By Margaret Bayne, OSU Extension Staff-retired, OSU Master Gardener
A home gardener’s guide to soils and fertilizers. (Craig Cogger, WSU) https://bit.ly/32DUNCs
Unpopular opinion: Saving Honeybees does very little to save the bees. (Gail Langellotto-Rhodaback, Garden Ecology Lab Blog, OSU) https://bit.ly/2QcuGzL
Video:Leafhoppers and friends. Fun to watch! Andreas Kay; via Zfrank1, Youtube) https://bit.ly/2Xb00Ah
More fun videos of insects and other critters by Andreas Kay. (Andreas Kay, Youtube) https://bit.ly/32CU1FP
Why plants panic when it rains. (Harvey Millar, U of Western Australia, via phys.org) https://bit.ly/350bvNX
VIDEO: What do earwigs do with those pincers anyway? (Deep Look, via Youtube) https://bit.ly/2QdH1ny
Nearly a million cannibalistic ants trapped in Polish weapon bunker make long-anticipated escape. (Iflscience.com) https://bit.ly/2CzO1TE
The myth of Winter watering “Decrease fall irrigation to force landscape plants into winter dormancy.” (Linda Chalker-Scott, WSU) https://bit.ly/34UDrmg
The process of leaf color change. (Harvard Forest, Harvard University) https://bit.ly/2Xb0mqB
VIDEO: Zombie roaches and other tales of parasites. (Ed Young, Ted Talk; Ted.com) https://bit.ly/2O9MXv5
VIDEO: Water movement in soils- Impermeable layers and water movement. “Celebrating Dr. Walter Gardner’s life and workwith newly restored clips from his classic film, Water Movement in Soils.” (Decagon Devices, YouTube) https://bit.ly/33RSblX
VIDEO: Meet the dust mites, tiny roommates that feast on your skin. “You may think that you’ve got the house to yourself, but chances are you have about 100 different types of animals living with you. Many of them are harmless, but a few can be dangerous in ways you wouldn’t expect.” (Deep Look, via pbs.org) https://to.pbs.org/2qM8LF7
A new pesticide is all the buzz. “The EPA has approved the first-ever bee-distributed pesticide for the US market.” (Rachel Fritts, Arestechnica.com) https://bit.ly/2rBLjKZ
He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter.
~John Burroughs
Congrats 2019 Master Gardeners!
We offer our sincere congratulations and a warm welcome to the newly inducted Master Gardener Class of 2019! We hope you have been enriched by your training and service as a community garden-educator. We know your energy and passion have enhanced the Master Gardener program. Thank you for your volunteer service and welcome to the Master Gardener family! We look forward to having you as part of our team!
Note: MG badges will be mailed to individuals who were not able to pick up their badge at the Fall Recertification. Look for badges to arrive in December.
2019 Master Gardener Program Report
Thank you, Master Gardeners for giving your time and energy toward OSU’s outreach mission in 2019.
New for this year, we have created a detailed report of your accomplishments.
For those who have fulfilled the requirements to maintain
their status as an active and “current” Master Gardener you will receive a 2020
Recertification sticker to proudly display on your MG badge. The sticker
is a designation that you are current and up-to-date, having completed all
required volunteer service hours, continuing education opportunities, and
completed forms.
Stickers will be mailed (by year’s end) to those who have
met the annual requirements, who did not receive a sticker at Fall
Recertification.
If you have yet to send in the annual required forms, please
send them in as soon as possible, so you too can receive your 2020
Recertification sticker and remain on our ‘active’ Master Gardener roll.
We extend our immense thanks and best wishes to our metro MG team member, Janet Hohman. Janet has accepted a new position (actually, her dream job)! We are extremely happy that she has this new opportunity, yet she will be sorely missed!
Although Janet started her new job in October, she has generously been working additional hours assisting the Master Gardener program and the Clackamas Extension administrative team.
We are truly grateful to Janet for her many contributions to the metro MG program; with her ever-cheerful presence, sharp eye for detail, focus streamlining processes – all to ensure a great experience for volunteers. As she moves on, we thank her for her incredible generosity and wish her the very best in her new career adventure!
Spread the Word! 2020 MG Training Registration Open!
