Call For Applications: Cohort II of the Master Gardener JEDI Task Force
JEDI stands for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity. Sometimes, we call ourselves the DEI Task Force.
Sometimes, we call ourselves the JEDI Task Force, because frankly, the word ‘JEDI’ is both more representative
of what we are trying to do, and is also more fun to say.
Applications for the second cohort of Master Gardener JEDI Task Force Members are now being accepted.
 Click here to learn more and applyApplications will be accepted through February 28, 2022.
  • Volunteers needed
    • Office Plant Clinic sign ups open: The office is open to the public as of January 2022, and volunteers can sign up for plant clinic shifts as desired, to answer client questions or practice skills. Desk is open for solo volunteers, or grab our ipad and mini miscroscopes and work in the conference room with a friend. Sign up HERE.
    • Find ongoing and anytime opportunities on the Benton Volunteer Opportunities Page.
  • Continuing education opportunities:
    • BEEvent – save the date: Sat. March 5, 2022. Learn more & sign up February 2022 at linnmastergardeners.com
    • Consider This, Oregon Humanities: Join us on March 10, 2022 for an online conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss. Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. This program will be streamed live at 5:00 p.m. Pacific on YouTube. RSVP for this free program.
    • New! OSU Extension Master Gardeners announce 2022 Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series schedule It’s a new year and a new slate of free online learning webinars with Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series. Whether you want to learn how to finally be better with your irrigation, understand if cleaning up leaves in the fall is really good or not so good for the insects in the garden, or get excited for all things roses, there’s a class for you.  This year’s schedule: 

February 8: The Science and Practice of Seed Starting: Secrets to success when growing by seed with Dennis Brown 

March 8: Local Beauties: Native Plants for Ecologically Enhanced Gardens and Landscapes with Nikkie West, Kathryn Prive and Rick Martinson 

April 12: Plant Grow Harvest Repeat: Succession Planting with Meg McAndrews Cowden 

May 10: Growing Great Roses! with Mark Windham 

June 14: Irrigation Choices and Design with Alec Kowalewski 

July 12: Best Ecological Ways to Control Pests with Silvia Rondon, Chris Hedstrom and Isaac Sandlin of the Oregon IPM Center 

August 9: Should You Leave Your Leaves? How autumn yard maintenance affects overwintering insects with Max Ferlauto 

September 13: Compost Can-do: develop a system that meets your needs with Linda Brewer 

October 11: Soil Fertility and Nutrient Cycling in Garden Beds & Home Landscapes with Gordon Jones 

November 8: TBA 

Call For Applications: Cohort II of the Master Gardener JEDI Task Force
JEDI stands for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity. Sometimes, we call ourselves the DEI Task Force.
Sometimes, we call ourselves the JEDI Task Force, because frankly, the word ‘JEDI’ is both more representative
of what we are trying to do, and is also more fun to say.
Applications for the second cohort of Master Gardener JEDI Task Force Members are now being accepted.
 Click here to learn more and apply. Applications will be accepted through February 28, 2022.
  • Shoutouts
    • LCMGA Board Meetings Time: Feb 1, 2022 01:00 PM on Zoom. See your email for a reminder with link the morning of the meeting!
  • BEEvent – save the date: Sat. March 5, 2022. Learn more & sign up February 2022 at linnmastergardeners.com
    • Continuing education opportunities:
      • Consider This, Oregon Humanities: Join us on March 10, 2022 for an online conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss. Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. This program will be streamed live at 5:00 p.m. Pacific on YouTube. RSVP for this free program.
      • New! OSU Extension Master Gardeners announce 2022 Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series schedule It’s a new year and a new slate of free online learning webinars with Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series. Whether you want to learn how to finally be better with your irrigation, understand if cleaning up leaves in the fall is really good or not so good for the insects in the garden, or get excited for all things roses, there’s a class for you.  This year’s schedule: 

February 8: The Science and Practice of Seed Starting: Secrets to success when growing by seed with Dennis Brown 

March 8: Local Beauties: Native Plants for Ecologically Enhanced Gardens and Landscapes with Nikkie West, Kathryn Prive and Rick Martinson 

April 12: Plant Grow Harvest Repeat: Succession Planting with Meg McAndrews Cowden 

May 10: Growing Great Roses! with Mark Windham 

June 14: Irrigation Choices and Design with Alec Kowalewski 

July 12: Best Ecological Ways to Control Pests with Silvia Rondon, Chris Hedstrom and Isaac Sandlin of the Oregon IPM Center 

August 9: Should You Leave Your Leaves? How autumn yard maintenance affects overwintering insects with Max Ferlauto 

September 13: Compost Can-do: develop a system that meets your needs with Linda Brewer 

October 11: Soil Fertility and Nutrient Cycling in Garden Beds & Home Landscapes with Gordon Jones 

November 8: TBA 

  • Extension updates:
    • We have a full class of applicants for 2022! Thanks to everyone who joined us for Master Gardener Meet & Greets! We have a great group of applicants and you showed them why Master Gardener is important to you!
  • 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.)

