BCMGA Biweekly Update, January 28, 2025

President’s Message - From Paula Lupcho

🍄It’s not too late to register for Insights into Gardening!  Many classes are still open.  This is an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday with friends and get continuing education at the same time.  Go to bentonmg.org and click on the Insight into Gardening link.    

Many of our committees are revving up for the year and would love to welcome some new volunteers.  There are opportunities for everyone.  What is your special interest—propagation, working in the soil, teaching, solving gardening problems?  Or, would you like to break out of your comfort zone and try something new?  Be bold and just go for it.  It’s amazing how much there is to learn from a new project.

If you haven’t yet gone into the Volunteer Reporting System (VRS) to log hours, be aware that there have been some revisions. The dashboard function is no longer there. Also, when you report continuing education hours, it will ask you to choose between Horticulture hours or Growing and Belonging hours. One hour of Growing and Belonging continuing education is now a requirement for recertification. This is part of the 10 hours of the continuing education requirement for recertification. At the May membership meeting, the topic being covered will fulfill the Growing and Belonging hour.

BCMGA Membership Activities 

🍄BCMGA Membership Meeting - Vice President, Laura Horsey, welcomes all BCMGA members to the next membership meeting for socialization and Continuing Education credits. Raffle prizes for in-person attendees. 

• Monday, February 17, 2025 - Popping Beans, Heatless Habaneros and the Tomato Blues: Breeding Vegetables for Sustainable Production at OSU 

• Location: Extension Building, Sunset Room (Use East side entrance) 

• Format: Hybrid meeting (in-person and online via Zoom)

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., program starts at 7:00 p.m.

Dr. James R. Myers, OSU’s Baggett-Frazier Chair of Vegetable Breeding and Genetics, has developed innovative vegetable varieties with a focus on disease resistance, nutrition, and organic production. His notable releases include Indigo tomatoes, ‘Legend’ tomato, and ‘Sweet Gem’ snap peas, with new varieties like mild habanero peppers and popping beans recently introduced. Dr. Myers’ work has had global impact, shaping vegetable breeding and organic systems worldwide.

Insights into Gardening Conference

Saturday, February 8, 2025

🍄 Join us for the 34th Annual Insights into Gardening Conference! This is BCMGA’s premier educational event, offering 16 diverse classes designed for gardeners of all experience levels. Attendees can earn Continuing Education hours while exploring a variety of topics. Registration is $45, with an optional lunch available for $17. Learn more and register starting January 2nd at www.bentonmg.org/iig.

This is a volunteer run event and we need your help. Whether you’d like to bake cookies, monitor doors, or assist with cleanup, there are still openings.. Sign up via SignUp Genius.

Questions? Contact Susan Hoffman at shoff@peak.org or text/call 541-602-4504.

BCMGA News

🍄CGET Looking to Mentor New Committee Chairs - Kandi Maestri, Wendi Gale, and Cheryl Stratton have co-chaired this committee for the past 4 years. CGET seeks to educate community members about vegetable gardening. It’s very satisfying volunteer work and community members are appreciative. We give away knowledge in a hands on way, gloves, pots, soil, seeds, starts, etc. We are looking for two MGs who would like to take on the privilege/challenge of chairing CGET. It’s good to have someone to bounce ideas off of and to commiserate with. If you identify yourselves soon, you can shadow us this year and learn the ropes. We will continue to participate in projects in 2026 and beyond, but it’s time to give others an opportunity to chair. Again, contact us at CGET.BentonMG@gmail.com to express interest.

🍄 Plant Clinic is operating on Winter Hours  - There is a new Signup Genius for 2025. Come alone or bring a partner. We would love to see you at the desk on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Volunteer Opportunities

These activities are approved by OSU Extension for volunteer hours

🍄 Plant Problem Scenario (PPS) sessions will be held for the Master Gardeners’ class of 2025 on the evenings of March 15, April 2, 10 & 24 at the Central Electric Training Center in Tangent OR.  Plant Problem Scenario Training is an educational program designed to teach Master Gardener trainees interview skills and diagnostic techniques. This is accomplished using role-playing veteran Master Gardeners and plant problem scenarios derived from common local issues. New members are welcome! We will have practice sessions and pair new members with experienced role-players. Questions? Contact Deb Kern (NewfandCardi@gmail.com) 

🍄 Public Seed Library - The PSL has been added as an official project of BCMGA under the CGET committee. The educational support offered in these volunteer opportunities are now approved for volunteer hours. If you have any questions about PSL Volunteering reach out to Jill Farrow.

