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Beet 2025 03 March

Feb 27

Snail Hack… A Surprise!

By Beet 2025 03 March

I never thought anything with the word snail in it could excite me, until I encountered recent horticultural posts about Seed Snails. Game to

experiment? This method of seed-starting has the potential to reduce the number of seed-starting pots, trays, and the space requirements you need, along with interim potting up. This method also has the added benefit of encouraging vertical root growth.

A simple picture or quick Google search would tell it all better than the following description, but here goes: Visualize wrapping material (often recycled weed barrier or packing materials) trimmed to a length and width to suit you; perhaps a ribbon of material 3 feet long by 8 inches or so wide. Soil is layered about one inch deep on top of the material, covering it end to end, but leaving an inch or so at each end clear. This is then rolled up from short end to short end, like a snail shell or jelly roll. You would stand the roll on one end and plant seeds into the top exposed end at a closer spacing than normal. The roll can be secured closed with a landscape staple or some type of tie or tape.

As the seedlings grow, the roll can easily be unrolled to add soil, eliminating the need to pot-up. When it’s time to plant out, just unroll. The roots will have grown vertically instead of horizontally and should easily separate for planting. A roll can be planted with a single crop or multiple crops and multiple rolls can be housed together in a container with drainage.

Is this genius?  Am I the last to know about this method? I’d love to know if you decide to try it and the results you experience. Happy gardening!

Feb 27

Custom-made Garden Benches

By Beet 2025 03 March

One of Santa’s elves brought two custom-made Garden Benches

for the Gathering Place

Author and photographer:  Janine Salvatti

 

A heartfelt THANK YOU to Joe Alvord (aforementioned ELF) for building and donating two beautifully rustic garden benches for the Gathering Place providing some much-needed splinter-free comfort for our volunteers and guests.

 

Feb 27

Tree Planting and FREE Lunch

By Beet 2025 03 March

We’ve all heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”  Well, mark your calendars for April 22nd (Arbor Day,) because there is going to be a FREE LUNCH!

The Fundraising Working Group and the Ad Hoc Practicum Design Committee have started working with Andrew Norwood from the OSU Foundation to raise funds for building a new tool shed, a Practicum classroom, and a lathe house to replace the buildings that were demolished with the Creepy Old House.  Because of its old age, wood rot, termites, and the need for constant repairs, Greenhouse #1 is also scheduled to be replaced in a subsequent building phase.

In an effort to become better acquainted with JCMGA, Andrew has invited all its members to an Arbor Day celebration.  He will be donating a tree to be planted on the SOREC grounds, followed by a lunch also provided by him.  A speaker will give a short presentation on the purposes of the OSU Foundation.  (Side note: JCMGA uses the foundation for our endowment fund and the scholarship we give annually to help a student majoring in a horticulture-related field.)

Watch next month’s Garden Beet and your email in April for a Mail Chimp with more details about the Arbor Day event.  Reservations will be required for lunch.  I hope to see you there.

Feb 27

Save our Pollinators!

By Beet 2025 03 March

The “Insect Apocalypse” is happening now. Insect populations are declining worldwide, in numbers that are quite staggering. Some countries are reporting a 45% reduction in insect biomass, while some streams in the United States have shown a 96% reduction in invertebrate life. If we think of insects as the “krill of the land,” we can understand how all other animal groups in the food web – fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals – depend on this food source. This loss of insects is due primarily to the overuse of insecticides.

 

As Master Gardeners, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to sound the alarm and make a change in this potentially devastating trend. Please follow the link below to the information page at Pollinator Project Rogue Valley to find links to information about neonicotiods, and the harm they inflict on our environment and local ecosystems.  What are Neonicotinoids?  By educating yourself, you can better educate others!

Feb 27

REMEMBER 15333

By Beet 2025 03 March

We’re starting to head into the gardening season. My Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley, Year ‘Round & Month by Month, Vegetables Berries Melons tells me this is the time to direct sow onions, peas, spinach, radishes, carrots, chives, cilantro, kale, Swiss chard, parsley, and turnips.  It’s also time to transplant asparagus roots, perennial herbs, horseradish, head lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, and strawberries

So where do you buy your gardening supplies and equipment?  If you shop at the Grange Co-Op, 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.” Grange members can also choose to do this because their rewards usually don’t amount to a lot. It’s when we put our rewards together that they become significant.

