“It was such a pleasure to sink one’s hands into the warm earth, to feel at one’s fingertips the possibilities of the new season.”
―
The Merry Month of May!
OSU Master Gardener volunteer opportunities in the metro-area flourish in the month of May as the gardening season begins in earnest! The Master Gardener helpline offices are abuzz with lots of inquiries from home gardeners. The Farmer’s Market season is kicking off and there is a flurry of activity and need for eager volunteers at our supporting Chapter’s demonstration gardens! There are also new learning opportunities with our Master Gardener hands-on workshops and mini-classes. Learn all the details…
2019 Farmer’s Market Season Begins!
Master Gardener Clinic Booths are popping up at Farmer’s Markets around the tri-county area. Master Gardeners are answering home gardener’s questions at the following markets in May.
Beaverton – Gresham – Hillsdale – King – Lake Oswego
Milwaukie – Oregon City – Sherwood – Tigard
Sign up for a shift on CERVIS or contact the clinic coordinator, Marcia or Janet for assistance signing up.
Master Gardener Office Helplines
It’s amazing what you can learn educating others and that opportunity is there for all who volunteer at the Master Gardener office helplines! Research and collaborate with fellow MGs while educating the gardening public. Sign-up on CERVIS or contact a phone coordinator.
Clackamas County, Janet Hohman, janet.hohman@oregonstate.edu
Multnomah County, Janet Hohman, janet.hohman@oregonstate.edu
Washington County, Jenifer Halter, jenifer.halter@oregonstate.edu
Keep an eye out! Special Volunteer Events.
Special volunteer events arise throughout the season so be sure to watch for email announcements from MG program staff or postings on CERVIS to snag a slot at one of the many special volunteer opportunities.
Speaker’s Guild Mini-Class
Are you interested in becoming a presenter for the Master Gardeners Speakers Guild or are you already a Speaker’s Guild presenter and you want to brush-up your presentation skills?
Our 3 Master Gardener Speaker’s Guild coordinators are presenting 2 mini-classes in May to support those interested in becoming a Speaker’s Guild presenter.
Friday, May 17th @ the Happy Valley Library, Happy Valley, 4pm to 5:45pm
Saturday, May 18th @ the Holgate Library, Portland, 3pm to 5pm
These mini-class will focus on tips and tricks for giving engaging presentations that offer quality garden information, while creating a welcoming, fun experience for your audience. Learn how you can branch out as a garden educator sharing your passion for gardening and the proven gardening techniques you have acquired through your Master Gardener training. Meet our 3 Master Gardener Speaker’s Guild coordinators and learn about the resources and support available for you as part of this fun, rewarding volunteer opportunity.
Register for a Speaker’s Guild Mini-Class on CERVIS. Look for the ‘Speaker’s Guild Mini-Class’, pick your preferred date and register.
Speakers Guild
The metro-area Master Gardener’s Speakers Guild members make presentations on a variety of gardening topics to community groups throughout the metro-area. Requests for presentations come from garden clubs, civic groups, libraries, schools and other organizations. For some topics, we have prepared PowerPoint presentations and for other requests new programs are developed. Through the Guild, you will find opportunities to develop and/or deliver programs in subjects that interest you. Support is offered to those new to public speaking. Volunteers can also shadow presenters that are more experienced. You get to choose presentation opportunities that appeal to you (e.g. date, location, small groups, large groups, with PowerPoint presentation or simply a demo or talk). The Speakers Guild is a rewarding Master Gardener activity where you can dispense sound gardening information to the gardening public.
*Time spent at these Speaker’s Guild mini-class can be counted as ‘Program’ volunteer hours. Perennial Master Gardeners can count the class time as EITHER ‘Program’ volunteer service hours or ‘continuing garden education’ hours.
Hands-on Workshop Openings!
A few slots remain for our 2019 training workshops. Sign-up on CERVIS, plus find details about the workshops, including location. These workshops are a great way to expand your gardening know-how in an interactive, hands-on environment with expert instructors.
The following workshops still have openings as of the composition of this newsletter.
- May 10 – Beginning Vegetable Gardening
- May 31 – Summer Fruit Tree Care
- June 1 – Summer Fruit Tree Care
- June 8 – Beginning Vegetable Gardening
- June 15 – Plant Propagation
Note: If you are interested in a workshop that is full, add your name to the waiting list – as openings often occur.
