1/10/2023
Welcome to the new year and 2023!
Within the last couple of weeks I have been receiving a nice selection of seed catalogs. That means the growing season is right around the corner....right? Although spring might be a few months away it is not too early to start planning for many of our volunteer projects and signature events like the RCMG Plant Sale scheduled for Saturday, May 20th. Stay tuned for more information on different ways to get involved in the new year.
Look forward to the year ahead!
Class of 2023
With the start of the new year, we welcome 70 new interns and 1 new transferring volunteer who are joining RCMG. The interns are just beginning the Core Course that opened up on January 5th. I encourage you to introduce yourself to these new members and welcome them to our Ramsey County Program.
Take a few minutes to meet the faces of the new folks joining RCMG this year.
We also want to point out the great advice shared by a few of the 2022 graduating interns. These are wonderful stories of success and of finding your footing as a new volunteer.
A special THANK YOU to New Member Team – Judie Ginter and Karen Randall – for all of their hard work along with all the volunteers signed up to be mentors this year.
Core Course for Volunteers
All Master Gardener volunteers are encouraged to sign-up for the Core Course as well this year. This course is free to all volunteers and gives you access to the information for the whole year. There's a lot of great information in there to help you as a volunteer, not just as a gardener. I encourage you to check them out..
The Core Course opened on Friday, January 6. Register for the online course by “purchasing” the Core Course at no cost. Follow the steps to create a University Guest Account or log into an existing account. Once registration is complete, a link will be sent to your email, which you can use to log in to canvas.umn.edu to locate the course. If you have any questions as you work through the registration process, contact mgweb@umn.edu.
The State Team is offering a BRAND NEW Core Course Companion Guide to accompany the online Horticulture Core Course! You can download a digital version from the State Core Course webpage or within the Core Course itself. You can also purchase a black-and-white print version from the online store. If you order a print version of the Core Course Companion, expect it to arrive in February. Thank you for your patience.
Thank you again for all that you do. Our organization is stronger for having you as a volunteer.
Darren Lochner
RCMG Program Coordinator
Brianna Gohde
RCMG Assistant Program Coordinator
COVID-19 Safety Update
The current COVID-19 Community level is LOW. That said, we will continue to encourage all volunteers to wear a face cover or mask when participating in in-person and indoor activities regardless of vaccination status. The main page of the State Master Gardener website (z.umn.edu/mgweb) has some good information and updates on COVID-19 as well as low-contact, work-from-home volunteer opportunities.