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JCMGA Spring Garden Fair

Mar 30

President’s Corner

By Beet 2025 04 April

Spring has arrived!

We had a brief false-spring teaser, but soon we will start warming up and our plants will begin growing, getting ready for summer.

Our Jackson County Master Gardeners Association Practicum students, Class of 2025 have been busy planting a wide variety of seeds, both vegetables and ornamentals. They have also started transplanting seedlings in preparation for our JCMGA Spring Garden Fair on the first weekend of May.

Students and their mentors are monitoring the growth of these plants – watering, fertilizing, cataloging growth rate, and employing integrated pest management – to ensure that we have healthy plants to sell. We are very fortunate to have a great bunch of mentors and students who are working well together and learning from each other in order to become better home gardeners. We all enjoy sharing our gardening knowledge and are open to learning from each other.

In preparation for the Spring Garden Fair, we have started to recruit volunteers to work in various aspects of the event. Some of these workstations involve minimal to medium physical activity. Most of the shifts will be 4-hours in length.  Besides the Practicum plants, there will be many vendors as well as a Children’s Activity area.

Volunteer opportunities will include:

  • Entry Table – putting on wrist bracelets
  • Children’s Activity Area – helping children with a variety of activities
  • JCMGA Raffle Table – monitoring the raffle baskets and raffle ticket cans
  • JCMGA Fundraising Table – monitoring the items on the table
  • JCMGA Information Table – passing out free information sheets/brochures and answering general gardening questions
  • Roaming the Spring Garden Fair areas to answer general questions about the event
  • Directing traffic to have vendors leave on Sunday
  • Gate Keeper – making sure that people have a wrist band when entering

It takes many people pulling together to make this event successful.  Marcie Katz and Lucy Pylkki are the chairs for the Spring Garden Fair and have done a terrific job organizing this event.

This year our Spring Garden Fair will be held at the Jackson County Expo in the Mace Building on May 3rd and 4th. Mark your calendars and make sure to visit our Practicum plant area for a great variety of vegetables and ornamentals.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Barbara Low at barbaralow@msn.com.

Apr 30

President’s Corner

By Beet 2024 05 May

The Jackson County Master Gardeners Association consists of volunteers who work tirelessly to promote gardening.

This past month we have been busy preparing for our upcoming annual Spring Garden Fair. This event is our main fundraiser and time to celebrate what we have been able to accomplish as a group.  These groups include:

  • The Garden GEMS and their supporting gardeners who work in the Demonstration Gardens on the SOREC Extension Campus. They gather weekly to do weeding, trimming, fertilizing, planting, etc.  The gardens are beautiful and reflect their workers’ care and love for them.
  • The Class of 2024 Master Gardener students, who are just beginning to work in the Demonstration Gardens and the Plant Clinic after completing their class work, are getting their volunteer hours in to become certified.  This group of volunteers are energetic and eager to learn and help in any way that they can.  What a privilege to work with them!
  • The Class of 2024 Practicum students, who have been busy planting seeds, transplanting seedlings, watering all our greenhouse plants, fertilizing the plants, and monitoring the growing conditions of those same plants which we will be selling at our Spring Garden Fair! It has been an energizing experience working with them and with the Practicum Mentors – a dedicated bunch of Master Gardeners!
  • The JCMGA Marketing & Technology Working Group, who worked hard at getting the publicity out about our upcoming Spring Garden Fair.
  • A SPECIAL thank you to Marcie Katz and Lucy Pylkki for chairing the Spring Garden Fair Working Group! They have worked long hours getting this event coordinated with all its moving parts.  They have done a fantastic job!
  • Finally – A BIG THANK YOU to all our Spring Garden Fair volunteers – who are ready and willing to help make this event a success.

 

Come join us for the

JCMGA SPRING GARDEN FAIR

Saturday and Sunday, May 4 – 5

at the SOREC Extension Grounds

                       569 Handley Rd, Central Point, OR

 

Mar 31

Spring Garden Fair Volunteers Needed

By Beet 2024 04 April

Spring Garden Fair – May 4 and May 5

Help Needed!

 

We are still in need of volunteers!   

We are needing volunteers specifically in the following areas:

  • Parking Lot Area – physical work
  • Parking Lot Money Taking Area – light physical work
  • Plant Drop Off Area – light physical work
  • Children’s Rock Painting Area – light physical work

 

If you can help with any of the above,

please contact Barbara Low at barbaralow@msn.com

Mar 31

Spring Garden Fair 2024

By Beet 2024 04 April

As daffodils and tulips give way to irises and lilies and the trees unfurl their leaves into a spectrum of greens, it brings hints of summertime and thoughts of a garden. With spring in the air, it’s time to plan what to put in your garden. What better way than by coming to the Jackson County Master Gardeners Spring Garden Fair?

