Classes are filling up fast for the 13th annual “Fertilize Your Mind” garden seminar set for Saturday, March 29, on the campus of Southwestern Oregon Community College. This year’s keynote speaker will be Jim Myers, Vegetable Breeding and Genetics Professor at Oregon State University. Myers’ presentation, “The Culinary Cutting Edge and Vegetable Breeding,” will describe the ongoing efforts of the OSU Vegetable Breeding Program to develop vegetables with better nutrition and novel quality and taste attributes. Following the keynote presentation will be three class sessions, each with a selection of four informative classes to choose from, presented by experienced and practical speakers. Some of the topics include Winter Gardening, Basic Backyard Pruning, Tomatoes 101: Growing on the Oregon Coast, Water-wise Landscaping, Growing Strawberries and Raspberries, Beekeeping 101, and more. Local nurseries, landscape companies and other businesses will have a display of services and goods in the lobby throughout the day for perusal, while the Master Gardeners will man a Plant Clinic to answer gardening questions. A large selection of free gardening/seed catalogs will also be available. The registration fee of $25 includes the keynote address, three lecture sessions, and coffee or tea. To register, contact the Coos County Extension Office at 541-572-5263, stop by the OSU Extension office at 631 Alder St. in Myrtle Point, or get the registration form online at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/coos/fertilize-your-mind. You may also register the morning of the event, beginning at 8:00 a.m., but class selections may be limited. This seminar is sponsored by the Coos County Oregon State University Extension Service and the Coos County Master Gardener AssociationTM.