You can help to spread the word about 2020 Master Gardener training! Let others know about the rewarding opportunities available serving as a Master Gardener volunteer. Registration is now open for the 2020 Master Gardener Training! Share the word with your gardening friends, wanna-be gardeners, and fellow community members. Direct those interested to our Metro-area Master Gardener website for easy online registration.Note: our Portland training site has filled, but there are still available class slots at the Hillsboro and Oregon City training sites.
Be Our Brand Advocate!
If social media is a favorite communication avenue for you, please consider sharing about the Master Gardener training registration on the social media sites on which you participate. Share posts from our Facebook and Twitter accounts or direct those interested to our website. We would love to cover all Nextdoor neighborhoods in the metro-area. Need more information or want a promotional photo to post? Please contact, Marcia McIntyre: marcia.mcintyre@oregonstate.edu
2020 Master Gardener Training
Join us in 2020 for Master Gardener training. We will be holding 8 weeks of training
classes starting the last week of January, running through March. So mark your calendars. Each AM or PM session attended counts as 3
hours MG continuing education credit for 2020.
The training sites and days are:
Tuesdays, January 28 – March 17, 9AM to 4PM
Hillsboro United Methodist Church, 168 NE 8th Avenue Hillsboro
Thursdays, January 30 – March 19, 9AM to 4PM
Museum of the Oregon Territory, 3rd floor, 211 Tumwater Drive,
Oregon City
Fridays, January 31 – March 20,9AM to 4PM Multnomah County Headquarters, Board Room, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland
Fall Recertification Recap
Over 370 engaged Master Gardeners attended Fall Recertification on Saturday, November 9. The City of Portland’s Offices of Equity and Human Rights, Glenn Arhens, OSU Extension Forester, and Gail Langellotto, Professor of Horticulture, OSU Extension Master Gardener Program coordinator all presented valuable information to support metro Master Gardeners in their role as garden educators. Our sincere thanks to all the presenters!
Hearty thanks to the three area Chapters for funding refreshments for the day and providing a wonderful array of door prizes.
Our Fall Recertification training on November 9, was an
opportunity to extend a special certificate of appreciation, to eight Master
Gardeners for their significant contributions to the Metro Master Gardener
Program. We are grateful for their generous and dedicated service!
Our hearty thanks to them all!
Dennis Brown for service in the Speaker’s Guild, Solve Pest Problems advisory, the June Key Delta and Voz community project
Louise Gomez-Burgess for coordinating the Master Gardener training in Hillsboro
Claudia Groth for her dedicated instruction for the Master Gardener training and the public
Sally Campbell for stepping up to instruct at the MG training and years of coordinating Mult. helpline
Rich Becker for assisting with the Master Gardener training in Portland, serving as a liaison, and assistance with the soil workshop
Marilyn Frankel for volunteering at each class date for BOTH the Portland and Hillsboro training and hauling PNWs to each training
Judy Froemke for her many years of dedicated coordination of the Speaker’s Guild in Wash. Co.
Jennesa Datema for coordinating Speaker’s Guild in Mult. Co. and educating the public through Speaker’s Guild presentations
Heidi Maybach for her dedication coordinating the Milwaukie Farmers Market
Join-in the Master Gardener Speakers Guild!
Take your role as a garden educator to the next level, by
volunteering to be a presenter for the Master Gardener Speakers Guild!
The metro MG program receives dozens of requests every year
for garden presentations to community groups. We have a small, but
mighty, group of MGs who answer the call and present throughout the three
counties – but requests greatly exceed what these dedicated MGs can
handle. Therefore, we are looking for additional MGs to share their
research-based gardening know-how. We will supply support materials, and
those interested can shadow experienced presenters. Volunteers can select
how many presentations a year they would like to make and the topics they feel
most comfortable presenting. Please consider joining in this fun, valuable
volunteer activity!
Presentations are needed on a variety of subjects: beginning
gardening, vegetable gardening, fruit trees, pruning, composting, container
gardening, IPM for the home gardener, small fruits, perennials, soil,
beneficial insects, pollinator gardens, tomatoes, small space gardening, native
plants, seed starting, propagation, or your garden passion that you are willing
to share!