Tag Archives: Holidays

Benton Master Gardener eNews

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Bookmark our page: Find newsletter archives, volunteer handbook and more volunteer opportunities at https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/activebentonlinnmg/

Share an item for eNews by contacting your program staff by the second or last Wednesday of each month. Please use this event checklist to ensure all needed information is included in your request.

A person holds a selection of seed packets. Credit: urbancow, Getty Images
A person holds a selection of seed packets. Credit: urbancow, Getty Images
  • Shout outs
    • 12/16 – BCMGA Greens Party – Gruber Hall, Benton County Fairgrounds, Tuesday, December 6th, 11 AM – 2 PM.
    • The Extension office will be closed 12/24/2022 – 1/2/2023.
    • The Public Seed Library is a new collaborative project of the Benton County Master Gardeners and the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition, with the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library serving as the host partner. The free, volunteer-run Public Seed Library is expected to open at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library downtown by March ’23. Learn more and donate seeds.
    • You are invited to meet 2023 applicants and share your experiences with being a Master Gardener! Please RSVP to Elizabeth for one of these hourlong events:
      • Wed 1/4/2023 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Corvallis
      • Fri 1/6/2023 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Corvallis
      • Sat 1/7/2023 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM ZOOM
  • Extension News
    • People often inquire about how to harvest wild foods, something outside Master Gardener Program expertise. We’re excited that OSU Extension now offers a resource for safely harvesting and eating nettles. Colleagues with backgrounds in traditional ecological knowledge, food safety, and disaster preparedness contributed to this great new publication. And there is even information for growing this itchy but tasty plant in home gardens. Check it out HERE.
    • Explore Oregon Bees is a bee-themed nutrition and garden environmental education activity e-book developed at Oregon State University by the Oregon Bee Project and Food Hero. The readability is 5th grade and up, but there are activities, recipes and images engaging to all ages.
    • Considering a live Christmas tree that you can plant later? Master Gardener Leo researched several native conifers to help you compare their features in a handy list, picked as an Ask Extension question of the week.
  • BCMGA News
    • 12/12 – December BCMGA board meeting which includes orientation for the new board members. We will meet at 10:00 at the Calvin Presbyterian Church on Monday, December 12. The address is 1736 NW Dixon in Corvallis. Our regular board meeting will be approximately 10:00 – noon. We’ll break for lunch (bring your own) and then pass along the notebooks and some words of advice to the new board members. There will be a brief meeting of the new board after lunch.
    • Via Jana Tindall: “reminder to pay your membership dues as soon as possible. Dues are $15 (plus a small fee if you use a credit card).
  • Volunteer opportunities
    • New BCMGA Plant Sale opportunities
      • Saturday, December 3 – 10am-12pm – Philomath High School, 2054 Applegate Street, WEEKDAY WORKERS- THIS ONE IS FOR YOU! Seeding Perennials Work Session. Since some of our MGs work or go to school during the week, they haven’t been able to join us in awhile. Please RSVP to lesliehauser107@gmail.com  if you are able to come help seed perennials inside the greenhouse on this day. This will help us plan ahead and if we get a large turnout, we will try our best to continue to schedule weekend and/or evening work sessions. Low turnout and we may need to stick to the week day meet ups. Thanks for understanding. 
      • Friday, December 16 – 10am-12pm – Philomath High School, 2054 Applegate Street, We will seeding perennials inside the greenhouse and also repotting nursery plant donations outdoors. We’ll have canopies up to provide as much cover as possible but you may want to wear warm clothes and rain gear just in case. 
      • Friday, December 30 – 10am-12pm – Philomath High School, 2054 Applegate Street, We will be seeding more perennials inside the greenhouse where it will be warm and toasty!
  • Community news (Please note that anything in this section is not eligible for MGV volunteer service nor endorsed by Extension, but is mentioned as a courtesy to our community.)
    • None this week – check back next time.

Linn MGV eNews

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What are *really* the best native plants to attract bees? The Garden Ecology Lab is releasing a series of plant profiles of the top 10 Oregon native plants for pollinators, based on Aaron Anderson’s 2017-2019 field trials of 23 Oregon native plants. We will feature one plant per week for 10 weeks, this is week 4! Profiles will include photos, planting information, and will highlight common pollinators of each plant.
  • Shoutouts
    • DUES:  Linn Master Gardener Association (LCMGA) did not collect dues at the end of 2020.  The Board has voted to resume collecting dues.  Please pay your $15 dues by December 31st.  Dues paid or post marked after December 31st are $18. You can pay with a credit card at:- www.LinnMasterGardeners.com.  Put in the dues amount or any amount you wish to donate to LCMGA.  As you go through the process and near the end, you will see an option to pay “without” a PayPal account.  To learn more about being listed in the LCMGA directory and other reminders please click here.
    • Holiday closures (and no eNews the weeks of 12/20 or 12/27): Christmas Day Observed 12/24, New Years Day Observed 12/31
  • Volunteers needed
    • NEW! Love to grow veggies? Master Gardener volunteers are needed to provide advice for participants of the Grow This! Oregon Garden Challenge. Note: The sign up is only open to MGs at this time. Please do not share with the public-thanks!
      • Must be a current Oregon Master Gardener volunteer (or a Master Gardener representing a county demonstration/educational garden).
      • Sign up by midnight January 3rd and indicate that you are a Master Gardener when asked about your gardening experience.
      • You will be mailed 5 seed packets free of charge (cilantro, green onions, kale, mesclun lettuce mix, zinnias) to plant.
      • Must agree to give feedback on your growing process and results at least once—but as often as you want—during the Challenge. Feedback could include suggestions, comments, challenges and solutions, stories, photos, drawings or videos that we can share with others (with or without your name). You will receive an invitation to join our private discussion group—just for Master Gardeners—which will have monthly prompts and requests for your feedback. Report your active time spent on this project as Master Gardener volunteer hours (report as ‘community science’).
      • Hope you are able to join in! Questions? please reach out to Brooke Edmunds, OSU Extension, brooke.edmunds@oregonstate.edu
    • Find ongoing and anytime opportunities on the Linn Volunteer Opportunities Page.
  • Continuing education: It’s nearly winter and most live events are on holiday. Take some ‘you time’ to learn something new in our huge library of recorded webinars.
    • NEW webinar: Trauma-Informed College Teaching: Prepare, Respond, Restore by Jeff Kenney, Ph.D. Have you ever had a fellow MGV or client respond negatively or shut down seemingly out of the blue? Or had this experience yourself? Understanding how common trauma is and how it affects adult learners can help community educators like us to reach more people and reduce barriers to learning. Though this webinar was made for college instructors, most lessons are valuable for MGVs and volunteer Extension educators. I, Elizabeth, got a lot out of this and would really recommend it for MGVs who regularly teach others.
  • LCMGA news:
    • Beevent and Through the Garden Gate are tentatively scheduled for 2022, format still TBD. That’s great news!
  • Master Gardener applications for 2022 are open, with a new more flexible schedule and sliding scale pricing. About 36% of applicants so far are from Linn County! Know someone who is ready to step up as a gardening educator or plant clinic researcher? They can find more information and apply HERE. Applications are coming in fast – folks who apply sooner have a better chance of joining us next year.
  • Community news (Please note that anything in this section is not eligible for MGV volunteer service nor endorsed by Extension, but is mentioned as a courtesy to our community.)
    • None this week.