They’ll probably ask for your name.  Remind the cashier that anyone can credit an account.  They only need a name that matches one of the three on the account if you are trying to buy something with the credits.

This enables the rewards for your purchase to go to JCMGA instead of being wasted.  Last year, JCMGA bought over $500 worth of gardening supplies for the Practicum, the Demonstration Gardens, and irrigation needs with the rewards accumulated by JCMGA members and friends. More than you realize, remembering “15333” helps us support our efforts to give back to the community.

Editor’s Note:  Not remembering 15333, the last time I checked out at the Grange I just asked to have JCMGA credited and they obliged. -sch

 

Feb 27

Reflecting on Change

By Beet 2025 03 March

This month we welcome the glorious change from winter to spring. I once heard it said that the only thing in life we can be certain of is that all things will change. What profound truth this simple statement holds. We all experience a plethora of changes daily and throughout our lives. A new job opportunity, the birth of a child, and retirement are generally changes worth celebrating, while the loss of a loved one, physical ailments, and the ending of relationships are changes that often require some healing work.

 As we come upon the seasonal transition into spring this month, I invite you to become more cognizant of change as a natural rhythm in our world, and explore ways you can partner with this change. One of the best ways to do this is to spend some time in your garden (or in nature if you do not have a garden) and notice how nature typically yields to change naturally and effortlessly. Just as surely as night turns to day, the snow will melt and the sun will again warm the landscape, inviting seeds hidden under the surface of the soil to wake from their dormancy. What once withered and faded now springs back into life.

 Gardening offers us a chance to actively (and if done with intention, positively) participate in the change occurring around us. So, in addition to spending time in your garden observing change happen, I encourage you to put your hands in the soil and grow something, anything. Be part of the change; enjoy the change.

 For those of you who want to take this a step further, I challenge you to take a look at your yard, your apartment balcony, or even the window of your most used room, and see what can (and maybe even needs to) change this season. Can you remove half of your lawn in service of the native pollinators who would love to see more than a sterile landscape? Can you begin an herb garden on your porch and utilize what you reap in your cooking (and maybe even share with the neighbors?) Can you put a plant on your window sill that will help purify the air in that space? Big or small, what can you do to create positive change for yourself and the community, including the plants and animals, with whom you live this spring?

 Let us all embrace the changes to come this season by noticing and contemplating change, as well as participating in creating positive change. I have learned so many life lessons sitting among the plants. I have also healed from many unwanted life changes with the help of these allies. How amazing it is that this can all be done in the garden! What a wonderful place to be. I hope that you will share your experiences with change in the garden this year, and encourage others to do the same. Plant that seed and see what grows!

 

Feb 27

Program Support Working Group Report

By Beet 2025 03 March

Community Classes

On February 22nd we held a rose pruning class for the community taught by Master Gardener Rosenell Florencechild. It was a great time to see Master Gardeners and Jackson County residents come together to learn about rose care. Many great questions were asked and discussions held. We had plenty of time to get our hands working and our pruners snipping.

Seed to Supper

Seed to Supper is back in action! This year we have scheduled classes at Rogue Retreat’s Hope Village to serve residents of their three shelters; Hope Village, Kelly Shelter, and The Crossings. Classes are scheduled from the end of March through the end of April. Participants receive a helpful workbook full of the activities done in class, basic gardening information, and nutrition information to keep with them after the course ends.

Next year, we hope to continue this relationship with Rogue Retreat as well as expanding to more locations. In the past, this course has been offered throughout the county at housing authority locations, community gardens, and other community spaces.

At the Statewide MG level there are future updates on the way for Seed to Supper. Currently the format is 6 weeks of 2-hour classes for participants. This can be difficult for people to fit in their schedules. The first week’s topic of the course is a heavy hitter with designing a veggie garden. The instructors will be providing feedback to the Statewide MG Program to help the Seed to Supper working group think about updates and improvements to the program.

