CGMGA April 2022 Newsletter

Hello, Everyone

It’s spring! Garden gloves have replaced winter gloves, and Bogs have replaced Uggs as the footwear of choice. Covid numbers are down, and spirits are up. Masks are now optional, and while many of us may continue to mask voluntarily, it’s encouraging to know that life is beginning to return to normal. Spring is definitely a season of hope.

April showers bring May flowers, and May flowers bring…the plant sale, plant clinics, and many opportunities to volunteer and connect with others. Our classes are winding down, but the busy volunteer season is just gearing up. Seeds planted at the greenhouse last month have germinated and grown into healthy plants ready for up-potting. Even if you can’t attend any of the greenhouse work parties, check out the videos on our YouTube channel for Paul Matalucci’s expert tips on seed starting and uppotting. If you don’t find them under the Social Media tab on our webpage, you can access them here: https://media.oregonstate.edu/media/t/1_6pzfvq9c https://media.oregonstate.edu/media/t/1_srvqouu8

Mark your calendars for the first week in May when the plant sale team will need many hands to prepare online orders, as well as get ready for our May 7 onsite sale. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to order plants for your own garden.

Work parties in many of the project gardens have begun, and they’re a great way to grow connections with others. No need to sign up–just choose a garden,

Month at a Glance

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ u/0/r/month/2021/12/1?tab=rc&pli=1 : Tuesday 7pm: Garden Tour planning meeting via zoom, details below,

April 13: Wednesday 10-12pm: CGMGA Exec Comm Mtg (via zoom, contact Christie Bradley for link)

April 22: Friday: Deadline for submissions to the May CGMGA newsletter May 1: Sunday: Deadline for submission for CGMGA chapter awards (details below)

May 7: Saturday: in-person day of our CGMGA plant sale, details below June 18: Saturday: CGMGA 2022 Garden Tour

July 29-30: Friday-Saturday: Mini-College at OSU

CGMGA & OMGA

(Continued from page 1)

grab your tools, and go. You’ll find the schedule in the Month at a Glance sidebar.

As the weather gets warmer and more folks are out in their own gardens, there’s sure to be a flurry of questions for our plant clinics. This year the clinics will be in person at the Extension office (unless Covid numbers dictate a switch to virtual). Hopefully Megan’s excellent plant clinic presentation last month has answered any questions you might have about this important Master Gardener service.

While it may seem as if it’s still a long way off, the Garden Tour is just around the corner. Under the able leadership of Karen Black Jenkins, the team is finalizing plans for the June 18 event which will feature four gardens in the White Salmon area. This biennial tour definitely puts the “fun” in fundraiser, so be sure and save the date! Check out Karen’s article in this edition of the newsletter for further details.

Happy Gardening! Happy Spring!

Work Parties

Learning Garden: April 5:Tuesday 9-11am Learning Garden: April 14:Thursday 911am

Parkdale Garden: April 30: Saturday 9am FISH Garden:Tuesdays 5-6 pm and Thursdays 9-10 am

Gardeners

Dates: July 29 and 30 at OSU Alumni

Keynotes: Samantha Hatfield Chisolm and

Lodging: Hilton Garden Hotel or OSU

From your OMGA state Representative

The Oregon Master Gardener™ Association's purpose is to support and enhance the OSU Extension Master Gardener™ program. OMGA is the official partner with OSU Horticulture Department and the State Master Gardener Program Coordinator, and all County Chapters. OMGA is comprised of representatives of each of the 23 county chapters, the executive officers that they elect, and the State Master Gardener Program Coordinator, Gail Langellotto, who gives quarterly and annual reports.

Quarterly OMGA meetings are currently held on Zoom, but were historically and ideally hosted by different chapters throughout the state. There is also (Continued on page 3)

• Exciting Tours

• Workshops

• Silent Auction

• Send-A-Friend

an annual Planning Retreat each December. There have also been leadership trainings/and sharing forums at Mini-college or OMGA meetings.

Our Chapter’s Representative to OMGA is Anny (Annie) VanNatta, and our Alternate Rep is Norma Benson. They report and share our Chapter’s activities and experiences and also report back to the Chapter.

Mini-College is OMGA’s major, annual, statewide (2-3 day) event. It offers advanced educational opportunities (workshops, tours, book store, silent-auction, social and networking activities). Non-Master Gardeners are welcome.

