Beet 2024 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
  • 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.
  • “Table Grape Pruning” OSU Master Gardeners You Tube video with Sherry Sheng. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym1ZKZYKfS0
• 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:

• “Strawberry Nutrient Management Guide for Oregon and Washington” OSU Publication by Emily Dixon, Bernadine Strik, Javier Fernandez-Salvador, and Lisa Devetter  https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/em9234

 

Happy Gardening and Stay Warm

Garden For Life

 

Written by Suzanne Simard

Recommended by Colet Allen

 

This book is a memoir of Suzanne Simard’s 30+ year journey through scientific research to find the Mother Tree.  The book reads like fiction with great story telling, humor and a childlike love and curiosity about her surroundings.  Suzanne’s upbringing in an extended, loving family of loggers, farmers, and ranchers in the northern forests of British Columbia, Canada put her on a lifelong journey through scientific research. She not only loves the trees – they are her passion.

She says that at 7 years old she watched her grandfather dig out the side of their outhouse to rescue their dog, Jiggs, who had fallen in and could not get out. This was the first time she remembered questions forming as the shovels of soil lifted up various layers from the forest floor. As she ran her fingers through handfuls of roots and other organic materials, she wondered what was all this different stuff. There were different colors, textures and masses of stringy material. What was its purpose?

What I loved about this book:

1. How her family’s way of life in the forest informed so much of who she was and what she loved, and also helped prepare her for her life’s work – even if she didn’t know it at the time.
2. How she framed and explained her questions and then set up experiments to determine if what she thought was happening was indeed happening. Her descriptions were magical, lyrical, and lovely. I could smell the forest as I listened to the audio version of her book read by her. (You can download the audio book from the Jackson County Library.)
3. That she gave credit to those who came before her, such as grandparents and indigenous people. Their intentioned observation and spiritual beliefs about the natural world led and guided some of Suzanne’s ideas as she developed her scientific inquiries.
4. Her bravery and stick-with-it-ness in the face of criticism from governmental agency personnel, corporate-motivated greedy foresters and less enlightened colleagues who could not, or did not, want to understand or even consider her ideas.
5. That she made discovery after discovery until there was no way that her research could be refuted.
6. How her research and discoveries, along with those of others, are slowly changing destructive logging practices, such as clear cutting. Seeing these ignorant and destructive practices slowly change gives me and others hope that nature is more about collaboration rather than competition. Hopefully we can help our forests to help us – and we can save ourselves.

 

Suzzane Simard: How Trees Talk to Each Other/TED Talks: I recommend this talk. You will see who she is, enjoy her delightful sense of humor and get a sense of the book in about 18 minutes.

https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_simard_how_trees_talk_to_each_other?language=en

Finding the Mother Tree was published May 4, 2021 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

I love this tomato for its color – inside and out. Its skin is light green with dark green “zebra stripes!” Inside it’s a light yellow-green and a little firm. It’s an oval shape, about 2 ½ ” to 3½ ” tall. The flavor is slightly lemony or zingy. It’s great in a salad or anywhere you want to showcase color. I’ve grown it for 10+ yrs. It’s prolific and doesn’t succumb to blight as do my other tomatoes. I don’t suggest it for a sauce, it’s somewhat watery.

 

Where do you buy your gardening supplies and equipment? If you do any shopping at the Grange Co-op, you know that when you check out they always ask, “Are you a Grange member?”  If you say, “No,” consider adding, “…but would you please credit this to the Jackson County Master Gardeners? The account number is 15333.”

This enables the rewards for your purchase, which can only be received by Grange members, to go to JCMGA instead of being wasted. With the rewards accumulated by members and friends who remembered 15333 last year, JCMGA was able to buy over $1,000 of gardening supplies for Practicum, the Demonstration Gardens, and irrigation needs.

So, repeat after me: 15-333!

 

 

Jackson County Master Gardener Association

Board of Directors Meeting

Minutes

December 8, 2023

The Board of Directors meeting was called to order by Zoom at 9:30 a.m. with President

Marcie Katz presiding.

Present in person: Marcie Katz, Barbara Low, Janine Salvatti, Sean Cawley, Keltie Nelson, Lucy Pylkki, Colet Allen, Sandy Hammond, Cassandra Toews, Dee Copley, Rob MacWhorter

Present by Zoom: Kathy Apple, Regula Pepi, Ronnie Budge, Jane Moyer

Absent: Pam Hillers, Trina Stout, Grace Florjancic

Guests: Lynn Kunstman, John Kobal, Ann Ackles, Becky Cohn

Consent Agenda:

1. Barbara Low asked that a thank you card be sent to Travis Curtis Construction for his                  contribution of an additional ADA compliant path in the Lavender Garden.  Jane

Moyer agreed to send one along with a donation form.

