Biweekly Update for February 9, 2026
- Brenda Bye
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
President’s Message
The numbers are impressive. The annual Insights into Gardening Conference last Saturday attracted over 350 garden enthusiasts, who had the opportunity to boost their knowledge by choosing 4 experts among 16 who gave talks on edibles, ornamentals, climate change, sustainability, and other topics. The gallery outside the classrooms was equally impressive—20 exhibitors featured plants and garden-themed books, tools, and handmade gifts. And the cookie table, as always, did not disappoint, with over 1,400 cookies provided by BCMGA members.
A huge thanks goes out to the more than 75 volunteers who helped make this beloved event a success. Sixteen of them dedicated many hours to strategizing and planning, beginning last fall. Congratulations on an incredibly well-organized and well-run event!
By now most of us should be well on our way to meeting our education requirements for the year, which is a good thing, because spring is on the horizon and we’ll soon be spending more time in the garden! There are a few more Gearing Up for Gardening sessions and Public Seed Library lectures remaining in February. And don’t forget to tune into what promises to be an interesting BCMGA membership meeting via Zoom on February 23, featuring Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., an urban horticulturalist at Washington State University Extension, speaking on “Mycorrhizae: the Fungal Infection Your Plants Will Love.” Thank you to BCMGA Vice Presidents Christine Welsch and Laura Horsey for orchestrating our membership meetings.
We thankfully now have three additional Master Gardeners who have indicated an interest in volunteering at Calvin Gardens this year, and some interest in co-chairing the Farmer’s Market. We are still looking for Farmer’s Market co-chairs and encourage those who like working with the public to get in touch. We are currently focused on streamlining the Farmer’s Market processes to make tabling events easier to coordinate.
Many thanks to all of you for all of you for all the effort you put into BCMGA.
Jill Lodwig, BCMGA President
BCMGA Association News
BCMGA Membership Meeting - Co-Vice Presidents, Laura Horsey and Christine Welsch welcome all BCMGA members to the next membership meeting. Our speaker will be joining us remotely, so stay at home and join us via Zoom.
Monday, February 23, 2026 at 7:00 PM - Mycorrhizae - The Fungal Infection Your Plants will Love with Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott Ph.D.
Format: Join us on Zoom. Link will be given via email and on the BCMGA website.
Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott is a WSU Extension Urban Horticulturist and an Emerita Professor of Horticulture. Her work focuses on applied plant and soil science research, Extension publications, and promoting scientific literacy. She is an award-winning author of five books, a featured instructor in The Science of Gardening video series, a Garden Professors contributor, and a recipient of multiple national and international professional honors.
The next meeting will be Monday, March 16, 2026 Woodland Gardens with Jeff Cope.
OMGA Requests Support for OSU Extension Funding (HB 2408)HB 2408 addresses critical funding for OSU Extension programs statewide. In previous budget cycles, this funding allowed OSU Extension to fill vacant Master Gardener faculty and staff positions, helping restore services and maintain the quality and reach of Extension programs that support our communities.
Without continued service level funding, Master Gardener and other Extension programs could again face staffing and service shortages. Please consider taking a moment to contact your state legislators and urge a YES vote on HB 2408 to support continued Extension services. A form letter is available here:
Celebrating 50 Years with OSU Extension - This year marks a big milestone for the OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program — our 50th anniversary! Mark your calendars for the OMGA Joy of Gardening On July 10-11, 2026.
Certified Master Gardener Requirements - As a reminder to members, if you wish to maintain your status as a Certified Master Gardener, you need to complete 20 volunteer service hours and 10 hours of Continuing Education annually. These hours need to be entered into the VRS system to be verified by Extension.
Continuing Education
These are approved by OSU Extension for CE Credit.
Gearing Up for Gardening 2026 - These free events are co-sponsored by the Benton County Master Gardener Association and the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.
Where: Benton County Public Library
When: Tuesdays in January and February from 12 to 1 PM
February 10, 2026 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM
Small Conifers for Home Gardens
Add year round interest to your home garden with Mitch Goodlove-Pyles of Garland.
February 17, 2026 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM
Rose Care and Pruning
Master Gardener Paula Lupcho will be talking all things roses.
February 24, 2026 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM
Planting in Shade: Gorgeous Choices
Learn to up your shade garden game with Master Gardener, Janet Magadanz.
2026 Public Seed Library Lecture Series - PSL is a collaborative project of the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition and the Benton County Public Library with educational support from BCMGA. For details please reach out to Jill Farrow.
February 12, 2026 from 1:00 to 2:30 PM
Growing Greens Through Four Seasons
Learn from Master Gardener Janet Throop how to grow a variety of greens throughout the year.
February 19, 2026 from 1:00 to 2:30 PM
Plants to Attract Birds to Your Garden
Darren Morgan of Shonnards will teach you how to tailor your garden ecosystem to welcome birds with food and shelter using a variety of trees, shrubs and flowers.
Grow a Row! (or more) Master Gardeners can make a difference in the lives of community members experiencing food insecurity. You are invited to learn more at community educational meetings.
