a Garden Bud for students in the Master Gardener Program.  She started the Native Plants Nursery which grew hundreds of plants to sell when we had no other plants during the pandemic.  Lynn is instrumental in teaching us about the importance of native plants and how to grow them in our yards.  At the same time, she is encouraging us to make our yards into pollinator havens.

Lynn also has a weekly appearance on the Jefferson Exchange radio station, fielding all sorts of gardening questions. Lynn has up to 8,000 projected listeners with this radio series.   She contributes regularly to the JCMGA Garden Beet Newsletter on a variety of gardening topics. Her work propagating and organizing sales of native and non-native plants grown by students in the Practicum is tireless.  The money from the plant sales is a source of income for JCMGA.

Lynn teaches many gardening classes, including one for our Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Symposium.  She has taught at the OMGA Mini-College for the last three years.   

Lynn Kunstman has been very active in the leadership of the Jackson County Master Gardeners Association.  She served as the 2020 President-Elect, 2021 President, and the 2022 Past President.  Lynn spearheaded a “Go Fund Me” page calling and emailing Master Gardeners and friends to raise $10,367 for a water catchment system for the Jackson County Master Gardeners Association plant nurseries and demonstration gardens.

Lynn’s involvement in acquiring the water catchment system which we now have has allowed us to continue to grow and propagate plants in our nurseries.  Our well went dry (September 2021 and in the fall of 2022) and there were problems with the water pipes – yet we were able to water our plants using the water catchment system.

Using her innate leadership skills, Lynn challenges the Master Gardeners to step up and do what needs to be done.  She does this by example.  During the pandemic, Lynn’s leadership skills encouraged us to stay focused and continue as an organization. She was calm, organized, steady, focused, and supportive.

Lynn has made a huge impact on our organization with her emphasis on providing a healthy environment for our native pollinators by planting native plants whenever we can.  She is an excellent speaker and very knowledgeable in the subject of native plants.  Due to her presentations, many of us have started reducing our lawns and planting native plants instead.

Lynn has taken out her lawn at her home and planted many native plants.  She sets a model for what she has been speaking about – the importance of native plants to encourage pollinators and to provide them with the habitat they require to survive.  Her yard is recognized as a Native Plant Park.  She has been involved in tagging butterflies.

Congratulations to a very own Master Gardener extraordinaire – Lynn Kunstman!!!

Jul 28

Plant a Row Opportunity Update

By Beet 2023 08 August

We have started collecting any extra produce you grow and donating it to Access Community Action Agency of Jackson County. Access will distribute it to help feed others.

Plant a Row provides a great opportunity for us to help others who need a little extra help to feed their families.

How can you donate produce to people in need?

  1. Produce can be dropped off at the SOREC Extension at the Gathering Garden on Wednesday mornings from 9-10 a.m.
  2. Once you’ve dropped off your donation, we will have a record sheet which you may use to record how much produce (by weight) and what kind of vegetable/fruit you have donated so we can keep track! (The form is on the next page if you want to fill it out in advance.)
  3. We have a beautiful Plant a Row Food Donated Thermometer to record how much food we are able to donate to Access (by pounds). Thank you, Janine Slavatti, for creating the thermometer!!
  4. Encourage friends to participate even if they are not Master Gardeners.

 

If you have questions, please

contact Barbara Low at barbaralow@msn.com.

 

 

Plant A Row Project

 

Name _____________________________________    Date ________________

Type of Vegetable/Fruit Weight of Produce

 

Please drop off donations at the SOREC Extension

569 Hanley Rd, Central Point, OR 97502

At the Gathering Garden on Wednesday mornings from 9-10 a.m.

 

Jul 28

JCMGA Annual Member Picnic

By Beet 2023 08 August

JCMGA Annual Member Picnic

Saturday, August 19th

5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

SOREC Extension Auditorium

569 Hanley Road, Central Point

 

  • A time to get together and celebrate all that we’ve accomplished this year!

 

  • Awards will be presented to our very deserving members!

 

  • BBQ hamburgers, garden burgers, and hot dogs will be available.
  • Contact Barbara Low at barbaralow@msn.com by August 14th to let her know:
    • how many people in your family will attend
    • how many hamburgers, garden burgers or hot dogs your family will want

 

  • We ask families to bring:
    • A side dish (last names beginning L-Z) and Desserts (last names beginning with A-K)
    • Your own plate, silverware, napkins, and drinking glass
    • Your JCMGA badge

 

  • A great time will be had by all!