2. Barbara Low thanked Janine Salvatti for including 2024 Gardens Working Group

meeting dates in the GWG board report.  Barbara would like all working groups to do

this so she can post them on the JCMGA calendar.

3. Barbara Low reminded the board members the JCMGA website has not been updated

yet but will be soon.

Colet Allen moved and Keltie Nelson seconded the Consent Agenda be accepted.  Motion

approved.

Additions to the Agenda: none

Approval of Agenda: Janine Salvatti moved to have the agenda approved as written.  Colet

Allen seconded.  The motion passed.

Approval of Minutes: Ronnie Budge moved and Barbara Low seconded the November board

meeting minutes be approved as written. The motion passed.

Announcements:

1. Janine Salvatti inquired how to award the plaque made for Irv Johnson that was going

to be given to him after today’s meeting.  It was decided, due to his passing, his family

would be invited to the January meeting to receive it.  A moment of silence in honor

of Irv was held.  (See Attachment #1.)

2. Jane Moyer announced the paths in the Lavender Garden are finished and invited

board members see them.  Travis Curtis still needs to sign the contracts to receive

payment.  He is planning to meet with Jane next week.  Jane will be sending a

thank you note to Kendyl Berkowitz for arranging the grant for JCMGA and to Travis

Curtis for donating an additional length of pathway paving.

3. Three newly elected members-at-large have agreed to join working groups: Randa

Linthwaite will co-chair the Marketing and Technology WG with Barbara Low, Becky

Cohn will join the Fundraising and Community Outreach Working Groups, and Rob

MacWhorter joined the Community Outreach Working Group.

4. Sean Cawley announced Grace Florjancic will head a Master Gardener committee that

will work in conjunction with SOREC Director Alec Levin and the SOREC Advisory                             Committee to develop the plan for the renovation of the gardens.  Colet Allen asked

quarterly updates be included in the Gardens Working Group board report.

5. Treasurer-elect Keltie Nelson announced December 15 would be the last day for

submitting 2023 reimbursement requests.

Coordinator’s Report:  Master Gardener Coordinator Grace Florjancic was out of town so there

was no Coordinators Report except in the board reports in Dropbox.

Discussion items: 

1. Treasurer-elect Keltie Nelson lead the board through a review of the 2024 budget

proposed by the Budget Committee.  (See Attachment #2.)  The 2024 board will

vote on the budget at the January meeting.  Ronnie Budge thanked the Budget

Committee members (Keltie Nelson, Sean Cawley, Marcie Katz, Barbara Low, Lucy

Pyllki, Lisa Brill, Jane Moyer) for their work on the budget.

2. Kathy Apple and Barbara Low lead the board through the changes proposed in the

JCMGA Bylaws, Articles of Association, and the Policy Manual by the Governing

Documents Committee.  (See Attachments #3.)

3. John Kobal, School Grants chair from the Community Outreach Working Group,

presented the list of schools receiving School Garden Grants.  Only four schools

applied.  (See Attachment #4.). Students will be involved in the Jefferson Community

Garden.  They have asked for Master Gardener help in training both students and

community members involved.

Motion Items:

1. At the October board meeting, it was suggested the governing documents of JCMGA

be added back to the JCMGA Chapter Directory.  Barbara Low reported the Governing

Documents Committee (formerly the Bylaws Committee) realized that would almost

double the cost of printing so suggested instead that a small booklet containing the

governing documents be printed for each board member and anyone else who

requested one.  Keltie Nelson moved and Jane Moyer seconded the board rescind

                the decision to include the bylaws, the articles of association, and the policies and

                procedures in the membership directory and instead provide these as separate

                documents to board members and anyone requesting them.  Motion approved.

The governing documents will continue to also be found on the member side of the

JCMGA website.

 

2. Treasurer-elect Keltie Nelson announced an anonymous donor has offered to pay half

the $2500 allocated for a student scholarship at OSU on condition the donated fund

be used only for the scholarship.  Keltie Nelson moved the board approve the

                anonymous donation of $1,250 be used solely to supplement JCMGA’s scholarship

                amount of $1,250 so that a scholarship may be awarded to an OSU student for

                $2,500 in 2024.  Jane Moyer seconded.  Unanimous approval.  

3. Jane Moyer requested, in the interests of time, “Future Lathe House” be postponed

to the January meeting.                                                                                   

 

MEETING ADJOURNED: President Marcie Katz adjourned the meeting at 11:30.

 

NEXT MEETING: Board Meeting Friday January 12, 2024, 9:00 chit-chat, 9:30 meeting

                       

Submitted by Jane Moyer, Recording Secretary