I find it ironic how we can’t wait for winter to be gone. Away with the cold weather! We are ready to put sweats, socks, and sweaters into storage and get outside to do anything that brings the sunshine to our pale faces and color back into our world.  We envision our gardens growing and bountiful, our decks and yards amass with annual and perennial color, our time spent outdoors shared with friends and family.

And then it’s summer; usually an instantaneous happening here in the Rogue Valley, as we go from a cold spring with late frosts, to 80- and 90-degree days. No transitional, gradual warming, nope! It comes in like a bang, and we are thankful that it is here. Yay! We can plant gardens, visit nurseries and eat outdoors.

And suddenly it is too hot to stay outside for very long, even though slathered in sunscreen. Now days are spent indoors again, slipping outside only at dawn and dusk to water the many plots and containers we were so excited about planting just two months ago! Then, just when we figure out watering schedules, activities, and what we won’t be planting next year – the dreaded wildfire smoke comes into our lives. It’s summer in the Rogue Valley!

Living in a beautiful area with an abundance of nature also means that the health of our forests plays a dominant role in our lives. Forest fires in the PNW used to occur every 5–10 years; now they happen yearly. Where there is fire there is smoke. In 2018 we averaged 37 days of unhealthy air pollution; in 2020 it was 41 days (particulate matter in the air was over 100 on the Air Quality Index). There goes the tail end of summer.

Life is not how we dictate it should be, it is what it is. We need to adjust to the new kind of “summer” whether we want to or not. Here’s hoping the fires will soon be contained and the smoke will clear. We can enjoy the merging into fall; delighting in the cooler weather and sunny afternoons, as we clear the gardens for next season’s crops. Goodbye Summertime Blues!

Hello Gardeners,

The end of summer and throughout fall is a great time for collecting seeds from your favorite plants. While it is tempting to snag every seed in sight, we want to make sure we are harvesting seeds in a manner that will not harm wild plant populations.

Where can I collect seeds?

If you want seeds from plants in your yard, feel free to harvest away! If you are thinking of harvesting seeds from wild areas, be mindful of some regulations.  The first step is to know if you are on private property or not. Avoid harvesting from private land unless you have permission from the landowner.

On land owned by the BLM, it is OK to harvest small amounts of seed from healthy plant populations for recreational use. A permit is needed for commercial use. To learn more about the details of harvesting seed on BLM property click here for a resource from the BLM..

How do I collect seeds?

Before you pick up our pruners and buckets to snip some seedheads you must first assess which plant species it is and the health of the population. Seeds from endangered plants must never be harvested in the wild. Click here for a resource to determine if a plant is endangered or threatened.

Plants with low population numbers should be left to reseed the land. There is no one rule for what counts as a low plant population. It is better to err on the side of caution. Make sure there are multiple distinct groupings of the plant present before harvesting seeds. For long term sustainable harvest of wild plant seeds, it is recommended to take no more than 10% of seeds in a population. This helps ensure other animals have seed for food and future generations of the plant will germinate.

If you are on appropriate land, the plant is not endangered or threatened, and the plant has a healthy population you can collect seeds! It is easiest to snip off seedheads into a bag or bucket labelled with the plant species name so you don’t get confused about what you harvested. Cleaning and processing the seeds can be done at home.

Happy harvesting and remember to be a responsible nature enthusiast!

Community Outreach Working Group

• Have been working with the Member Services WG to create a “Friends of the Garden” proposal.
• There have been more Master Gardeners who are interested in being a part of the Speakers Bureau.
• We are continuing to investigate how to better support the Spanish speaking community in our valley.
• We are looking at how to rejuvenate the Community Gardens and also provide them with support.
• JCMGA has been invited to participate in the 2024 Josephine County Home Show at the Grants Pass fairgrounds (Feb. 16, 17, and 18) and the Southern Oregon Home Show at Expo in Central Point (May 3, 4, and 5). The COWG thought these both may be feasible, especially if JCMGA partnered with the Josephine County MGA. Although the May dates overlap the Spring Garden Fair, which will be held on the SOREC campus again, master gardeners who are less physically active may want to staff an information table at the home show instead of assisting at the SGF.

FUNDRAISING WORKING GROUP

chair is Sandy Hammond

The Fundraising Working Group meets on the 3rd Friday of each month at 1:00 in the conference room at the SOREC Extension. We sure do welcome newcomers to attend with brainstorming ideas. Our next event will be the Fall Festival on Oct.14th at the extension. We are planning a native plant sale, Christmas items including wreaths and other decorations. We will also be selling beautiful garden art made by the Fundraising folks. We hope to have food and other plant vendors join us. We love new ideas and fun participation.

Garden Enhancement Working Group

Chair, Janine Salvatti

The “ART-IN, the Gardens – A plein air event for artists of all skill levels” was cancelled because of the air quality.  We hope to reschedule it later.

We have been busy planning the Glass Art Class for September 15^th from 9-12 p.m.  The location has been changed to the greenhouse.

Marketing and Technology Working Group

chair is Marcia Harris

Working Group members gave updates on what they have done this past month in regard to technology and JCMGA.

Keltie Nelson will be stepping down to send out MailChimps – starting January 2024.  Nicole Smith will take over at that time.

At this point, there will not be a September meeting for this working group.

Member Services Working Group

chair is Barbara Low

The Annual JCMGA Picnic was a success.  We had 65 people respond that they would attend the picnic, but only 50 attended.  This may in part be due to the adverse weather and air quality.  We had several awards/recognitions to hand out (State, County, and Special JCMGA).

The Community Outreach Working Group and Member Services Working Group have worked together to create and fine tune the “Friends of the Garden” proposal.  We will be presenting this proposal at the September Board meeting.

Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Working Group

chairs are Colet Allen, Susan Koenig, and Barbara Low

We have been busy organizing the Winter Dreams Summer Gardens 2023 Symposium.  This virtual event will be October 27, 28, November 3, and 4.   We have updated the registration form