Linn MGV eNews

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If you missed the Celebration or want to revisit it, click the image above to open the scrapbook to see grads, awardees, certified MGVs, amazing insect and garden photos, and smiling pictures of your pals! Watch the best/worst garden puns in this link.
  • Shout outs
    • The 2022 Linn County board is:
Betty Georgen                  PresidentAnn Kinkley                        OMGA Rep
Kelly Muller                       Past PresidentJanice Gregg                      OMGA Alt Rep
Daniel Murphy                  1st viceBobbye Rainey                   Member at large
Pam Nelson                        2nd viceDiane White                        Member at large
Ann Capps                          co-secretaryTina Soares                         Member at large
Ranee Webb                      co-secretaryNancy Messman                 Member at large
Erin Steinke                        TreasurerNancy Ragghianti               Member at large 
  • Volunteers needed
    • NEW! Love to grow veggies? Master Gardener volunteers are needed to provide advice for participants of the Grow This! Oregon Garden Challenge. Note: The sign up is only open to MGs at this time. Please do not share with the public-thanks!
      • Must be a current Oregon Master Gardener volunteer (or a Master Gardener representing a county demonstration/educational garden).
      • Sign up by midnight January 3rd and indicate that you are a Master Gardener when asked about your gardening experience.
      • You will be mailed 5 seed packets free of charge (cilantro, green onions, kale, mesclun lettuce mix, zinnias) to plant.
      • Must agree to give feedback on your growing process and results at least once—but as often as you want—during the Challenge. Feedback could include suggestions, comments, challenges and solutions, stories, photos, drawings or videos that we can share with others (with or without your name). You will receive an invitation to join our private discussion group—just for Master Gardeners—which will have monthly prompts and requests for your feedback. Report your active time spent on this project as Master Gardener volunteer hours (report as ‘community science’).
      • Hope you are able to join in! Questions? please reach out to Brooke Edmunds, OSU Extension, brooke.edmunds@oregonstate.edu
    • Find ongoing and anytime opportunities on the Linn Volunteer Opportunities Page.
  • Continuing education: It’s nearly winter and most live events are on holiday. Take some ‘you time’ to learn something new in our huge library of recorded webinars.
    • NEW webinar: Trauma-Informed College Teaching: Prepare, Respond, Restore Jeff Kenney, Ph.D. Have you ever had a fellow MGV or client respond negatively or shut down seemingly out of the blue? Or had this experience yourself? Understanding how common trauma is and how it affects adult learners can help community educators like us to reach more people and reduce barriers to learning. Though this webinar was made for college instructors, most lessons are valuable for MGVs and volunteer Extension educators. I, Elizabeth, got a lot out of this and would really recommend it for MGVs who regularly teach others.
  • LCMGA news:
    • Beevent and Through the Garden Gate are tentatively scheduled for 2022, format still TBD. That’s great news!
    • DUES:  Linn Master Gardener Association (LCMGA) did not collect dues at the end of 2020.  The Board has voted to resume collecting dues.  Please pay your $15 dues by December 31st.  Dues paid or post marked after December 31st are $18. You can pay with a credit card at:- www.LinnMasterGardeners.com.  Put in the dues amount or any amount you wish to donate to LCMGA.  As you go through the process and near the end, you will see an option to pay “without” a PayPal account.  To learn more about being listed in the LCMGA directory and other reminders please click here.
  • Extension updates:
    • Holiday closures (and no eNews the weeks of 12/20 or 12/27):
      • Christmas Day Observed 12/24
      • New Years Day Observed 12/31
    • Master Gardener applications for 2022 are open, with a new more flexible schedule and sliding scale pricing. Know someone who is ready to step up as a gardening educator or plant clinic researcher? They can find more information and apply HERE. Applications are coming in fast – folks who apply sooner have a better chance of joining us next year.
  • Community news (Please note that anything in this section is not eligible for MGV volunteer service nor endorsed by Extension, but is mentioned as a courtesy to our community.)
    • Please consider donating to the Growing Ancestral Roots fundraiser to support creating food equity and access to people of color through community gardens. You can learn more support this group HERE.