The quarterly State OMGA newsletter, called THE GARDENER'S PEN, may be accessed on the OMGA website omga.org which contains all official OMGA information. Announcements of new OMGA information and communications are placed in our monthly CGMGA chapter newsletter, or in Megan’s weekly updates.

Silent Auction Donations for MiniCollege

Each chapter is asked to donate 10 or more items (or gift baskets) with a retail value of approximately $25 each. Please contact Anny gardenanny2@gmail.com about potential donations. Auction Suggestions: Gift certificates, gift

cards, gift baskets (empty or filled), items to mix in a gift basket, books, art, wine, unique and useful items, anything for the garden, yard art. Plants (but no native soil), interesting planters or sets of pots, container garden, sedum décor, garden tours/nature hikes, vacation packages. Let your imagination go!! Donated items should be in new condition & are not limited to gardening items. Baskets are great when made up of several related items A book & a bottle of wine!!

The difference between the OSU MG program and the CGMGA

Many Master Gardeners are unclear about the difference between the OSU Master Gardener program and the Central Gorge Master Gardener Association. The short, and not totally thorough answer is that the OSU MG program provides our education, while the CGMGA allows for fundraising and social events. However, there are gray areas. OSU MG classes are also social, while CGMGA fundraising events also provide education for MGs and the public. Let’s dive deeper into the differences between them.

Our classes and training are provided through the OSU Hood River County Extension Service Master Gardener program. Our program coordinator, Megan Wickersham, is employed by OSU to provide our local training program as well as to guide us through our training and volunteer service. We learn from OSU

professors, Extension Service staff, and retired specialists through online and in person classes, and webinars. If you want to review all the ways that OSU Master Gardeners receive training as well as volunteering in the community, please visit https:// extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/ about-master-gardener-program

The OSU Central Gorge Master Gardener program is one of 27 Master Gardener programs in the state. Each individual Master Gardener program throughout the state also has an Association. The Central Gorge Master Gardener Association is our fundraising and social platform. Our two main fundraisers are the annual spring Plant Sale and bi-annual Garden Tour. These events not only raise funds for our Association, but they allow us an opportunity to interact with and provide education to the public. Money raised through the Association allows us to fund other educational programs for ourselves and the public.

The group that guides the CGMGA is the Executive Committee. Members of the EC are recertifying Master Gardeners who volunteer to orchestrate planning and administrative duties for the CGMGA. The CGMGA membership votes to select members of the EC. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month, 10am - noon on zoom. All Master Gardeners are welcome to join these meetings! Please email Anne Gehrig,

agehrig5@hotmail.com to request a zoom link

Each Master Gardener Association throughout the state has a Representative and an Alternate Representative who communicate news from each chapter to the Oregon Master Gardener Association.

The social part of the CGMGA has changed in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re excited to be able to hold our Association social events again! Last summer our popular Garden Visits resumed. Garden Visits are a tour of fellow Master Gardener’s gardens and landscape, offering a

CGMGA Chapter Awards

CGMGA & OMGA

social and learning experience. The Garden Visits take place once a month, June through September. Our annual Recognition Event in November is an opportunity to celebrate ourselves and recognize exceptional Master Gardeners.

CGMGA also holds quarterly meetings where we enjoy socializing, food, and an educational presentation, often from a fellow Master Gardener. We also have a short business meeting. In prepandemic years, the summer quarterly meeting has been a large outdoor potluck in the backyard of a fellow Master Gardener. Food was plentiful and family members were welcome to attend. Hopefully we can resume these soon.

If you still have questions, review pages 5 - 9 of your Hood River County Master Gardener Handbook, or ask a recertifying Master Gardener.

Margo Dameier Central Gorge Master Gardener Association, Member at Large

We are seeking nominations for the 2022 Master Gardener awards that recognize outstanding dedication and service to the county level OSU Master Gardener

This award honors a premier contributor to the success of the Central Gorge Master Gardener Association and OSU Extension Service Master Gardener Program. In addition to meeting all the requirements for recertification, this person goes above and beyond by dedicating time and effort to strengthening our organization’s community presence and outreach. Their leadership and dedication may be manifested by mentoring new Master Gardeners; initiating, executing and/ or reviewing projects;

effectively interfacing with the CGMGA Executive Committee; organizing community education events. Most importantly, this person consistently demonstrates a spirit of cooperation with other Master Gardeners. This award is open to all certified Master Gardeners and may be awarded to more than one individual.