 

Jul 28

August in the Garden

By Beet 2023 08 August

I am continuing this series of articles and hope that you find them helpful and inspiring. In August, there is quite a bit to do in the garden depending on what you want to grow.  Our gardens still need to be cared for so that they will do well and we will have a plentiful harvest. By caring for our gardens, we are also caring for ourselves – physically, mentally, and emotionally.

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.  This great reference book for gardeners is mainly about growing vegetables, berries, and melons.

August is the time to:

  • Harvest
  • Save some heads of garlic for replanting later on.
  • Edamame soybeans should be ripening.
  • Sow for transplanting
    • Broccoli (fall variety)
    • Cabbage (over-wintering varieties)
    • Chinese Cabbage
    • Pak Choi
  • Direct Seed
o   Arugula o   Beets
o   Chervil o   Collards
o   Corn, salad o   Cress, garden
o   Cress, upland o   Endive and Escarole
o   Kale o   Kohlrabi
o   Lettuce, leaf o   Mustard greens
o   Onions o   Oriental greens
o   Peas o   Radicchio
o   Radish o   Rutabaga
o   Spinach o   Swiss Chard
o   Turnips o   Turnip greens

 

  • Transplant
o   Broccoli, fall variety o   Brussels sprouts
o   Cabbage – fall or winter varieties o   Cauliflower – late variety
o   Chinese Cabbage o   Pak Choi

 

  • Fertilize and Prune
    • Vegetables while in heavy production
    • Pole beans after they finish their first flush production

 

  • Control Pests and Diseases
    • Spider mites

 

 

Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley – Year-Round & Month by Month. This 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.

 

 

Happy Gardening and Stay Cool

Garden For Life

Jul 28

JCMGA Working Groups Summaries

By Beet 2023 08 August

 

Community Outreach Working Group

chair is Ronni Budge

  • Work is continuing to be done to update the Speakers Bureau and help support new potential speakers.
  • We are looking into how to better support the Spanish speaking community in our valley.
  • We are looking at how to rejuvenate the Community Gardens and also provide them with support.
  • JCMGA has been invited to participate in the 2024 Josephine County Home Show at the Grants Pass fairgrounds (Feb. 16, 17, and 18) and the Southern Oregon Home Show at Expo in Central Point (May 3, 4, and 5). The COWG thought these both may be feasible, especially if JCMGA partnered with the Josephine County MGA. Although the May dates overlap the Spring Garden Fair, which will be held on the SOREC campus again, master gardeners who are less physically active may want to staff an information table at the home show instead of assisting at the SGF.

 

Fundraising Working Group

chair is Sandy Hammond

The Fundraising Working Group meets on the 3rd Friday of each month at 1:00 in the conference room. We sure do welcome newcomers to attend with brainstorming ideas. Our next event will be on Oct.14th at the extension. We are planning a native plant sale, Christmas items including wreaths and other decorations. We will also be selling beautiful garden art made by the Fundraising folks. We hope to have food and other plant vendors join us. We love new ideas and fun participation.

 

Garden Enhancement Working Group

chair is Janine Salvatti

We are the path maintainers, the provider of garden signage and information boxes, the common-area weeders, the haulers of DG, the creators & caretakers of the Entry Sign planter and the Gathering Place, the temporary helpers in gardens in need of a helping  hand, makers of glass art in the garden.  We look our best dusted in soil, dotted with those dang sticky weed seeds, and with garden hats askew-it’s more picturesque if I say at a “ jaunty angle”. Most of all we are appreciators of all the volunteer gardeners who work hard to maintain the Demonstration Gardens.

 

Marketing and Technology Working Group

chair is Marcia Harris

We have been busy looking at the technology which JCMGA has and asking if it meets our current and future needs.

 

Member Services Working Group

chair is Barbara Low

We are busy planning the Membership Picnic, which will be Saturday, August 19th. We hope that you will join us for this celebration!

We have developed a DRAFT proposal for the “Friends of JCMGA”.  The Community Outreach Working Group and Member Services Working Group are working together on this concept.

