🌱President’s Message
As we slip into summer, the pace of BCMGA slows down a bit. But, don’t be fooled—there are still things going on out there.
Get Outdoors Day is a national event to get people outdoors. It will be held Sat., June 3 at Peavy Arboretum which is located north of Corvallis. This a fun one-day event with the opportunity to interact with upwards of 500 people. The activity is to help participants identify poison oak (safely for all), display some native plants and have a fun game for the kids to play with parents/guardians as they enjoy the area. This is a great opportunity for MGs and trainees who need weekend opportunities to log direct public outreach hours. More details are included below in Volunteer Opportunities. Kathi Tucker is the contact person for this event.
Demo Garden continues to meet every Wednesday morning. Folks gather between 9:00-9:30 at the Fairgrounds. If you want to learn more about veggie gardening, this is a great place to do it. Contact Dan Dix or Rosalind Hutton for more information.
The Fairgrounds Entrance Beds Committee is also actively working on the educational landscape beds that greet fairgoers as they enter the annual County Fair. Each bed is themed and has a MG steward that oversees the plantings and care of that bed. Help is always welcome. Contact Kathy Clark for more information.
Summer tours start on June 14 at Joyce Eberhart’s garden. Don’t miss this wonderful display of landscaping with native plants along with two other gardens next door to Joyce’s. There are more details below.
Also, don’t forget to register for the OMGA Conference Joy of Gardening. The flyer for this event was sent to all BCMGA members on Monday. The conference is once again back in Benton County, so don’t miss out on this conveniently located opportunity. Classes count toward continuing education hours. There will also be other volunteer jobs to help make this event a success. Find more information under Continuing Education in this Update.
🌱President Elect’s Message
Donations for OMGA Silent Auction - It’s time to prep BCMGAs annual donation to the Silent Auction at the Joy of Gardening Conference. This is our opportunity to support the grants and awards given by OMGA. We are looking for items that range from $25-$35 in value, such as garden tools, seeds, bird feeding supplies, knee pads, or trugs. If you have items or would like to help with gift baskets please contact brenda.bye@gmail.com. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
Special Announcement
NEW & Time Sensitive: I hope that everyone received the email that I sent out on Saturday about state funding for OSU Statewide Programs. Please take the time to read that email! Things were looking positive until the SB 458 got to the Ways & Means Committee. Currently, the proposed funding level is below basic service needs to keep current programs running. We have less than two weeks (which why I sent a separate email) to let our legislators know that we support full funding! Two of our local Benton County legislators are on the Ways & Means Committee. So, please put forth one more effort by emailing or calling your legislators and let them know that you want FULL FUNDING for OSU Statewide Programs. I have included the local legislator contact information at the end of this Update. Thank you for your help with this effort.
Trainee News & Opportunities
🌱REMINDER: Trainees are encouraged to finish their course work as soon as possible so that public outreach training with mentors can begin. Only trainees who have completed the course work should be training at the desk or at plant clinics at Farmers Market and elsewhere. If you need assistance or questions answered about the coursework, contact Brooke Edmunds, Community Horticulture Faculty at brooke.edmunds@oregonstate.edu .
🌱NEW! PLANT CLINIC at Farmers Market (Corvallis): Trainees can sign up for these plant clinics and work with the certified Master Gardener working that day. Time of clinic table is 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Available dates are:
· Wed., Aug. 23—2 trainees needed
· Wed., Sep 27—1 trainee needed
BCMGA News
🌱 Summer Tour: Save the date—Wednesday, June 14. 10:00. MG Joyce Eberhart is opening her garden for people to peruse. Joyce is our “go-to” native plant resource. If you enjoyed her Gearing Up for Gardening presentation on native plants, this will be a special opportunity. It will be an open house rather than a guided tour. She is also arranging for participants to tour her sister’s garden next door as well as another neighbor who has an amazing veggie garden.
Parking is very limited on NW Edgewood Dr. Please park on nearby NW 36th, 34th or 33rd St off of NW Grant St. and walk up Edgewood. If you have restricted mobility feel free to drive up to the house, as there are a few parking places in front of our house. Edgewood is a dead-end street without a good turn around, so please don’t drive up unless you need to park there. Three houses in a row will be open for viewing, numbers 5, 7, and 9, all on the right (east) side of the street. The gardens are all accessible from the driveway on the south side of #5. (See map at the end of the Update.)
