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Beet 2025 09 September

Sep 01

Now Hiring for the Native Plant Nursery!

By Beet 2025 09 September

Do you know someone who would like to work approximately four hours per week for pay to help the Native Plant Nursery thrive?  The responsibilities would include general nursery plant maintenance under the direction of Lynn Kunstman or someone she delegates this responsibility to.

Unfortunately, in accordance with OSU policy, a Master Gardener may not receive renumeration for services to the Jackson County Master Gardener Program or the Jackson County Master Gardener Association, so we can’t use any of our members to fill this position.

The Board has approved a stipend of a maximum total of $1,500.00 to be paid monthly from July to October.  This would be prorated based on when an appropriate candidate is found.

If you do know of someone who would love to work with our native plants,  but is not a Master Gardener, please email Barbara Low at barbaralow@msn.com.

 

Sep 01

Program Support Working Group

By Beet 2025 09 September

Plant A Row Challenge

Many gardeners are bringing in their produce to donate to ACCESS Food Pantries. Through July and August we have collected 370 pounds of produce at the Extension Center! Through community initiatives like this we all contribute to a more food resilient Jackson County. Every pound of produce makes a difference.

The produce is collected by ACCESS volunteers on Wednesday afternoons and shipped out to ACCESS pantries and housing locations on Thursday mornings. It is a very quick turnaround to deliver this fresh produce to our communities. As we enter September and more produce ripens up, keep us in mind to donate your extras!

Sep 01

$upport JCMGA with Fred Meyer Reward$

By Beet 2025 09 September

At one time or another, most, if not all of us, have shopped at the Fred Meyer store(s).  The cashiers always ask for your Fred Meyer card which gives back a minuscule reward. But what if we all put our rewards together? It could become a sizeable amount.  And what if we all donated our Fred Meyer rewards to JCMGA? It could add significantly to the amount available to support our many programs.

Signing up to donate your rewards is a one-time process. First, you have to have a Fred Meyer Rewards card. If you don’t already have a card, you can get one at the Customer Service desk at any Fred Meyer store.

Once you have the card, the steps for automatically donating your rewards points each time you shop at a Fred Meyer are as follows:

  • Go online to fredmeyer.com.
  • Type “create account” into the search bar.
  • Follow the directions to sign up.
  • Follow the directions to link your card to your account.
  • Go to “My Account.”
  • Click on “Community Rewards.”
  • Find and click on “Jackson Co. Master Gardeners.”

Finally, all you must do is show your card any time you make a purchase, and the reward will automatically go to JCMGA.

THANK YOU for taking the time and effort to do this! Once again, you are supporting JCMGA programs that help the Jackson County community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sep 01

Summary of Showcase Meeting

By Beet 2025 09 September

The first “Showcase meeting at the Medford Library focused on developing a creative and visually engaging display with the central theme of a Tree of Life representing JCMGA. Ideas included branches from the Tree of Life for different programs, whimsical elements like ladybugs and other critters, among artistically designed leaves, catchy signs using colorful artwork to convey the mission and activities of Master Gardeners in the community. The display will utilize a large Library Showcase case, with plans for artistic imagery with succinct messaging and educational elements.  The project will evolve as more ideas are incorporated.

The Showcase will be set up October 1st and take down on October 31st.

Sep 01

The Ghost Garden

By Beet 2025 09 September

For years we lived with an awkward space between our house and shop. It is on a hillside and has a dip running down the middle. There are stairs on both sides but there was no way to get across the uneven top to go between the two buildings without going down one set of stairs and up the stairs on the other side.

Finally, a few years ago, we had a sidewalk installed across the top section to solve that problem. Then we spent another two years trying to decide what to do with the rest of it. Landscaper after landscaper came out to tell us their ideas. We finally settled on one who suggested terracing it and making it into our vegetable garden, thus eliminating the need for mowing.

And, so, last winter two workers built three walls dividing the hillside into four sections. Soil was scheduled to be blown into each section. We told the landscaper we’d like to lay hardware cloth before the final load of soil arrived to keep the ground critters out. “Oh, no! You don’t have to do that!” he said. “They’ll never get in there with the stairs and the walls.” Unfortunately, we chose to believe him.

Now, six months later, we have a great vegetable garden full of gopher tunnels. The rosemary is dying off little by little because the roots are being eaten. The sweet potatoes and tomatillos were eaten down to the ground but are recovering.

Castor oil powder covers the tunnels to encourage gophers to move on. Smoke bombs are put into their tunnels a couple times a week. A squirrel trap sits where the peppers used to be. Screen tents cover the plants that seem to be the favorites for being eaten from the top.

The tomatoes were our main concern. My daughter devised an ingenious solution that has kept the deer at bay so far. We’ve had no trouble with them so far (knock on wood!) because she bought 50′ pieces of sun cloth and covers the whole garden every night. A bit labor intensive, but we’ve had midnight visitors in other places, so feel the effort is worth it.