Like a rite of passage, the fair is always on the first weekend in May.  According to many, it is “THE” place to pick up all those essential garden plants.  We offer organic vegetables, herbs and flowers raised by our very own Master Gardener students. In addition, the Native Plant Nursery grows and sells a wide variety of ground covers, trees, shrubs, and annual and perennial natives which will bring the pollinators flocking to your yards.

This year, we will have over thirty vendors at our two-day Spring Garden Fair held at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point, 9am-4pm on Saturday May 4th and 10am-2pm on Sunday, May 5th.

Come browse multiple local nurseries, the Bonsai Society exhibit, garden art, bee and worm experts, garden tools, furniture and sheds. Take one of our many gardening classes or have lunch in the food court while watching the kids paint rock art. There will be drop-off stands to hold your purchased plants so your hands will be free to continue shopping and plant cart service for ease in loading your car! Admission is free with a $5.00 per car parking fee, so bring your friends and carpool! Let’s start off this spring with a bang at the Spring Garden Fair! We hope to see you there!

 

Mar 01

Jackson County Master Gardeners Association  2024 Spring Garden Fair 

By Beet 2024 03 March

By now, I am sure many of you have heard the buzz about this year’s Spring Garden Fair, affectionately known as the “SGF.” Yes, folks; we are back, and it is happening the first week in May! We rocked it last spring with our one-day comeback (after Covid took us out for two years). This year we are jumping in with both feet and holding it two days – Saturday May 4th, and Sunday May 5th.  

Like last year, it will be held at the Southern Oregon Research Extension Center. Vendors will set up in the Extension parking area, in the arboretum and inside the auditorium. General public parking will be located out in the SOREC fields again, with a parking fee of $5 per car instead of an admission fee. We are adding a food court with 2 or 3 food trucks, children’s activities, and even more vendors.  

The 2024 Master Gardener Practicum is in full swing with an energetic class, and we can’t wait to see those greenhouses fill up with veggies, herbs and flower starts! Of course, the Native Nursery will also be brimming with a wonderful assortment of native plants to tempt fairgoers.  

You know the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, it takes all the JCMGA membership to put on a Spring Garden Fair! There are many volunteer opportunities, and with as little as a 2-hour work shift, it is an easy “can do”, even if you have limited mobility. Please consider volunteering to help. Your support enables our success. 

The community was overjoyed to have us back last year.  Many look forward to the event as a start of their growing season, plus you can go home with your organically grown plants. Please come join in making this a successful and fun SGF. If you can volunteer, please contact Colet Allen coletallen1@gmail.com or Barbara Low barbaralow@msn.com . 

Apr 30

JCMGA Spring Garden Fair

By Beet 2023 05 May

The 2023 Spring Garden Fair is going to be held at the extension on May 6th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Set up for the fair will be on Friday the 5th all day. We have approximately 20 paying vendors and 6 nonpaying vendors. Some examples of nonpaying vendors are SOREC, the Plant Clinic, and the Fire Department. Vendors will be in the auditorium, in the outer limits of the parking lot and in the arboretum. Our vendors are primarily plant vendors. Others are garden art, garden equipment, and garden furniture. There will also be live demonstrations in the small classroom. There will be an 11:00 am demonstration of worm composting and a 1:00 pm class on how to transplant your plants. Students from 4-H will hold on to plant purchases while shoppers enjoy the fair. Students will then assist in taking them to your vehicle, if needed. Donations are welcome.

The Practicum classes, Native Plant Nursery, and the Propagation Garden will sell their plants with much pride.

The fair is free to the public. This is a test run for the Master Gardener Association. We have great enthusiasm and confidence that we can make this event a success.

 

Apr 30

Come to the After Sale!

By Beet 2023 05 May

Did you miss the Spring Garden Fair on May 6th at Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center?

Were you out of town?

Did you go to the Expo by mistake, and get distracted by the Home Show?

Or did you attend SGF and just not get ALL the plants you needed?

 

If so, you are in great luck!  Jackson County Master Gardeners are having an

 

AFTER SALE 

May 13th from 9 am to 3 pm

Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center

 

All vegetables, herbs, and annual flowers left over from SPRING GARDEN FAIR will be on sale for HALF PRICE.  Many native plants will be discounted as well.  Come on down and shop ’til you drop!

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