Coordinator’s Column

 

 

Hello Gardeners,

I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season and started the year off on a good foot! We are entering a very busy time for us Master Gardeners. The 2024 training class has started, with Practicum soon to follow. Our community education classes will be kicking off this month, as well as more upcoming ways to volunteer!

 

Upcoming Classes!

Rose Pruning: February 17^th from 10:00am – 12:00pm. In Person Only.

Have roses you are not sure how to prune? Join the Master Gardeners in our Rose Demonstration Garden as we teach you the ins and outs of pruning the perfect roses. Register here https://beav.es/SGR.

 

LAST MG Trivia Night:  February 21^st   6:00pm – 7:00pm. Online Only.

Play trivia against MGs across the state for a chance to win a gift card to an Oregon-based gardening company. This month’s trivia will be about Oregon native plants. Trivia is fun, and also counts towards your continuing education hours! Register here https://beav.es/qkN.

 

OSU MG Training Modules: February. Self-Paced. Online Only.

The online modules used for the MG training class are available for Current MGs to review for free! If you would like to access the videos to use as continuing education credits, please email Grace at grace.florjancic@oregonstate.edu to receive the registration link.

 

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities!

Plant a Row Food Donation

The Master Gardeners will be collecting home grown produce at SOREC to donate to ACCESS Food Pantries this summer. If you have the garden space, plan ahead of time to reserve a bed or section for produce to donate. Last year we collected over 700 pounds of fresh produce. This is one way we can help make a more food secure Jackson County!

 

Seed to Supper Instructor

Seed to Supper is a 6-week basic veggie gardening course for folks in the county facing food insecurity. Classes typically run in spring but can happen throughout the year, depending on location and instructor availability. Instructors are provided training for the course, teaching materials, and workbooks for all the program participants. Seed to Supper instructors must be current certified Master Gardeners. Reach out to Grace Florjancic if you are interested in becoming a Seed to Supper Instructor, at grace.florjancic@oregonstate.edu.

 

Plants for Gramps Volunteers

This is a new program we plan to pilot in the summer of 2024. Plants for Gramps is going to be horticultural therapy activities for rural older adults. We are hoping to offer 6-8 activities for each group of participants. We are working to team up with libraries to hold the program meetings. This means you could volunteer to help folks in your local community! Fingers crossed the grant funding to launch this program gets approved! Instructors for this program need to be currently certified Master Gardeners. Reach out to Grace Florjancic if you are interested in volunteering as an instructor in Plants for Gramps at grace.florjancic@oregonstate.edu.

 

Spring Garden Fair

This year’s Spring Garden Fair will be on May 4^th and 5^th here at SOREC! There will be many ways to help us prepare for this event, as well as staffing for the event. Keep an eye out and ears open this month for opportunities to get involved.