Biweekly Update for October 28, 2025
- Brenda Bye
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
President’s Message
🎃 A big thank you to Nancy Tovar who has kindly volunteered to coordinate table decorations for our upcoming awards and graduation celebration. Nancy is looking for interesting dried plant material like seed pods. If you have any, you can drop them off at the extension office. There will be a box at the help desk. Any help that you can give with this will be appreciated.
At the October membership meeting, we learned that there was a problem with the log-in to the VRS systems. The new log-in is https://vrs.osumg.org/sec_Login/. If you need assistance logging your hours, contact Otillia Schreuder (otillia.schreuder@oregonstate.edu ), but be aware that she will be unavailable on Thursday and Friday (Oct. 30-31).
Lastly, a big congratulations to the newly elected BCMGA board for 2026. Along with those that are returning for another year, we are really pleased to welcome four new members—John Bertani as President Elect, Christine Welsch as Co-Vice President, Catherine Whiting as OMGA Representative, and Lauren McQuade as Member at Large. Thank you to all who have taken on a leadership role.
- Paula Lupcho, President
BCMGA Membership News
🎃 Linn and Benton Counties Master Gardener Graduation - Plan to come and celebrate our Trainee Class of 2025 and our BCMGA Award winners with a potluck brunch and awards ceremony.
Saturday, November 15, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Location: Central Electric Training Center in Tangent, Oregon
🎃 November BCMGA Board Meeting will be held Monday, November 10, 2025 at 9:00AM via Zoom. If you would like to attend please email president Paula Lupcho.
🎃 Renew Your BCMGA Membership for only $15. Please complete your renewal by Thanksgiving for the benefit of our treasurer and membership secretary.
You can mail your cash or check to: BCMGA
5060 SW Philomath Blvd., #197
Corvallis, OR 97333.
If paying by credit card, use this link: https://square.link/u/vAZplhAF There will be a swipe fee of $0.76 for a total of $15.76.
🎃 Seeking Social Butterflies and Party Planners - Put your social skills to good work helping VP Laura Horsey with the fun social events on the Master Gardener calendar. Currently seeking helpers for the Winter Greens Party on Tuesday, December 2nd. Email Laura here.
Volunteer Opportunities
These activities are approved by OSU Extension for volunteer hours
🎃Mountain View Elementary School Garden wants your help in the garden and classroom. Join this enthusiastic crew for a fun curriculum that grows interesting foods. This program is inspiring future gardeners and scientists. If you are interested in putting some of your time into this NW Corvallis based garden, contact Susan Hoffman, shoff@peak.org or Nancy Tovar, njtovar@gmail.com
🎃 Join CGET Leadership - The Community Garden Education Team (CGET) is one of BCMGA’s most public-facing committees and a cornerstone of our garden education mission. These are some of our most popular activities, but the committee needs an additional Co-Chair to help in planning. As a reminder, hours working on committees are approved volunteer hours and can often be flexible for our working members.
If you love vegetable gardening and want to make a meaningful impact in the community, this is a rewarding opportunity. To learn more, contact CGET.BentonMG@gmail.com.
🎃Demonstration Garden Has Been Put to Bed for the Year - After another successful year at the demonstration garden the beds have been cover cropped or mulched for the winter, although there are still some persimmons to be picked. The committee will meet again in January for our planning meeting.
The committee is also hoping to work with Otillia to put on some workshops in the garden next year. If you have ideas and would like to be involved please email Committee Chair David Mandel.
🎃Plant Desk Sign Up Remains Open - Help answer fall and winter gardening questions from our community. The desk is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with morning and afternoon shifts available. See the 2025 Signup Genius
🎃Dahlia Tubers Donations Needed for the Plant Sale. Swan Island experts say: By November your tubers have been planted long enough to fully mature and develop the new tubers and will be ready to dig. Even if they are still in their green stage, we recommend getting them dug up prior to the winter weather arriving (and staying).
So it’s time to look ahead to digging dahlias for our plant sale. Please contact Chere Pereira if you plan to have tubers to donate. The tentative plan is to wash and dip them at Nellie’s barn around Nov 20 or 21, then pack them up around Dec 1. We need to have all of them at that time, even if we have not had a freeze.
Continuing Education Opportunities
Approved for CE by OSU Extension
🎃Benton County Master Gardeners YouTube Channel - If you still need more Continuing Education Credits consider catching up on past lectures from our Membership Meetings. They are available on our very own YouTube Channel at:
🎃Marion Master Gardener Association is having their Pollinator Connection Conference on October 19, 2025 in Salem. The admission is free but registration is required. See the event website for details on speakers and location.
🎃10 Minute University: An on demand, online webinar offered by Clackamas County Master Gardeners with a variety of gardening topics.
🎃Outdoor Learning School & Store: An on demand, online webinar that counts towards Growing and Belonging credit.
Extension News
🎃 Lost your badge, changed your name, or have a pacemaker?
The Linn and Benton County Extension Office will be ordering badges soon. If you have lost your badge or changed your name, please let Nicole Mason-Martin know (nicole.masonmartin@oregonstate.edu). The magnet badges are not supposed to be used with a pacemaker. If you have a pacemaker, please contact Nicole to get a new badge with a pin back.
🎃 Recertification Hours Are Due This Friday!
The Annual Recertification Requirements are:
20 hours of volunteering on approved Master Gardener projects.
10 hours of continuing education (1 hour of which should be focused on Growing and Belonging)
Steps to Recertify:
Complete Required OSU Paperwork
Volunteer!
Input your hours into VRS by October 31, 2025. (*Please note: Hours must be submitted into VRS to count towards certification). If you are unable to complete this, please attend VRS (https://vrs.osumg.org/sec_Login/ ) Office Hours or email Otillia Schreuder to ask a question or request a meeting at otillia.schreuder@oregonstate.edu. If you have questions about VRS, please reach out by October 28, 2025. Laurie Gibson and myself will be on vacation from October 30-31.
Community News
Items are submitted by members are not approved by OSU Extension for CE or Volunteer Hours
🎃 OSU Healing Gardens: A Place for Healing and Growing
The OSU Foundation, Beavs Give, and the Campus Arboretum are launching a new initiative to create Healing Gardens across Oregon State University’s campus. This will make OSU one of only 3 college campuses nationwide to feature this therapeutic resource. If you are interested in donating to this new initiative please look at their website:
🎃 Linn County Demo Garden is Looking for Ways to Track Their Demo Garden
We are looking to make a 'journal' or digital journal to keep track of the various beds, trials, successes and failures in our Linn County Demonstration Garden. So many chapters have extensive, fabulous gardens so we figure you must have excellent ways of keeping track of what is going on in them. Could you please send me any suggestions and I'll give them to our Demo Garden committee.
Ann Kinkley, Linn Co.
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