Volunteer Opportunities
🌱NEW: Get Outdoors Day—Saturday, June 3 at Peavy Arboretum. This event is open to the public from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. so we have two shifts, 9 a.m. - noon and noon - 3 p.m., this will give us time to set up the booth in the morning before participants arrive. Please contact Kathi Tucker at kathi.tucker@yahoo.com or 541-752-2004 if you have any questions. There will be onsite parking for volunteers and restroom facilities.
🌱 PLANT CLINIC at Farmers Market (Corvallis): Certified Master Gardeners are needed to work during the shifts listed below. Time of clinic table is 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Contact Debbie Lauer directly by calling 541-929-7544 or texting 541-602-3138.
Available dates are:
· Wed., Jun 26—1 certified Master Gardener needed
· Wed., Sep 27--1 certified Master Gardener needed
Mentors, if you would like to work at the plant clinic with your trainee, contact Debbie so that she can accommodate you.
🌱Community science: Contribute data to research on gardens, plants, and wildlife. Many projects are remote and on your own schedule. Report the time as “citizen science: indirect”.
🌱 Various dates – Peaceful Valley Seed in North Albany is seeking volunteer presenters for various topics including composting, spring perennials, sustainable landscaping, summer garden maintenance, summer pruning and more. Certified volunteers who are interested may contact the organizer directly: Kimberly Montgomery 541.981.2248 kimberly@groworganic.com Report service as Instructor: Direct.
🌱 Master Gardener Desk (Office Plant Clinic): The office is open and there are questions coming in from the public. Volunteers are encouraged to return to the desk, in particular certified MGs comfortable with the pH meter and the microscope are needed. Sign up for shifts to answer client questions or practice skills. You can either work at the desk or in the Extension conference room if you’d like more space.
Find more opportunities on the Benton Volunteer Opportunities Page.
Continuing Education Opportunities
🌱NEW! Registration is now open for The Joy of Gardening Conference hosted by OMGA. This year the event is on July 7-8 at CH2M Hill Alumni at OSU. This is a close and convenient location to get continuing education hours, meet MGs from around the state, and hear some great speakers. You might even find something special at the Silent Auction!
You can register at:
🌱 Anytime. Recordings of Zoom Master Gardener training from Curry County with guest lecturers from OSU and beyond, are available for any volunteer to take as continuing education. Trainees are also welcome to watch and supplement their classes. More links are being added weekly, see the current list log on to the attached website.
🌱 Public Seed Library Lecture Series: This series of lectures will occur in March through July (Wednesdays, 6:00pm to 7:00pm) at the Corvallis Library, 645 NW Monroe Ave., Corvallis. Upcoming Lectures.
· June 14—“Organic Pest Management” Rich Little. Entomologist & Home Gardener.
Seed Donations to Public Seed Library: If you've started your summer crops and have left over seeds, individual donations of open and partially used vegetable, herb, and flower commercial seed packets packed for '22 and '23 are needed now to restock the Public Seed Library seed rack, and can be donated any time at the Corvallis Library Circulation Desk.
Extension News
Need help finding information from Extension? Here are some important links to access information.
Have a gardening question? Get help at:.
Interested in gardening classes and events?
Want to join Master Gardeners? Contact Benton County Extension Office, 541-713-5000
Want to partner with Master Gardeners? Please contact Brooke Edmunds to get connected: brooke.edmunds@oregonstate.edu
Current volunteers:
Need information about training, volunteering, or logging hours? First check the Volunteer Sourcebook and website.
Need a sign-up, promotions, or printing for an upcoming event?
First, use the Event Checklist to collect all needed information
In Benton County send to Nicole Mason Martin: nicole.mason@oregonstate.edu
In Linn County send to Laurie Gibson: laurie.gibson@oregonstate.edu
Need to update your contact information? Need a badge?
Contact Laurie Gibson: laurie.gibson@oregonstate.edu
All other questions:
Please contact Brooke Edmunds: brooke.edmunds@oregonstate.edu
State Legislators
Corvallis
House Speaker Dan Rayfield, House District 16
Senator Sara Gelser Blouin, Senate District 8
sen.saragelser@oregonlegislature.gov
Philomath
Representative David Gomberg, House District 10
rep.davidgomberg@oregonlegislature.gov
Senator Dick Anderson, Senate District 5
sen.dickanderson@oregonlegislature.gov
Albany
Representative Shelly Boshart Davis, House District 15
rep.shellyboshartdavis@oregonlegislature.gov
Senator Sara Gelser Blouin, Senate District 8
sen.saragelser@oregonlegislature.gov