I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose, I would always greet it in a garden. – Ruth Stout
We know spring is near, despite the wintry precipitation and biting cold, as we welcome a new class of 2019 OSU Master Gardener Interns and gear up for an exciting season educating the home gardener in successful gardening practices! So polish up your OSU Master Gardener badge and get ready for a new slate of MG activities and volunteer opportunities.
It’s time to reach out and engage in the myriad of clinics, projects and special events. Return to your favorite Master Gardener activity or try something new! Look for opportunities on CERVIS and in upcoming newsletters and emails.
Welcome Class of 2019 Master Gardeners!
A hearty welcome to our 2019 class of Master Gardener Interns! We are excited to have you joining our program of committed garden educators. You are over halfway through your training and soon you will be out in the community actively practicing and sharing your newfound knowledge.
Possibilities will abound with a wide-range of volunteer opportunities. You will hear about the many OSU approved offerings during week #6 of class. We hope you will dig in, have fun, and share your passion for gardening with fellow MGs and the gardening public. This is an opportunity to further your garden education and to gain confidence in teaching others how to sustainably and successfully garden.
Key points for 2019 MG Interns:
- Complete the four required training modules plus the corresponding quizzes, and an additional module of your choice, along with the quiz, by March 31, 2019.
- Complete the online final exam by March 31, 2019. The exam will be available starting the evening of March 15th. Please, allocate three to five hours to complete this online learning experience. You can stop and start the exam, and you can complete the exam in multiple sessions (be sure to save your work). A score of 70 percent or more is required on the test in order to start volunteering at Master Gardener clinic activities (answering the public’s garden questions). You will receive a grade on the exam upon submission via Canvas. The exam is open book. Feel free to refer to your online modules, Sustainable Gardening Handbook, and in-class handouts.
- For best selection, be sure to sign-up for your required Workshop before March 31st. Soon after that date, the Workshop schedule will open to all Master Gardeners and the offerings will fill quickly.
- Hear about the many volunteer opportunities during Week #6. This will be your opportunity to meet the volunteer coordinators and learn how to sign-up for volunteer activities via CERVIS (our online volunteer system).
Special message to our “Perennial Master Gardeners”
Perennial Master Gardeners, please join-in welcoming and guiding our new class of eager Master Gardener Interns by signing up for shifts at the Master Gardener phone clinics, area farmers markets, and other remote clinics. We hope to have one Perennial MG per shift scheduled before March 10th – so when trainees sign-up for shifts at the MG training Resource Fair they will have a Perennial MG to be there to support and guide them in their new role as a garden educator.
To sign up for phone, farmer’s markets, and remote clinic shifts go to CERVIS or contact the coordinator.
When signing up for CERVIS be sure to only sign-up for slots labeled “Perennial” or “Perennial/Intern”. Please do not sign-up in slots labeled “Intern only”
All ‘current’ certified 2019 Perennial Master Gardeners have access to CERVIS. If you are unable to access CERVIS, please contact Marcia McIntyre marcia.mcintyre@oregonstate.edu 2019 Interns, you will have access to CERVIS on Saturday, March 16th, after the week #6 Resource Fair.
Demystifying Grafted Tomatoes: The Why & How for Gardeners
If you have been curious about grafting tomatoes then catch the next OSU Master Gardener Advanced Training Webinars! You can take part in this informative webinar, presented by Dr. Cary Rivard, of Kansas State University, on Friday, March 15th, at 11AM. To register, go to: https://learn.extension.org/events/3604
If you can’t view the live webinar, a recording will be available a week or so after the live event.
‘Demystifying Grafted Tomatoes’ is just one of many webinars produced by OSU Extension to supplement your OSU Master Gardener continuing education. If you missed any previous webinars from 2017 or 2018 – please take the time to view the recordings.
Each webinar viewed counts as 1-hour continuing education credit for Perennial Master Gardeners.
2018 Webinar Series http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/ediblegardens/2018/09/24/the-complete-2018-mg-webinar-series/
2017 Webinar Series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIelD7ZO8N55rvyA6Q-y–4l3B4VCJPvw
2019 Master Gardener Training Begins!
Our annual OSU Master Gardener training has commenced! We welcome over 190 eager Interns, extend sincere gratitude to our inspiring instructors, and express our utmost thanks to 3 committed teams of Perennial MG volunteer coordinators!
