Extension service and Friends of Yamhill County Master Gardeners Association slate helpful events in May

A pair of organizations has scheduled workshops aiming to make participants better gardeners.

Headlined “Vigorous Veggies: A Two-Part Workshop Series Demonstrating How to Plan & Grow a Hearty, Happy Garden,” it is an effort undertaken by the Friends of Yamhill County Master Gardeners Association and the Oregon State University extension service.

The first workshop to be held locally (one already occurred in McMinnville in April) is called Veggie Garden Essentials and is set for 10 a.m. to noon May 17 at the Saint Michael’s Community Garden at 110 S. Everest Road.

To be covered during the workshop is site selection, crafting a garden map, determining soil type and structure, masting seeding and transplanting, understanding the difference between cool and warm season vegetables, companion planting and trellising.

The second workshop, termed “Growing Vigorous Veggies”, is slated for 10 a.m. to noon May 31, again locally at Saint Michael’s, as well as on May 10 at the McMinnville Community Garden at 325 N.E. Burnett Road.

Covered during the workshop will be tips on watering, organic versus chemical fertilizers, plant nutrient requirements, identifying/controlling/preventing weeds and integrated pest management.

The workshops are sponsored by a large collection of businesses, including Safeway, Willamette Valley Medical Center, Atticus Hotel, Hampton Lumber, Reid Rental, Les Schwab, Wilco, Recology Organics, Durant at Red Ridge Farms, OnPoint Credit Union, Alderbrook Gardens, Ohana Gardening and Hydroponics, Kraemer’s Nursery, Artsrealty and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.

To register, visit beav.es/N56. Fees for a single workshop are $25 per person, while $25 will pay for admittance to two workshops, which are free for low-income individuals.

For more information, call the OSU Extension Office at 503-434-7517, email yamhillmg@gmail.com or call Cindy Kinnaman at 503-550-9604.