Cultivating Companions

We will be back in the libraries this fall for more Cultivating Companions: Growing Connections Through Plants! We have dates and times set up to serve older adults with Talent Library and Gold Hill Library. As we approach the start dates of the programs, I will have fliers you all can share with your friends, family, enemies, and neighbors in these towns. We have some instructors from last year’s groups excited to be a part of this program again as well as space for new instructors to join us.

Gold Hill Library: Thursdays Sep 4 – Oct 16  12:30pm-2:30pm
Talent Library:  Thursdays Sep 4 – Oct 16  2:00pm-4:00pm

 

 

Feb 27

JCMGA Board Retreat Meeting Minutes – January 2025

By Beet 2025 03 March

Jackson County Master Gardener Association

Board Retreat Meeting Minutes

January 24, 2025

 

Board Members Present:

Barbara Low, President, Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Co-Chair, Member Services WG Chair

Marcie Katz, Past President, Co-Chair Spring Garden Fair WG

Linda Millus, President-Elect

Keltie Nelson, Treasurer, Co-Chair Marketing & Technology WG

Regula Pepi, Assistant Treasurer

Kathy Apple, Recording Secretary

Colet Allen, OMGA Representative & Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Co-Chair

Teresa Jarrett, Co-Archivist

Carrie Holmes-Stanton, Co-Archivist

Rebecca Cohn, Member-at-Large

Kaleen Reilly, Member-at-Large

Joanne Daane, Member-at-Large

Mary Schrouder, Member-at-Large

Jory Kaplan, Member-at-Large

Michael Hornbeek, Community Outreach WG Chair

Lucy Pylkki, Spring Garden Fair WG Co-Chair & Marketing & Technology Co-Chair

Jane Moyer, Fundraising WG Chair

Janine Salvatti, Gardens WG Chair

Grace Florjancic, OSU MG Program Coordinator

Absent:

Ann Ackles, Membership Secretary

Guests:

Regina Boykins

Call to Order:  President Barbara Low called the Board Retreat meeting to order at 9:08am.

Retreat Agenda:  President Low facilitated discussion on the following agenda items:

  1. Dropbox & Working Groups for 2025: JCMGA member Regina Boykins, who is the Dropbox Administrator/owner, led a discussion and answered questions on how to access and utilize Dropbox.  President Low emphasized the importance of Working Groups uploading their meeting minutes and other resource documents for archiving and future use.
  2. JCMGA Vision for the Future Regarding Building Construction: President Low asked the Board to discuss what their vision is for the future related to buildings needed by the association.  A possible vision was to “Establish a learning facility dedicated to sustainable horticultural education for Master Gardeners and the community”.  Board Member comments included:
  3. Don’t limit the vision. Think out of the box.
  4. Conduct grant research now in preparation for fundraising.
  5. Utilize the Oregon Construction Contractors Board for resources.
  6. Get answers to all legal questions.
  7. Dream big, make a wish list for buildings, include IT, kitchen, bathroom.
  8. Have a community garden on SOREC property.
  9. 2024 Accomplishments: President Low was complimented on creating the outline of accomplishments by the association in 2024.  The Board brainstormed various ways this document could be used including:
  10. Publishing on the JCMGA website and Facebook.
  11. Article in the Garden Beet.
  12. Send to OMGA.
  13. Make it colorful and fun; put it every place we are.
  14. Highlight the number of volunteer hours.
  15. Send to local mayors and share with community garden groups and schools.
  16. Include in all JCMGA presentations.
  17. Share with the new Master Gardener class.
  18. Add visuals specific to accomplishments and charts.