 

Program Support Working Group

chair is Grace Florjancic

While the 2024 Master Gardener training class is months away preparations have begun! Thank you to all the 2023 students for providing feedback about what worked well and what needed improvements. This is very helpful for me in creating the layout for the 2024 schedule. If you are interested in becoming a Garden Bud or know someone interested in becoming a Garden Bud, please let me know! Garden Buds play an important role in supporting our new students in class and helping them become familiar with the many aspects of our program.

 

Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Working Group

chairs are Colet Allen, Susan Koenig, and Barbara Low

We have been busy organizing the Winter Dreams Summer Gardens 2023 Symposium.  This virtual event will be October 27, 28, November 3, and 4.

We have secured our 14 speakers on a wide variety of topics.

There are details posted on the JCMGA website.

REGISTRATION will be open Monday, August 14th!

 

Jul 28

The President’s Corner — Who and What is the Garden Enhancement Committee?

By Beet 2023 08 August

 

 

As President, I am involved in the many aspects of the JCMGA business. Before I became President, I gradually involved myself in several committees to get a feel for the things that we as an organization do and the people who do them.  I then graduated to being a part of several working groups. Some groups are mostly “business”, and some are about activity-related business. I enjoy all of them, and as I can’t seem to stay out of anything, especially if it involves an event, I am there!

There is one committee that I am especially fond of, and I have been a member since I was a student. It is a “get it done” group that is not afraid to get their hands dirty (or face or clothes, LOL). Most of the members don’t hold any other positions – we are all the same hardworking people who enjoy each other’s company. The Garden Enhancement Committee – affectionately known as the GEC – is a committee in the Gardens Working Group. Our fearless leader is Janine Salvatti and members include Kari Gies, Marcie Katz, Candie Steely, Lyn Boening and Gail Ropel. We meet every Monday from 9 AM to 12 PM.

We tackle many projects. All the pathways that connect the gardens are our domain. We keep them intact and weed-free by using vinegar, Preen weed preventer, hard work and lots of decomposed granite! We also maintain all the signage for the Demonstration Gardens. All those signs with the info boxes in each garden are put in place by us. The brochure boxes are put up each spring and taken down in the fall. The face pages in the boxes are written (with input from the GEMS) and designed by our graphic designer, with the same verbiage that is on each garden’s webpage. This year we revamped and updated them to include a QR code which takes you right to the JCMGA webpage. The directional arrows on the signpost and throughout the gardens are placed by us as well. As there have been many changes in the gardens in the last few years, it has been challenging to keep up!

Our little group has also taken on a few areas of our own to develop. The driveway entry sign used to have grass and weeds around it until we planted native plants with the help of Sherri Morgan and Lynn Kunstman several years ago. Since there is no irrigation out there, we manually water every week and keep it maintained.

Many of you are familiar with the “Gathering Place”, that peaceful area under the beautiful old oak. That area used to be a part of the Kitchen Garden, which was decommissioned due to placement of the storage pods. We decided to make it a meeting/lunch/quiet spot. We spray painted the patio tables and chairs, then transformed the remaining raised beds into a cut flower garden for all to see and enjoy when entering the parking lot. Janine, our resident artist, made the mosaic butterfly on the “Gather” post and turned us on to making “glass panel mosaics.” We had a workday where we made the glass panels you see hanging in several of the gardens. They are quite a hit! So much so, the Fundraising Committee has scheduled a workshop on September 15 for anyone who wants to make some! Bring materials (frame with glass, vase marbles, colored glass saucers, cups, etc.) and create a masterpiece of your own!

We have also been known to help out in Demonstration Gardens that don’t have a GEM. Currently we are working on the Fig Grove – weeding, cutting blackberries and eventually laying down wood chips. All in all, not bad for a group of aging women! Even our meetings are fun. We meet at each other’s homes once a month for lunch, take a tour of the gardens and talk shop!  If you are interested in joining our merry little band, come over on any Monday, or contact Janine Salvatti at lesandjanine@gmail.com 

Jul 28

A Preview of the 2023 Winter Dreams/Summer Gardens Symposium

By Beet 2023 08 August

 

Planning for the 2023 Winter Dreams/Summer Gardens Symposium is well underway. The symposium will offer 14 different class sessions, four each day on October 27th, 28th, and November 3, and two more on November 4th.  There are many gardening-related topics from which to choose, but the WD/SG Working Group decided on four subject areas: critters in the garden; climate change/ecology; home gardening; and a “grab bag” category.