Our project for this fall is hardware cloth under another load of soil but the ghost garden will probably live on!

 

Sep 01

Over the Winter and Through the Spring

By Beet 2025 09 September

While you might not want your winter guests lingering so long, having some Allium cepa for a lengthy stay is another story.

Otherwise known as “overwintering” onion varieties, they are something we northwestern gardeners should consider sowing in our autumn garden plots.

Why plant overwintering onions? If you’re seeking out more succulent, sweet and milder onions for your seasonal menus, then these are for you.

Given our fickle springs, autumn-grown onions often outdo those sown in March-April. Late August through September’s consistently mild temperatures also give overwintering varieties a head start for those frosted starry-filled midwinter nights.

Despite a few challenges, these onions offer not only earlier harvestable bulbs but also have different varieties including perennial Welsh, Japanese, Egyptian Walking onions, and leeks.

Both bulbing and bunching onions can be overwintered. If desired, you can still supplement with spring-sown onions to extend the season.

Unlike their spring counterparts, and given the fact that overwintering onions are sown in autumn, their earlier/sturdier root development ensures they withstand freezing weather. Also, since most of their growth is in early spring when soil moisture is more ideal, they avoid late spring’s fluctuating temps that often result in poor bulbing.

Overwintering onions cure better due to maturing before drying in early summer’s (June-July) long days. Hence, you get more superior onions that will bring you joy for your efforts as well as those tasty bulbs.

Sowing in September is best as the hottest days should have somewhat lessened.  For August sowing, select more bolt-resistant varieties to avoid this undesirable occurrence.

Overwintering onions may not only result in superior harvests, but offer seeds that are more vigorous than other types of onions.

To assist sprouting, always purchase quality seed (order from reputable seed companies), and sow only the current year’s seed.

Although sowing can be done directly in open ground, raised beds are preferable.  They not only have superior drainage, but more friable soil. Raised beds also hold moisture more evenly; a must for successful overwintering. They help prevent pink root problems (from poor drainage), and promote root health by minimizing nitrogen loss. Ultimately, this means more vigorous bulbs for you to savor earlier. Hoop houses also help manage moisture during the winter.

After sowing seeds about ¼” deep (in a sunny spot with well-drained-amended soil), cover with fine compost or seedling start mix. Water thoroughly and keep consistently moist. After sprouted seedlings are about 3”-4” tall, you should thin them accordingly to the varieties you’ve sown since overcrowding can result in poor plants. Ideally, you want your plants about ¼” diameter going into the winter.

Onions start regrowing in late January-February. Once growth starts, side dress with blood meal then again in mid-April. Use a complete balanced fertilizer in mid-May.

Once tops start to turn golden (except for bunching onions that should be harvested while still green earlier in spring), stop watering for about two weeks before pulling bulbs.

You’ll surely be grateful should you venture sowing onion seeds in autumn so you can soon enjoy some lovely sweet-succulent overwinter onions in early spring.

Seed Sources:

Territorial Seed

http://territorialseed.com

They have Red Spring, High Keeper, and White Lisbon bunching onions

Johnny’s Selected Seeds

http://johnnyseeds.com

They have T-448, Bridger, Desert Sunrise, and Walla Walla

Bandit organic leeks

 

Resources:

OSU dry bulb onions Western OR  Dec 2012:

Onions, Dry Bulb — Western Oregon

Johnny’s Seeds overwintering trials:

Overwintering Onions from Seed

High Mowing Seeds’ Time to Plant Fall Onions for Overwintering!

Time to Plant Fall Onions for Overwintering!

 

Recipe:

Caramelized Spring Onions and Peppers

1 ½ pounds spring onions (bunching, regular onions or a mix of both) red and/or yellow: washed, roots and skin removed, then sliced in 2” pieces for bunching and thin crosswise slices for regular onions

2 large sweet red, orange, yellow or mixture of peppers, washed, stemmed and seeded, then thinly sliced lengthwise

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 teaspoon fresh lime or lemon thyme, minced

1 ½ tablespoons cooking olive oil

¼ cup each sweet sherry wine and organic apple juice

2 tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in heavy-lidded sauté pan until it’s hot but not smoking. Toss in onions, peppers, rosemary and thyme. Cook over medium heat until limp, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually add wine, apple juice vinegar, honey and sea salt. Stir to mix, then return to medium heat, stirring until it bubbles. Cover with lid and continue cooking on medium-low for about 15-20 minutes until liquid has concentrated into a glaze and onions are a golden color. Serve hot or cold as a relish on burgers, sandwiches or as a salad topper on seafood, poultry, or vegan dishes.

Store in fridge.