Elizabeth Records loves all things gardening, both at home and as the Master Garden program educator through OSU Extension in Linn and Benton counties.
And as someone who likes to get her hands in the dirt, she knows about the importance of pollinators – specifically bees – for gardens, farm and orchard crops.
Records said that the Linn County Master Gardener Association Pollinator Project, now in its eighth year, focuses on stewarding mason bees, sponsoring a popular BEEvent Pollinator Conference each February at the Linn County Expo Center in Albany.
This year’s program was held via Zoom, with more than 260 participants. An in-person conference is scheduled for 2023. (As for other events, the Through the Garden Gate tour of gardens is returning June 18 after a two-year hiatus, according to Records. “At people’s request, there will be more smaller gardens included,” she said.)
Mason bees are especially important to pollination because they are active in early spring, before most other pollinators. Pollen sticks to their fuzzy bodies and fertilizes about 95% of the flowers they visit.
Mid-valley residents interested in setting up their own bee hives can purchase a starter kit at the OSU Extension-Linn County office in Tangent. Bee houses can be found for as little as $35, along with tubes, cleaning tools and even Blue Orchard Mason Bee cocoons.
For more, visit linnmastergardeners.com/bee-notes.
Some 37 people are currently training to become Master Gardeners, 25 in Benton County and 12 from Linn County. They spend one hour per week in an online class they can view at their leisure and then gather weekly for hands-on lessons.
Areas of study include botany essentials, soil management, plant nutrition, pest identification and control, diagnosis of plant problems, growing vegetables, sustainable landscape design, fruit trees and pollinators.
Master Gardeners are busy with demonstration gardens at the Linn and Benton county fairgrounds, and at the Willamette Community Garden in Albany. Last year, 52 Master Gardeners worked with four school and community gardens, donating 1,530 pounds of produce and helping 8,830 people.
All-organic 5-by-10-feet garden plots are available to rent for $20 and the garden also provides food to local food banks. For more information, call (541) 917-7777.
– Alex Paul, Linn County Communications Officer