Behind the Scenes – This award honors a Master Gardener who works quietly and unselfishly behind the scenes to strengthen the OSU Master Gardener Program. They may not be the person out in front working on projects, but rather, quietly getting the grunt work done. This award is open to all certified Master Gardeners and may be awarded to more than one individual.

Please give this some thought and submit your nominations to Megan Wickersham by May 1st. For a list of previous recipients click here.

Educational Tidbits

HRSWCD Weed of the Month: Poison Hemlock

Poison hemlock is an unwelcome invasive plant in the landscape because every part of this plant is poisonous to humans, livestock, and wildlife. It even retains toxicity in hay because dead stems remain toxic for up to three years. Acute toxicity is fatal while skin irritation can occur if it is handled without gloves. Poison hemlock is aggressive and easily colonizes pastures, roadsides, riparian areas, and other disturbed areas. It is an herbaceous biennial that can grow up to 10 feet tall. It is a member of the parsley family and can be confused with other plants in that family such as Queen Anne’s lace. It can be distinguished by its fern like, glossy, finely divided leaves as well as its hairless, hollow stems with purple blotches. Small, 5-petaled white flowers grow on stalks in 4-inch umbrella shaped clusters from April to July. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa and is common throughout the Pacific Northwest. Poison hemlock is a prolific seed producer and seeds can be spread by animals, water, vehicles, or humans. Seeds remain viable for 2-3 years. The best approach to controlling new infestations are to get to them as early as possible. Digging small plants by hand when plants are young is effective (wearing gloves!) if the whole taproot is removed. Repeated mowing before flowering can be effective, as is proper and well-timed herbicide application.

Educational Tidbits

14 Top Tomato Growing Tips for the Ultimate Crop

by Jill Staak

Whether you're new to gardening or an old pro looking for secrets, learn to make the most of your veggie crop with these tomato growing tips.

https://www.birdsandblooms.com/gardening/top10-lists-for-gardeners/top-10-tomato-growing-tips/

Cj Flick

When to Cut Back Ornamental Grasses

by Luke Miller

Learn when ornamental grasses need to be cut back and how to divide them, along with growing tips to keep grasses gorgeous all year-round. https://www.birdsandblooms.com/gardening/ growing-trees-shrubs-grasses/cut-back-ornamentalgrasses/

Volunteer Opportunities

Plant Sale 2022 Update

By Sandi Rousseau

Planning for our plant sale is progressing well. By the time you receive this newsletter we will have held 6 of our 8 seed starting and up potting work parties. Thank you to all who have helped with those. Our online ordering system that we will be using for the first time this year is up and running. Hopefully you have put in your orders already to test it, and we are now open to the public. Our techie experts have made the site look wonderful.

SignUpGenius has lots of opportunities to sign up to help with our bundling and pick up for online orders and our day of on-site sale. It requires all of us helping with the sale which is our main income stream for the year. These are fun activities, and I hope you can all volunteer for some of it.

Library Garden

The Waterwise Garden at the Hood River Library work party will meet on April 15 from 9-11am. Bring your badge, your weeding tools, and a bucket, and join us for a sweet morning rain or shine! Text or call Norma with questions or suggestions, 509-969-2187.

FISH Garden

Here are the FISH spring work party times beginning

April 7th: Tuesdays 5-6 pm and Thursdays 9-10 am. As always, you are welcome to visit and volunteer in the garden whenever it is convenient for you. Check the kiosk for an updated list of tasks to help out with. You can also email Amelia, the garden coordinator, at fishgardenvc@gmail.com to set up a time that works for you to volunteer at the FISH garden."

Garden Tour 2022

On June 18, 2022 the Central Gorge Master Gardener Association (CGMGA) will hold its bi-annual garden tour. This year four gardens in White Salmon, WA will be featured on the tour. The event is open to the public and serves as both an educational event and fundraiser for future program projects. Garden Tour tickets are $15/person and tour proceeds are reinvested into MG community programs.

