Summer creeping in after a scorching May

Greetings Master Gardeners.

Summer is almost upon us. May was quite the scorcher, and it looks like that will be the default setting for this month as well. Like me, you are probably worried about keeping your summer gardens watered during the current drought conditions we are experiencing. Hopefully you have installed drip irrigation in your vegetable gardens, and mulched everything you can to preserve the soil moisture. Master Gardener Doug Kirby has been repairing and turning on the watering systems in the Demonstration Gardens at the Extension campus so they can survive until we are able to get back to normal operations there.

As Jackson County COVID-19 numbers come down, and we can move into MODERATE, or LOW risk status, the closure on campus should ease. Erika will keep us all informed about when we can return to work in the gardens. Watch for her emails.

Meanwhile, there are steps you can take to keep your yard and gardens “waterwise.” Landscaping with native plants can help you reduce water consumption. Western native plants are adapted to our dry summer conditions. If you have not seen the fantastic, virtual NATIVE PLANTS GARDEN TOURS, put together by our awesome Master Gardener Sherri Morgan and her group of superhero volunteers, I encourage you all to follow this link to view them. Please be sure to hit the donation button when you visit the site.

The Community Garden Club has native plants for sale at 3939 Tami Lane in Central Point. Hours are from 9 am–5 pm daily. Sales are self-serve, with instructions for leaving payment in the barn. And of course, when we can return to campus, JCMGA will be selling native plants from our Native Plant Nursery weekly and at pop-up sales.

For those of you who would like to know more about what is going on with JCMGA, I encourage you to attend our monthly board meetings. Members are always welcome at our meetings, which happen on the second Friday of each month from 9:30 – 11:30 am. If you would like to attend, please email me at kunlynn52@gmail.com, so I can send you the link to our next Zoom meeting.

Stay well, and Garden for Life!