The Planting of a New Opportunity

We are so excited to announce the start of a brand-new Garden Beet monthly column that showcases you – our well-seasoned Master Gardeners!  We’re calling it “Growing Knowledge: A Homegrown Advice Column by Jackson County Master Gardeners.”

The mission of JCMGA is “To learn, practice, and teach the art and science of gardening in the Rogue Valley.”  This is the reason we all signed up to be a part of this great association, isn’t it?  Our existing programs certainly provide many opportunities to do the learning and practicing parts.  But if you’re anything like me, you have found it harder to find the time and venue to do the teaching part.  Let’s face it: not all of us can teach a class or write a full article for The Garden Beet.

That’s why our Media and Technology Working Group came up with this quick and easy method for you to share some of that wealth of gardening knowledge you have been amassing in your brain.  Each month, we will send you an email that gives you a new topic.  All you will have to do is hit Reply, and write one or two sentences of advice about that topic.  If you have a source, you can briefly cite it.  Include a photo if you have one. Hit Send, and then wait for the next edition of The Garden Beet, where you will see your contribution in a collection of sound practices and sage advice created by our membership.  Just think of the education we can provide when we combine our knowledge and experiences in this way!

We will share “Growing Knowledge” with our wider community by also posting it on our JCMGA Facebook page and, of course, on our website.  So, when you send your contributions, be sure to let us know if we can assign your name to it, or if you prefer to use initials or a pseudonym.

In addition to the notoriety of having your work published, and the satisfaction of making a contribution, Grace says she is able to award half an hour of direct education to your volunteer hours each time you perform this service.  Score!

Please keep an eye out for the Mailchimp coming your way the first week of July.  The first topic is going to be tomatoes. So start thinking of those tips, tricks and talents you have used to grow your best tomatoes, and get ready to share!

We can’t wait to see what emerges from your Master minds!