To increase our audience, we are again partnering with the Oregon State Landscape Board, who will offer our classes for Continuing Education credits in horticulture to landscapers. We are also trying new avenues of advertising, including color ads in both the Ashland and Medford Parks & Recreation Departments’ Fall Catalogs. Because the classes will again be presented via Zoom, there are plenty of seats!

We have booked 14 spectacular speakers, a few of whom you may already know and others who are new to WD/SG. This month, and for the next two months, we will be showcasing the bios of several speakers in the Garden Beet.

The schedule of classes and registration information will be available in mid-August. You will be able to register and pay online through PayPal at the jacksoncountymga.org  website. Watch for the MailChimp announcement in August.

 

 

2023 WD/SG Sessions

Taking a Walk on the Wildside… In Your Own Backyard

Andony Pelathopoulus, Presenter

 

Last year, Andony talked about how Oregon is leading the nation in cataloguing its bee biodiversity. All of this data has provided great insights into the top bee-attractant plants for your garden. In this lecture, we talk about what we are learning from the Oregon Bee Atlas in terms of best plants for bees in southern Oregon.

Andony Melathopoulos is an Associate Professor of Pollinator Health Extension in the Department of Horticulture at OSU. He leads the Master Melittologist and Bee Steward Programs and hosts the podcast PolliNation.

 

 

Succulent Gardening for Drought Resilience

Annie Schreck, Presenter

Looking for easy, drought-tolerant plants that can bring color to your garden and attract pollinators? Explore why succulents are ideal for low-water landscaping and learn how to incorporate them into a stunning, low-maintenance rock garden.

 

Annie Schreck is the researcher and editor-in-chief for Mountain Crest Gardens, a family-owned, online nursery that grows succulents in Northern California. She found her passion for horticulture as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay. Upon returning to the US, she worked in a native plant nursery in the Willamette Valley and earned her certification in Permaculture d Design. She now takes great pleasure in researching and writing about succulents, talking plants with novices and experts alike, and helping people cultivate resilient, waterwise plants at home and in the landscape.

 

 

Masses of Grasses

Bonni Engelhardt, Presenter

Overwhelmed with the abundance of ornamental grass options, but ready to delve into this endlessly useful category of plants? Come explore the varieties that are best suited to our region, including many North American natives, and learn about their bountiful benefits such as deer resistance, drought tolerance and wildlife habitat, among others.  Tips and information on the best care practices will also be discussed.

Bonni Engelhardt is a landscape designer, Master Gardener, and writer.  She loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm for plants with the community.

 

 

Fire Adapted Landscaping Best Practices and Understanding Defensible Space

Brian Hendrix, Presenter

Designed to help gardeners improve their understanding of what ‘being firewise’ really means for gardens and landscaping around the home. Learn how various wildfire risk reduction activities can improve the survivability of a home in a wildfire event. Terms and activities relating to wildfire mitigation will be introduced, as well as some basics of effective plant spacing and maintenance for improved defensible space, and differences between a firewise versus a flammable plant. We’ll offer examples from local homes and help prioritize actions related to vegetation maintenance for wildfire preparedness.

Brian Hendrix is the Fire Adapted Communities Coordinator for Ashland Fire & Rescue. He is a Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist. Before taking over the FAC Coordinator role in 2021, Brian was the Weed Abatement Coordinator and a Wildfire Mitigation Assistant for AF&R’s Wildfire Division.

 

 

 

Irrigation Systems: Common Problems & Solutions for a Water Wise Landscape

Cody Scoggins and Aaron Adachi, Presenters

Irrigation systems provide us with a convenient way to water our landscapes more evenly and at the most optimal times of day (early morning and late evening). However, these systems also need regular maintenance to ensure that water is being used as efficiently as possible.  This presentation will cover common problems that can occur in irrigation systems and best practices for creating a thriving water-efficient landscape.

 

Cody Scoggins is the Water Efficiency Coordinator for Medford Water Department. He has a Master’s Degree in Natural Resource Management. He’s part of a committed team who thrive on being good stewards of our water and a reliable resource for those who look to be good stewards themselves.

 

 

 

Aaron Adachi is a Water Efficiency Technician for Medford Water Department. With a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Aaron chose to come to Medford Water for the opportunity to implement lasting change in the surrounding community with the skills that he learned from the private sector.

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