“A light exists in spring, not present in the year, at any other period, when March is scarcely here.”
-Emily Dickinson
Springing back to in-person volunteer service!
With spring quickly approaching we are incredibly excited to be able to start a gradual resumption of our in person, Master Gardener volunteer activities. Please look for announcements in the coming months as we resume our in-person helplines, Speaker’s Guild and Master Gardener tabling at community events.
In addition, if you are aching to get your hands in the soil and spend time with your fellow Master Gardeners, be sure to visit all of our supporting Master Gardener association webpages for details about their education/demonstration gardens.
Welcome to 2022 Cohort
Last month, with eager anticipation and excitement, we launched our 2022 OSU Master Gardener training Cohort for the metro area. We are pleased to welcome 140 trainees from Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties. This year the training is a combination of online modules and remote webinar ‘Q and A’ sessions. In addition, trainees have the opportunity to participate in hands-on training workshops. A big shout out of thanks to all the Master Gardener associations and volunteers who have developed and are leading the instruction of these workshops to the new Master Gardener trainees. You have created a stellar line-up of educational offerings to support trainees in their journey to serve the community as garden educators!
Perennial Master Gardeners, as you start volunteering in-person this spring and summer, be sure to extend a warm welcome to both our 2020 and 2022 Cohort members as you meet them at events.
Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series Launches for 2022
The Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series offers Master Gardener continuing education opportunities (1 hour), focusing on an array of subjects. Whether you want to learn better irrigation techniques, understand if clearing leaves in the fall is really good for garden insects or not, or if you get excited for all things roses, there’s a webinar for you!
This year’s schedule:
- February 8 The Science and Practice of Seed Starting: Secrets to Success When Growing by Seed Recording available
- March 8: Local Beauties: Native Plants for Ecologically Enhanced Gardens and Landscapes with Nikkie West, Kathryn Prive and Rick Martinson Recording will be posted shortly.
- 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
Presenters for this year’s schedule include OSU faculty, as well as national research experts, authors and industry leaders. View the website for full descriptions of the 2022 workshops and presenters.
The closed-captioned webinars are broadcast via Zoom and streamed via our Facebook page the second Tuesday of the month, at noon, February through November 2022. This series is open to the public and OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers receive 1 Continuing Education Credit for each class. All webinars are recorded and will be available to view on our website within two weeks of airdate.
Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series is produced by a team of horticultural faculty and staff of the OSU Extension Master Gardener program. The series launched in 2021, engaging thousands of gardeners live, online and through recordings on the OSU Extension website. The program received the 2021 Oregon State University Extension Association (OSUEA) Search for Excellence award.
March is Women’s History Month: A message from fellow Master Gardener, Celina Ratliff.
In recognition of Women’s History Month, metro area OSU Master Gardener and state-wide OSU Master Gardener DEI Task Force member, Celina Ratliff, has compiled and shared a variety of inspiring, informative resources highlighting gardening and landscape accomplishments of women. See her letter to fellow Master Gardeners and her list of recommendations in the most recent OSU Extension Master Gardener News blog.
