“Green thoughts emerge from some deep source of stillness which the very fact of winter has released.” – Mirabel Osler
With thoughts of spring, now’s the time to consider how you would like to serve and grow this gardening season in your role as an OSU Master Gardener. Will it be at our many community service events or expanding your gardening know-how through continuing education opportunities?
Now is a good time to sign-up for our Master Gardener office helplines (via CERVIS,). Farmers Market schedules open over the next several weeks, so please check back if the event you are looking for has yet to be posted.
It is also the perfect time to help welcome and usher in the new class of Master Gardener trainees. Come sit in on one of the MG training sessions (here’s the schedule). Introduce yourself to a trainee. Learn what interests brought them to our training program. Share your passion for gardening and the Master Gardener program with those new to the program.
2020 Trainees, stay tuned, you will be receiving details regarding volunteering during week #6 and #7.
2020 Master Gardener Training Underway!
The last week in January marked the start of our 2020 metro-area OSU Master Gardener training as we welcomed 200 new Master Gardener trainees! Over the span of 8 weeks, we will cover a wide range of core home gardening topics presented by stellar group of horticulture experts. Perennial favorite instructors are joining the 2020 training…Margaret Bayne, Sally Campbell, Jane Collier, Claudia Groth, Monica Maggio, Weston Miller, and Jean R. Natter. In addition, we are thrilled to have four OSU Extension faculty members from neighboring counties joining us…Neil Bell, Chip Bubl, Brooke Edmunds, Heather Stoven.
Each AM or PM session attended counts as 3 hours of continuing education credit for 2020.
For those perennial Master Gardeners, who attend training class, please take the time to say hello to new trainees and welcome them to the Master Gardener program.
The training sites and days are:
Tuesdays, February 4 – March 17, 9AM to 4PM
Hillsboro United Methodist Church, 168 NE 8th Avenue, Hillsboro
Thursdays, February 6 – March 19, 9AM to 4PM
Museum of the Oregon Territory, Museum of the Oregon Territory 3rd floor- 211 Tumwater Drive, Oregon City
Fridays, February 7 – March 20, 9AM to 4PM
Multnomah County Headquarters, Multnomah County Headquarters – 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland
‘A Diverse Garden is a Healthy Garden’
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in your role as an OSU Master Gardener volunteer.’
Understand the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion. Learn skills to recognize unconscious bias and build skills to practice inclusive and equitable principles in community engagement.
This year our metro area OSU Master Gardener program will be hosting four Diversity, Equity and Inclusion trainings facilitated by the City of Portland, Office of Equity and Human Rights. The first three trainings will take place during week #4 of Master Gardener training at all three class locations, with the forth training taking place at our Spring Recertification training.
- Tuesday, February 18, 2020 from 9:00am – 12:00pm at the Master Gardener training class in Hillsboro
- Thursday, February 20, 2020 from 9:00am – 12:00pm at the Master Gardener training class in Oregon City
- Friday, February 21, 2020 from 9:00am – 12:00pm at the Master Gardener training class in SE Portland
- Saturday, May 16, 2020 from 9:00am to 12:00pm at Spring Recertification, Clackamas Community College (Gregory Forum). Doors open at 8:00am
Register to secure a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training class slot! To accommodate Perennial Master Gardeners at the February Diversity, Equity and Inclusion MG training classes – we will be sending out an email to register for a class slot. Perennial MGs look for the email invitation from Marcia McIntyre on Tuesday, February 11th.
Attending this class fulfills the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training requirement for the metro area OSU Master Gardener Program.
Attendance at one of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion trainings is required to be a certified metro-area OSU Master Gardener, beyond September 30, 2020. To receive credit for attending, be sure to sign-in at the training you attend.
2020 Master Gardener Advanced Training Webinars
A stellar line-up of Master Gardener Advanced Training webinars are in store for the coming year. Produced by OSU Extension’s Brooke Edmunds, these informative webinars have become a favorite go-to resource for Master Gardener continuing education. The webinars are open and free to all.
One hour of continuing garden education can be counted for each webinar viewed. If you can not view the webinar live – please check back to the webinar website a few days later to watch a recording. https://beav.es/44T
Updates
from the Garden Ecology Lab (2020 edition!)