All Master Gardeners are asked to volunteer in support of the tour. There are many volunteer roles, including: marketing and publicity (distribution of fliers starting in early May), garden guides and docents on tour day to answer visitors’ questions, parking and safety

Volunteer Opportunities

coordinators and "behind the scenes" helpers. Key educational features of each garden are highlighted for garden tour participants. Day of volunteers are needed from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm. Please consider signing up for a full day shift (= 5 hours of volunteer time) or an early shift, 8:30 am to 11, or a late shift from 11 to 1:30 pm. Volunteer shifts will be available on a Sign Up Genius calendar by early April. Please mark your calendar and let me know how you would like to help out with this community education event. Our next Garden Tour Committee meeting will be on Tuesday, April 5 at 7pm via Zoom. Have questions, or want to get involved, please contact me at karenblackjenkins@gmail.com

Upcoming events

No shade tree? Blame not the sun but yourself. Chinese Proverb 150th Arbor Day Anniversary April 29, 2022.

National Arbor Day began in 1872, when J. Sterling Morton proposed to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees, and this holiday, called Arbor Day, was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska. Arbor Day is now celebrated throughout the nation and the world. Trees can reduce the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, cut heating and cooling costs, moderate the temperature, clean the air, produce life-giving oxygen, and provide habitat for wildlife. Trees are a renewable resource giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires and countless other wood products, and trees in our cities increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas, and beautify our community, and trees, wherever they are planted, are a source of joy and spiritual renewal.

All citizens are encouraged to celebrate Arbor Day and to support efforts to protect trees and woodlands, and to plant trees to gladden the heart and promote the well-being of this and future generations.

For more information on Arbor Day visit https://www.arborday.org/

Spotlight on a master gardener

Allow me to introduce……Kelsey Soltysiak!

Submitted by Jewel McKenzie

Kelsey is one of the twenty-six new Master Gardener trainees this year that will be highlighted in these Spotlight articles……..for the next couple of years by my count!

Kelsey is truly a PNW woman. Raised in Seattle, she has lived a good part of her life in Oregon and now calls Hood River home. Kelsey is passionate about all things outdoors…..foraging, mountain biking, skiing, windsurfing and probably anything you might suggest she try, by the sounds of it! Her husband Philip is a professional windsurfer, which was a big part of their decision to move to Hood River and they love it here!

Spotlight on a master gardener

(Continued from page 7)

Attending American University in Washington, DC, Kelsey majored in foreign language and communication, with a focus on Spanish and visual media, and minoring in graphic design. During that time Kelsey spent a semester in Costa Rica. The opportunity to immerse herself in the Costa Rican culture and utilize her conversational Spanish skills was just what she was looking for. Kelsey was also a member of the Alpha Phi Omega community service fraternity. The experience apparently solidified her commitment to community. An appreciation for community service combined with her education and 10+ year career in public relations led her to the Master Gardener program. Kelsey values accessibility to information and giving back to the community.

Although Kelsey is new to Master Gardeners, she is no stranger to getting her hands dirty. She loves growing plants that are utilitarian most recently trying her hand at growing some teas! Her current residence offers varied growing spaces, so she’s already working on a plan for each area and seeking out plants that will thrive in those unique spaces. Although she loves growing a variety of plants, she did share that her absolute favorite flowering plant is the Daphne, for its heady scent! Look that one up……they come in a variety of gorgeous colors.

When asked if there might be something about her people might be surprised by, she told me this “A few years ago, after working on a ballot measure campaign, I decided to take a break from work. I traveled to Cartagena, Colombia and spent six months there, windsurfing, traveling around the country and practicing Spanish.” I have a feeling this might not be as big a surprise once you start talking to Kelsey….it seems to me that this woman is up for whatever life has to offer!

Gardening Resources

Hood River County Master Gardeners

blogs.oregonstate.edu/cgmga/

Growing Your Own

OSU Publications

Monthly Gardening Calendars

PNW Handbooks

HortSense

UC IPM

OSU Gardening

WSU Gardening

Weed Identification

Click here to download

Columbia Gorge Cooperative Weed Management Area

GardenSmart: A Guide to Non-Invasive Plants

Where to Pickup a free copy of GardenSmart

Oregon Flora

https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/ mgcoordinators/

Transplanting Established Trees & Shrubs

NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS

In order to allow time for formatting the CGMGA Newsletter, please submit articles or calendar items by the 4th Friday. Send newsletter information to Shari Bosler at sharibosler@hotmail.com. Thanks!