Thursday, March 5, 5:30pm-7:00pm
Corvallis -Benton County Public Library
645 NW Monroe Ave, Corvallis
zoom: beav.es/growarowBenton
Wednesday, March 11, 5:30pm-7:00pm
Albany Public Library
2450 14th Ave SE, Albany
Become a Plant Desk Pro with Bonus Microscope Training with Rich Little - Are you hesitant to join the plant desk because of your insect identification and microscope skills? Or do you just want to brush up with an expert at your side? The plant desk crew is offering special small group session microscope training with entomologist and Linn County Master Gardener, Rich Little.
March 11, 2026 at the Sunset Room
4 sessions available and space is limited
March 18, 2026 at the Extension Conference Room
4 sessions available and space is limited
If you are interested please reach out to Sue Rickey, suerickey77@gmail.com or 509-832-1463
Join the Trainees at General Knowledge Classes
Date | Location | Time | Topic | Presenter |
Thurs 2/12/26 | Online | 5:30-7:00 pm | Noxious Weeds | Grant Jackson |
Thurs 2/19/26 | Online | 5:30-7:00 pm | Research Techniques | Otillia Schreuder |
Thurs 2/26/26 | Online | 5:30-7:00 pm | Soils | Meg Mobley |
As these are recurring meetings. The Zoom link is in your email from Laurie Gibson.
Volunteer Opportunities
These activities are approved by OSU Extension for volunteer hours
Urgent Call for Volunteers – Calvin Community Garden
Calvin Garden urgently needs 4–5 Master Gardeners to continue operating—without new volunteers, this six-year project may not survive into summer 2026. For years, volunteers have grown specialty and traditional crops at the Calvin Community Garden, donating over 2,300 pounds of produce to the South Corvallis Food Bank, with a special focus on serving the local Latino community. Help is needed with watering, weeding, planting, harvesting, and occasional work parties, with flexible scheduling and opportunities to learn unique crops and earn volunteer hours. Volunteers also support a popular Spanish-language container gardening class (Spanish not required). If you’re interested in gardening, learning new crops, supporting food access, or volunteering on evenings or weekends, now is the time to step in. More information is included in the newsletter email. Please contact Lynn Trimpe at trimpelynn@gmail.com.
Farmers Market Clinic Table: BCMGA is looking for 2 people to lead this important committee. If you are interested reach out to BCMGA President Jill Lodwig Or BCMGA Board Member, Shelby Schuppe
Duties: Create a schedule of tabling events
Communicate with the Philomath and Corvallis Farmers Markets
Manage the Signup Genius for the events
Stock the clinic box with brochures as needed
You are NOT required to be at all events
Timeline: Most events take place during the spring and summer months. Additional events could be arranged at your discretion.
Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop. MGs are invited to participate in this workshop for learning experience or to lead breakout groups with hands on pruning.
When: Wednesday, February 25, 1:00-3:00 pm
Where: Lupe's Community Garden 360 S. 9th Street, Philomath
Info: Contact Jennifer Klammer if you're interested in helping.
jennifer.klammer@comcast.net 541-602-0431
Public Seed Library Volunteer Opportunities are now posted. In addition to the lectures mentioned above the seed library also hosts vegetable clinic table sessions and seed sharing events. They also need help keeping their inventory stocked.
Pop-Up Veg Garden Clinic - Sign up here
Seed Sharing Table - Sign up here
Seed Rack Stocking - Sign up here
Planning to take cuttings or divide your houseplants this winter? The BCMGA Plant Sale welcomes donations of houseplants for our May sale! All donated plants must be healthy, robust, and free of pests and disease. Spindly or overgrown plants do not sell well.
If you have houseplants you’re willing to donate to the Houseplant Sale area that weekend, please contact Lisa Borgerson by mid-April with the name(s) of your plants. Lisa manages our inventory and will let you know whether your plant is a good fit for the sale. At this time, we do not need additional jade plants or Christmas cactus. Need pots or soil? Contact Leslie Hauser.
2026 Plant Desk Sign Up Has Been Posted - Shifts at the Extension Office help desk are open, morning and afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The slower winter season makes an excellent time to read in our library, practice working with the microscope, or getting refresher training on aspects you’d like to know better. Please sign up when you can! 2026 Signup Genius
Extension News
Have You Met Kiana Ringuette? Kiana is the newest addition to the Linn and Benton Extension. She will be serving as the Educational Program Assistant to the Master Gardener program. Her office hours are not fixed at this point. Her contact information is Kiana.Ringuette@oregonstate.edu
Extended Trainees: Know someone who didn’t finish the training but would like to, please reach out to Otillia Schreuder to get put on the extended trainee interest list. If you know
someone with additional questions, please reach out to Otillia Schreuder at
Community Events and News
These activities are not sponsored by BCMGA but are of possible interest to members
Corvallis Sustainability Coalition is our community partner with the Public Seed Library. This group also has informational lectures and social activities monthly. This month includes lectures about Jackson-Fraizer Wetland as well as Riparian Vegetation Management. To learn more see their Calendar and website.
Evening Gardening Club Grant Applications is open from February 15th to March 13th. Grants support gardening projects from non-profit organizations that encourage horticultural study, conservation, beautification or improvement in local gardening activities. See their the Evening Gardening Club website for more details.
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