Presented by: Dr. Gail Langellotto
March 17th at 10am PT
Pre-register here: https://learn.extension.org/events/3737
Gardening
with Native Plants and the OregonFlora Project
Presented by: Dr. Linda Hardison
April 21st at 10am PT
Pre-register here: https://learn.extension.org/events/3738
Winter
Squash Research at OSU
Presented by: Dr. Alex Stone and Lane Selman
May 19th at 10am PT
Pre-register here: https://learn.extension.org/events/3761
Solve
Pest Problems: A New Resource for Master Gardeners and the Public
Presented by: Weston Miller
July 16th at 10am PT
Pre-register here: https://learn.extension.org/events/3762
Additional webinars will be posted on the webinar website as they are scheduled – so check back. https://beav.es/44T
February at the Master Gardener Helplines
February is a great time to volunteer at the metro-area Master Gardener office helplines. We get a surprising number of questions from gardeners itching to get out in their gardens. The pace of questions is slower in the winter, so it is a good time to come in, acquaint yourself with the resource library, and maybe even do some detective work regarding your own garden quandaries. Shifts are available for Perennial MGs on CERVIS or you can email the following coordinators to help you sign-up. 2020 Interns will have the opportunity to sign-up for MG helplines after Week #7 of MG training class.
- Clackamas County, Catalina Santamaria, (Clackamas Co. OSU Extension staff) catalina.santamaria@oregonstate.edu
- Multnomah County, Katie Keller, katie.mastergardener@gmail.com
- Washington County, Jenifer Halter, (Washington Co. OSU Extension staff) jenifer.halter@oregonstate.edu
Supporting the OSU Master Gardener Program through Chapter Membership
The metro-area OSU Master Gardener program has three vital and active Chapters (associations). Each Chapter is part of the Oregon Master Gardeners Association, which was formed to support the OSU Master Gardener program.
With the start of a New Year, our three metro-area Chapters have been accepting membership renewals. Chapter membership is optional and not required to maintain active Master Gardener status. Many choose Chapter membership for the added benefits that these OSU Master Gardener supporting associations provide. You can belong to any Chapter you would like. Some Master Gardeners belong to multiple Chapters. To renew your Chapter membership contact Chapters through their websites.
For those of you who took your MG training in 2019, during your training year you received complimentary Chapter membership in the county Chapter where you reside. You now have the option of belonging to a Chapter. The Chapters each have varying annual fees. For more information, visit their websites:
Clackamas County Master Gardeners
Multnomah County Master Gardeners
Washington County Master Gardeners
2020 Master Gardener trainees this year you receive complimentary Chapter membership in the county in which you reside. Chapter events are open to all Master Gardeners from any county. Drop in a Lecture/Speaker Series, visit a Chapter education/demo garden or attend a special garden seminar hosted by a Chapter (for event details visit the Chapter websites above). Learn more about our supporting area Chapters and how you can get involved in your upcoming MG training classes.
NWREC Winter Vegetable Variety Field Day
Here is a great opportunity to learn about a wonderful array of winter vegetable varieties that can be successfully grown in the North Willamette Valley. The North Willamette Research and Extension Center’s Winter Vegetable Variety Field Day features the Eat Winter Vegetables project field & storage vegetables: Winter Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Garlic, Celeriac, Radicchio, Cauliflower & Cabbage.
Join in an afternoon field walk and discussions on organic variety selections and production with plant breeders, researchers, Extension agents, seed companies, farmers, and other agricultural professionals. We will be outside for part of the event, please dress accordingly.
WHEN: Thursday, February 13 from 2:00 – 4:30 pm.
WHERE: North Willamette Research and Extension Center, 15210 NE Miley Rd, Aurora, OR
WHAT: Check out the agenda for the day HERE.
The Field Day is free and open to the public. Bring your friends and family. No RSVP required
Blue Lake Garden Hands-on Gardening Opportunities
Mark your calendars for select Thursdays (10am to 2pm) for hands-on gardening opportunities at the Blue Lake Discovery Garden!
Work alongside fellow Master Gardeners and assist in making the garden a treasured stop for Blue Lake Park visitors. Tools provided. Free park admission. A few February and March shifts are open now – check back for more to shifts to come. Perennial MGs register on CERVIS today. 2020 Trainees will have the opportunity to sign up Week #7 of MG training classes.