 

  1. Strategic Plan for 2025 including JCMGA Vision for 3 & 5 Years: President Low walked the Board through each of the 2025 strategic goals and objectives for clarification, common understanding and agreement.  OSU MG Program Coordinator Grace Florjancic provided updates for future planning including a once-a-month presence at the local grower’s market, the need for more volunteers, leadership training, and increasing the number of students for the annual Master Gardener class.
  2. Parking Lot Issues: President Low asked members to keep a list of issues to be addressed later.   They included:
  3. Develop a list of legal questions to be answered regarding the vision of building a classroom (Ex. Do we own the building? Can we rent it out & collect a fee? How do we ensure sole use by JCMGA?)
  4. Develop a JCMGA Glossary of terms.
  5. Create a building rendering.
  6. Utilized the SOREC Farm Manager for some gardening related tasks. Think about hiring a landscape maintenance company for some tasks related to the demonstration gardens.
  7. Schedule another art in the garden event.

Announcements:

  1. The Master Gardener Class of 2025 lunch will be Wednesday, January 29, 2025 from Noon to 1:00pm in the Auditorium.

Adjournment:  The meeting was adjourned at 11:30am.

Next Meeting:

  1. The next regular Board meeting will be held February 14, 2025 from 9:00am to 11:30am.

Respectfully Submitted by Kathy Apple, Recording Secretary

Feb 27

JCMGA Board Meeting Minutes – January 2025

By Beet 2025 03 March

Jackson County Master Gardener Association

Board Meeting Minutes

January 10, 2025

Board Members Present:

Barbara Low, President, Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Co-Chair, Member Services WG Chair

Marcie Katz, Past President, Co-Chair Spring Garden Fair WG

Linda Millus, President-Elect

Keltie Nelson, Treasurer, Co-Chair Marketing & Technology WG

Regula Pepi, Assistant Treasurer

Ann Ackles, Membership Secretary

Kathy Apple, Recording Secretary

Colet Allen, OMGA Representative & Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Co-Chair

Teresa Jarrett, Co-Archivist

Carrie Holmes-Stanton, Co-Archivist

Rebecca Cohn, Member-at-Large

Kaleen Reilly, Member-at-Large

Joanne Daane, Member-at-Large

Mary Schrouder, Member-at-Large

Jory Kaplan, Member-at-Large

Michael Hornbeek, Community Outreach WG Chair

Lucy Pylkki, Spring Garden Fair WG Co-Chair & Marketing & Technology Co-Chair

Jane Moyer, Fundraising WG Chair

Janine Salvatti, Gardens WG Chair

Grace Florjancic, OSU MG Program Coordinator

Guests:

Ronnie Budge

Ann Kinkley, OMGA Newsletter Editor

Andrew Norwood, Development Director, OSU Foundation

Call to Order:  President Barbara Low called the Board meeting to order at 9:00am.

JCMGA Board Oath:  President Low facilitated the collective Board oath which reads, “I (name), as a member of the Jackson County Master Gardeners Association Board of Directors, promise to do my best to learn, practice, and teach the art and science of gardening in the Rogue Valley, and beyond.”

Additions to the Agenda:  Members requested the following items be added to the agenda: Education speaker for Illinois Valley Garden Club request and call for Spring Garden Fair volunteers.

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to add additional items to the agenda.  Motion passed.

Approval of the Consent Agenda:   All filed, written reports under the Consent Agenda were reviewed by members of the Board.

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to accept the Consent Agenda as presented.  Motion passed.

Approval of the Agenda:

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to approve the agenda as revised. Motion passed.

Approval of the Board Meeting Minutes from December 13, 2024:

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to approve the December 13, 2024 Board Meeting Minutes as written.  Motion passed.

Finance Report:  Keltie Nelson Treasurer presented the financial statements for December 2024 and responded to questions from the Board.

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to approve the financial statements for December 2024.  Motion passed.

MG Program Coordinator Report:  OSU MG Program Coordinator Grace Florjancic provided an update for 2025 community education classes, Seed to Supper program, the Plant Clinic, the Cultivating Companions program, and changes to the SOREC grounds including placement of the new scientist housing.  Grace asked the Board to help brainstorm ideas for increasing advertisement for the new 2025 Master Gardener Training Program as registration is low for this time of the year.