Biological Pesticides with Heather Stoven
January Association Meeting 2022 (Open to the public) Monday Jan 24
 
Register in advance for this meeting HERE. (LINK WAS WRONG IN ENEWS BUT IS FIXED HERE.)
After registering, will receive a confirmationemail containing information about joining the meeting. 

Join us for the first Association meeting of the year with guest speaker Heather Stoven. Heather will give a presentation about “biological pesticides”. While something like rotenone has been around forever, there are new agents involving plant extracts, bacterial cultures, etc., that are becoming available to farmers and home gardeners in recent years, offering an alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides. Zoom in to learn more about these new developments and about uses and limitations.

  • Shoutouts
    • You’re invited: MGV 2022 Applicant Meet & Greets! This is a good opportunity to meet potential trainees, learn about their interests, and share what you enjoy about volunteering as a Master Gardener. A link to meetings will be in eNews.
      • Tue 1/18/2022 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
      • Wed 1/19/2022 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
      • Thu 1/20/2022 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
      • Sat 1/22/2022 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
    • Continuing education opportunities: Events with Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss. Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. To get continuing education for either event, please share how what you learned is meaningful in the context of your service as a Master Gardener.
      • From Consider This, Oregon Humanities: Join us on March 10, 2022 for an online conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss. Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. This program will be streamed live at 5:00 p.m. Pacific on YouTube. RSVP for this free program. (LINK WAS BROKEN IN ENEWS BUT IS FIXED HERE.)
      • Lecture: Women as change agents in forestry. Speaker: Robin Wall Kimmerer, Plant Ecology, Ethnobotany, Traditional Indigenous Knowledge. Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 7:00pm, La Sells Stewart Center, Austin Auditorium. Registration required: Please register here. Please note: To reduce the risk or spread of COVID-19, you will need to provide proof of COVID vaccination or a negative test result within the previous three days of the event to attend. An OSU representative will check your vaccination status or review your negative test result upon your arrival at the event. Further information can be accessed at https://beav.es/U4a.
  • Volunteers needed
    • Office Plant Clinic sign ups open: The office is open to the public as of January 2022, and volunteers can sign up for plant clinic shifts as desired, to answer client questions or practice skills. Desk is open for solo volunteers, or grab our ipad and mini miscroscopes and work in the conference room with a friend. Sign up HERE.
    • Find ongoing and anytime opportunities on the Benton Volunteer Opportunities Page.
  • Continuing education: It’s winter and most live events are on holiday. Take some ‘you time’ to learn something new in our huge library of recorded webinars.
  • BCMGA news
    • Kick-off Meeting for the 2022 Benton County Fairgrounds Demonstration Garden.  If you are interested in being part of a fun and fulfilling community gardening project, please join us on Zoom on Monday, January 24 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for the 2022 kick-off meeting.  See eNews for information on joining the meeting. Please contact Denise Saunders at vdenisesaunders (at) comcast.net or Dan Dix at DDIX (at) verizon.net for the more information.
    • Community Gardening Education Team contact update: Hello all! In an effort to streamline communications we’ve created a CGET Committee email address.  We’d like to get the word out that starting immediately if you have a request for CGET or want to correspond with the CGET Committee we’d appreciate the email correspondence to be directed to CGET.BentonMG (at) gmail.com. As co-chairs we will be monitoring this email regularly and will respond to requests as soon as we can. Thank you, Cheryl Stratton, Kandi Maestri and Wendi Gale, CGET Committee Co-Chairs
  • Extension updates:
    • We have a full class of applicants for 2022 but are inviting people to join the wait list until 1/15.
  • 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.)
    • 2022 Soil Amendment Sale Now Open!
      • More than just soil amendments! We also offer a wide selection of propagation supplies, organic pest controls, cover crop seeds, and poultry/livestock supplies.
    • Order with us to get bulk pricing and save on freight charges. We’ll group your order with those of other local farmers and gardeners so we all share in the savings. Proceeds help support Ten Rivers Food Web.
      • Here’s how it works:
        • Order online: Through January 31st.
        • Pick up your items: March 5th, 9am – Noon and 1 – 4pm, at the Benton County Fairgrounds