10/12/2022
With that first threat of frost, it's time to take stock of our garden season
Get Those Hours Recorded
A couple of weeks ago, all RCMG volunteers should have received an email with information about their current volunteer service and continuing education hours entered into the State Master Gardener database for 2022. Volunteers are required to record different numbers of hours, depending on their volunteer status.
These quarterly reminders are new this year and are designed to be check-ins that provide an opportunity to see how we are doing collectively as a county Master Gardener Volunteer Program with hours of volunteer service and continuing education. Hopefully the message encourages you to keep up with entering hours as the year progresses.
If you are concerned about completing your volunteer service and/or continuing education hours in 2022, please contact me as soon as possible – dlochner@umn.edu.
The University asks that all hours be recorded hours before Dec. 30, 2022 because they often do big computer updates in the last week of the year and you might not be able to enter your time. Any time not entered before the end of the year can't be counted towards your goals for the year.
Take Note!
As we transition in the fall season volunteers are reminded to document your projects before winter falls. This includes writing down your successes and lessons learned, photos from your projects and garden, total hours, number of contacts, next steps, and so forth.
Nancy Joyer – the project lead for the Habitat for Humanity projects – has a wonderful template that she uses to record the events of this year and to write down ideas for next year. You can download a copy and use it for your projects.
Share your stories
Whether you were involved with At-Home Pollinator Project or are involved Project Coordinator we want to hear from you. The stories you provide are shared with Ramsey County Partners, Ramsey County Extension Committee, State Master Gardener Volunteer Program and the University of Minnesota Extension. They love to hear about what we do to help the people in our communities.
These are a few examples of project stories from last year.
Jennifer's Pollinator Garden (2021)
The Tulip Test Gardens with St. Paul Public Schools (2021-2022)
The Garden of Good Hearts (2022)
Thank you again for all of your hard work this summer. Happy Gardening!

Darren Lochner
RCMG 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.