OMGA Representative Update:  Colet Allen, OMGA Representative requested possible speakers for an education request from the Illinois Valley Garden Club on the topic of winter gardening tasks.

President’s Report:   President Barbara Low shared the following information with the Board:

  1. President Low reported on the monthly meeting with MG Program Coordinator Grace Florjancic and Farm Manager Jake Hoyman. A new location has been selected for the vegetable garden and an identified tripping hazard will be fixed.
  2. There are no new nominations for life membership at this time.
  3. The brown archive filing cabinets will remain in place. Other archive materials have been consolidated.
  4. Conversation is still underway with SOREC Director Alex Levin regarding a possible half time employee.
  5. There is a new sign-in policy at SOREC. If staffing the Plant Clinic, members must sign in.  The kitchen is now under lock and key.
  6. Regina Boykins has recommended some changes to the Garden Guides. The Board discussed pulling a new ad hoc committee together to do a cover-to-cover review and update of the Garden Guide in preparation for additional publishing needed at the end of this year. Kaleen Reilly volunteered for the committee.
  7. President Low reminded all Board Members that they must be current JCMGA members in order to be on the Board.
  8. President Low was complimented on her compilation of JCMGA accomplishments document. The Board brainstormed how the association might use this information in the future.

Membership Secretary Report:   Membership Secretary Ann Ackles reported that 89 members have renewed membership to date with a few in process.  Out of 14 life memberships, 4 have renewed.  Ann reminded the Board that volunteers for the Plant Clinic and the Practicum need to be currently certified.

Discussion & Business:

  1. Andrew Norwood, Director of Development from the OSU Foundation attended the meeting to present the work of his area and assist the Board with fundraising strategy ideas. Norwood is working toward the goal of assisting the creation of endowments for all extension county programs.
  2. President Low led a discussion on access to Board of Director reports in Dropbox. Currently, members and the public can access these reports.

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to limit access to Board of Director reports only to JCMGA members.  

  1. Treasurer Nelson presented the annual liability insurance policy to the Board. It was suggested that Treasurer Nelson meet with the insurance agent to review what coverage is absolutely needed at this time.
  2. President Low led a discussion on possible agenda items for the Board’s winter retreat meeting scheduled for January 24, 2025. Items include discussion of Dropbox and Working Groups, JCMGA vision for the future including construction needs, review of the strategic plan for 2025, and a five-year strategic plan.
  3. President Low requested a Bylaws Committee be formed to review the Board oath, bylaws specific to Voting by Proxy and Membership Secretary duties, and an update to Policy 1.5 Document Archive, Information, and Retention. Kathy Apple volunteered to chair the committee.  Ann Ackles, Jane Moyer, Mary Schrouder also volunteered to be on the committee.
  4. President Low asked for three additional Board Members to serve on the 2025 Executive Committee. Colet Allen, Kaleen Reilly, and Jane Moyer volunteered.  The Executive Committee per the bylaws also includes the President, President-Elect, Past President, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer.
  5. President Low announced plans for providing lunch for the 2025 Master Gardener class on their first day which will be January 29, 2025.
  6. Treasurer Keltie Nelson presented the 2025 JCMGA budget for discussion and approval.

MOTION:  It was moved and seconded to approve the proposed 2025 budget.  Motion passed.

  1. Spring Garden Fair Chairs Marcie Katz and Lucy Pylkki asked for volunteers to assist with planning and implementation of the fair. There will be a need for a large contingency from the membership.  The first planning meeting will be scheduled soon.

Announcements:

  1. The Community Outreach Working Group is distributing the Cosmic Coir donations.
  2. The Medford Street Fair will be held the last weekend in May.
  3. The Awards Committee chaired by the President-Elect will need to be created at the February 14, 2025 Board meeting.

Adjournment:  The meeting was adjourned at 11:00am.

Next Meeting:

  1. The JCMGA Board Winter Retreat will be held January 24, 2025 from 9:00am to 11:30am.
  2. The next regular Board meeting will be held February 14, 2025 from 9:00am to 11:30am.

Respectfully Submitted by Kathy Apple, Recording Secretary