Another Great Series of Advanced Training Webinars
The 2019 Master Gardener Advanced Training Webinar Series is off to a great start. Here are the next 2 scheduled webinars:
Project Happy Apples: Reducing Codling Moth Damage in Backyard Orchards
Presented by Amy Jo Detweiler (OSU Extension)
May 21, 10am PT
Details & pre-registration info: https://learn.extension.org/events/3653
“First Look” Reading a Pesticide Label to Protect Bees
Presented by Matthew Bucy (OSU Undergraduate Honors student)
May 30, 11am PT
Details & pre-registration info: https://learn.extension.org/events/3655
If you are unable to participate in the webinar live, be sure to check back as recordings are made available a couple weeks following the live event.
2019 Webinar recordings: https://bit.ly/2SUiuBl
2018 Webinar recordings: https://bit.ly/2H1nkdB
Frequently Asked Questions…
How do I log my volunteer hours?
To maintain an ‘active’ Master Gardener status or to complete your Master Gardener training you need to log your volunteer and education hours on a 2019 Volunteer log sheet and submit them to the MG program office by October 1, 2019.
You can download the log sheets at the Metro MG Program Volunteer Portal. Just click the on the 2019 Volunteer Log Sheets link. There you can choose between a Word Doc or Excel sheet.
Does CERVIS track my hours? Yes, CERVIS does track your volunteer hours, BUT you need to transfer those hours onto your Volunteer Log sheet and submit them along with your other volunteer hours. To access your history log into CERVIS and go to “Report Management”, then click “View or Print Volunteer Activity History” and transfer those hours to your log sheet.
What hours do I log?
- Interns – log your volunteer hours and the Hands-on workshops that you attended
- Perennials – log your volunteer hours and the continuing garden education/recertification hours you attended
Then simply submit all volunteer and education hours to the MG program office by October 1, 2019.
The Plant Sale Trifecta Continues!
The Washington Co. Master Gardeners had a hugely successful fundraising plant sale on April 27th. All who attended the inaugural, 2019 Gardenfest found glorious plant offerings, valuable gardening information to ensure a successful garden, and happy gardeners all around! Hats off to all who made Gardenfest a wonderful success!
The plant sale trifecta continues, so be sure to join in the upcoming Chapter festivities…
Spring Garden Fair, Saturday, May 4th , 9am to 5pm, and Sunday, May 5th, 9am to 4pm
Cruise on over to the iconic Spring Garden Fair to find a treasure trove of perennials, annuals, shrubs, trees, small fruiting plants, veggies, herbs, garden tools, and garden art! 10-minute University garden classes, pH soil testing, kids activities, a raffle, and more! Clackamas County Event Center, Canby
Incredible Edibles Plant Sale, Saturday, May 11th, 10am to 3pm, a community celebration for home-grown goodness – organic veggie, fruit and herb starts will get you growing! Plant. Grow. Eat. Workshops, music, kids activities, a raffle and more! 1624 NE Hancock Street, Portland.
Dig-in! Lend a Hand and Learn at a Demonstration Garden!
Hands-on learning in any of our ‘Partner’ demonstration gardens is rewarding. Each garden offers unique active, relevant, learning opportunities. Contact a coordinator and dig in!
Clackamas County has the following great hands-on volunteer opportunities:
- End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center – Check in to see how you can join the fun! Contact: Sharon Andrews 503-577-7493 sharonandrews402@gmail.com
- Hopkins Demonstration Forest – Tend native plantscapes – in a beautiful forest setting! Contact: Frank Wille 503-342-6699, franklyna@comcast.net
- ‘Grow-An-Extra-Row and Learning Garden’ Project at Clackamas Community College – Help to grow food for those experiencing food insecurity. Contact: Nancy Muir ccmgextrarow@gmail.com 503-789-6970
Multnomah County Master Gardeners have over 1.5 acres of garden where you can learn and grow:
- Community Demonstration Garden in SE Portland. Many opportunities for assisting with growing vegetables, fruit, herbs, natives, and perennials.Contact: Heidi Nichols at heidinichols@comcast.net or
Nancy Fine soul_77777@yahoo.com or mcmgdemogarden@gmail.com
Washington County Master Gardeners have two wonderful demonstration garden locations:
- Learning Garden at Jenkins Estate – Lend a hand in this beautiful landscape. Contact: Marilyn Berti, MG contact: Marilyn Berti mcbberti@gmail.com
- Education Garden at PCC Rock Creek – be part of the exciting beginnings of a fabulous community garden partnership! Contact: Sue Ryburn at sueryburn@comcast.net
Woodland Wildlife Field Workshop
Our Clackamas County Extension Forestry team is presenting a Woodland Wildlife Field Workshop, on Saturday, May 18. Spend an informative day in the beautiful Hopkins Demonstration Forest. This workshop will be led by two great wildlife biologists: Fran Cafferata-Coe, certified wildlife biologist with extensive consulting experience in applied wildlife biology on working forests; and Jimmy Taylor, research wildlife biologist for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in Corvallis.
Register now and learn more here!
