“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment”
Georgia O’Keefe
Rosy news…
As we near the start of summer there is promising news! COVID risk levels are lowering in the metro counties and we are receiving encouraging OSU updates with guidelines for resuming some of our Master Gardener activities. We will gradually resume activities as the guidelines and our capacity allows, in the coming months. Watch for updates via email and this newsletter, as we are able to open our program activities.
Help with MG Community Needs Assessment
Help the OSU Master Gardener program in learning the needs of our community. The program has launched a survey to guide the work of the MG program and to learn the types of gardening information Oregonians want/need to support them in successfully growing plants. The goal is to hear from 5,000 Oregonians across the state, especially those not currently involved in the Master Gardener Program.
You can help to distribute the survey and earn volunteer hours by sharing the text and accompanying images below, with your own networks!
Share the survey with 3 of your networks and earn 30 minutes of volunteer service. If you have additional networks on which to spread the word, please count an additional 10 minutes of volunteer service for each share/post. Keep note of your volunteer time sharing the survey and include those minutes/hours when you report your volunteer service in the fall.
Please share on local metro area networks or those limited to Oregon. Share the survey with any communities who might have an interest in gardening. Here are some suggested networks in which to share the survey…
- Share to your personal and/or professional social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Others
- If you use ‘NextDoor.com’, consider inviting your neighbors to participate in the survey
- If you are part of your area PTA/PTO, ask the organization if you can share the survey link with school parents
- If you are part of a church, club, fraternal organization, or other social group that is not generally associated with gardening, but you know that the members are interested in gardening, please consider sharing the survey with them
- If you volunteer with other organizations that serve clients that may be interested in gardening, please ask them if they can share the survey link with their clients
- Gardening Groups and Clubs: If you are a member of a gardening group or club (online, or in person), please consider sharing with those groups. Before posting on another group’s page or website, make sure that you have permission to post the invitation and survey link.
- Facebook gardening groups (focus on those that are local or limited to Oregon, rather than out of state or national groups)
- Email listserv of gardening groups or clubs (once again, focusing on local groups or limited to Oregon)
Below is the text and graphic promoting the survey, in both English and Spanish.
What do you want to learn more about growing plants? What information and support do you need for gardening?
Oregon State University Extension wants to support you getting the kind of information you want and need for growing plants in a home, community garden and landscape setting. Help us craft our future offerings: take a moment to participate in our survey. https://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1RH4CHIopoHN9XM
Below is a jpeg of the graphic in English, to use when posting to social media or sending out emails.
¿Qué desea saber sobre el cultivo de plantas?
¿Qué información y apoyo necesita para la jardinería?
¡Queremos escuchar su opinión!
El Servicio de Extensión de Oregon State University desea apoyarlo para que obtenga el tipo de información que desea y necesita para cultivar plantas en su hogar, jardín comunitario y paisaje. Ayúdenos a planificar nuestras ofertas futuras: tómese un momento para participar en nuestra encuesta. https://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1RH4CHIopoHN9XM
Below is the link to a jpeg of the graphic in Spanish, to use when posting to social media or sending out emails.
Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series
Although summer has yet to have it’s official start, now’s the time to plan and start winter vegetable crops. This month’s Growing Oregon Gardeners Level Up Series presentation, ‘Winter Vegetables to Grow‘, with Lane Selman, OSU, will offer you a plethora of inspiration to assist your game plan. Lane will take a deep dive into some of the more under appreciated, yet super delicious and nutritious winter vegetables! The webinar will be broadcast on Tuesday, June 8, 3pm
Registration opens on a rolling basis for upcoming webinars throughout the year.
If you find that registration has filled for a class, please check out the presentation live streamed on the OSU Master Gardener Facebook page or look for a recording of the presentation to be posted on the Level Up Series website a few days following.
Preview and register for the Level Up Series classes, and view recordings of past presentations HERE.
Metro Master Gardener Media Channel
Would you like to review a presentation from our Metro Master Gardener Webinar Series? Or perhaps catch a Chapter Lecture or Speaker Series that you missed? You can access our catalog of inspiring webinars via our metro area Master Gardener Media Channel.
In addition, you can view a great series of mini-videos produced by fellow Master Gardener, Dennis Brown. Dennis created the videos to incorporate into his speaking presentations for the metro MG program. The videos cover: DIY seed tape, DIY seed starting containers, cutting back a cover crop, how to prune a blueberry bush, setting-up seed starting indoors and how to collect a soil sample. Check back later this week for 3 new videos Dennis created: controlling leafminer, planting sweet corn seedlings and planting tomatoes. Thank you Dennis for creating and sharing these informative videos!
Oregon Master Gardener Mini College – Goes Virtual!
You still have time to catch a great line-up of garden-focused classes from the comfort of your home, by registering for the 2021 Oregon Master Gardener Mini College. This virtual conference will be held online, July 16 & 17. Mini College is a great continuing education opportunity, with an outstanding slate of horticulture experts presenting a range of topic.s
Robert Michael Pyle, author, educator and scientist will kick-off the event as the keynote speaker. In addition, there will be a great array of interactive classes and workshops from leading horticulture experts and educators. Our very own Weston Miller, will be sharing the keys to success for organic vegetable gardening. Other presentations will focus on native plants to consider for attracting pollinators, the promise and pitfalls of biochar, plus a presentation all about mason bees – to name just a few of the topics being presented.
Cost for the two-day event is $49 and is open to Master Gardeners and the public. So grab a friend, and join-in an enriching garden education opportunity.
OMGA 2021 Mini College (mastergardenerminicollege.org)
More virtual opportunities with the International Master Gardener Conference!
Every two years Master Gardeners have the opportunity to participate in the International Master Gardeners Conference, which is hosted by a rotation of Extension Master Gardener Programs. This year the event is being sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension and you have the opportunity to participate from the comfort of your own home! The Conference is going virtual for 2021!
This educational confluence of horticultural experts and Master Gardeners from the US, Canada and South Korea is taking place September 12 – 17, 2021. Virginia Cooperative Extension is planning “a unique and creative virtual conference that will offer not only the chance to attend live webinars and workshops, but also opportunities to socialize with and learn from EMGs from around the nation, to learn about gardening in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and to participate in interactive activities such as virtual tours of Virginia and small group sessions.”
Learn more about this exciting educational opportunity and register NOW!
Elevated Skills Training Remains Open
Did you miss the ‘Elevated Skills’ Master Gardener training classes? Don’t despair the training is still open. Although in-person sessions of the training have passed, you can still take part and explore a subject of interest. Whether that be ‘Community Science’, how to ‘Superpower Your Education Garden’, ‘Garden Woody Plant ID with the OSU Landscape Plant Database’ or the other ‘Elevated Skills’ class offerings.
For Perennial Master Gardeners this training counts as ‘Continuing Education’ hours.
2020 Master Gardeners Trainees, the Elevate training can be counted towards your service hours to meet the requirements to complete the Master Gardener training.
See the entire Elevate course line-up, and register HERE.
Note: The metro area MG program is using a different online tool for our MG Helpline clinic and is not using the ECCO tool being highlighted in the “Learning How to Use the Extension Client Contact Online (ECCO) Tool in Plant Clinic” course.