• Pop Up Veg Garden Clinics - Join us at these fun and informal events where volunteers discuss growing veggies, herbs, and companion plants with PSL patrons. We help patrons select seeds right for them and plan their gardens, discuss soil, fertilization, watering, crop rotation, challenges, and successes. Check out the volunteer page here. 

• Seed Rack Stocking Events - Donations from local seed producers need to be sorted and prepared so they are available for PSL patrons. These volunteers keep things fresh and ready for the PSL Lectures and Garden Clinics. Check out the Signup Genius here. 

🍄 CGET Wants You to Join in the Fun -  The Community Gardening Education Team (CGET) recently held a Zoom committee meeting to discuss our 2025 Projects including:

Fruit Tree Pruning Clinic

Seed to Supper in the Garden

Container Gardening Workshops

Family Fun Night at C3 

Siembre la Cena

Fall/Winter Gardening Workshop

If you’re interested in any of these projects or have an educational project that you’d like to get off the ground please contact us at CGET.BentonMG@gmail.com. As they say, the more the merrier, and you’ll quickly find that we are very merry. All Master Gardeners are invited and any training will be provided.

Continuing Education Opportunities

Approved for CE by OSU Extension

🍄 Gearing Up for Gardening - Free Lecture Series A perennial favorite of Benton County residents and Master Gardeners returns for 2025. Lectures are held on Tuesdays during January and February at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. Check out the website: https://www.bentonmg.org/gearing-up-for-gardening

If you are planning to attend could you stay a few minutes afterwards and help clean up and put away chairs? https://www.signupgenius.com/go/GUFG#/

• Tuesday, February 4, 2025 Fruit Pruning: Trees, Berries, Grapes and Canes

  Presented by Jeff Cope of Home Grown Gardens Nursery and Landscape

  
  

• Tuesday, February 11, 2025 Sidewalk Salads: Front Yard Food Gardens

  Learn from Landscape Architect Own Dell how to make a beautiful and productive garden in the front yard.

🍄 Seed Library Lecture Series - Public Seed Library is a collaborative project of the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition and the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library with educational support from BCMGA. Look above for PSL volunteer opportunities.

• Thursday, February 20, 2025 from 1:00 - 2:30 PM Companion Planting of Flowers and Herbs

Come learn how to wisely plant companion flowers and herbs to attract pollinators and beneficial insects to your garden that can help increase your harvest, reduce pests, add flavor, and provide beautiful blooms to enjoy! Presented by Darren Morgan, Shonnard's Nursery Manager and educator. 

• Thursday, March 6, 2025 from 1:00-2:30 Simple Worm Bin Farming

  
  

Come learn from Cynthia Dort of Dort Worm Farms how easy it is to successfully turn your vegetable and fruit scraps into worm castings that are wonderful compost for your garden! This presentation will cover how worm castings improve soil and garden growth, how to simply build a functional worm bin, how to feed your worms, and maintain your worm farm year round. 

🍄 Clackamas County 10-Minute University Lecture Series for 2025 - Live webinars are presented every Wednesday from noon to one and count for 1 hour of CE. Register ahead to attend the free lecture. Lectures will also be available in video format afterwards. Go to their website to learn more. https://clackamascountymastergardeners.org/2025-webinars/

Extension News 

🍄 OSU Extension Online Calendar has a calendar of Extension events throughout the state. This often includes MG lectures from other counties. 

🍄 Solve Pest Problems: A new tool from OSU Extension to help manage pests around your home and garden with reduced risk to people, pets, and the environment. New entries are being added regularly on the SPP Website.

Community News

These items are not sponsored by BCMGA. They are NOT approved for volunteer or CE credits. 

🍄 Garfield Elementary School is looking for a person to help them maintain their irrigation system. The school garden is set up and operational and they are looking for someone who can replace PVC, fix and exchange drip tape, etc. for the system. One could find a place there, work on your own with minimal hours to help maintain their educational garden especially during the summer break. You would have to fill out the Corvallis School District Volunteer Background Check, before working on the school grounds. You may contact Susan Hoffman, 541-602-4504, shoff@peak.org for further information and be referred on to the school contact.

🍄 Benton Soil and Water Conservation Annual Winter Native Plant Sale is still open until February 24, 2025. If you were inspired to plant more natives after the last Membership Meeting you can place your order online and pick up your plants on March 1, 2025.