• Japanese beetle special yard debris collection *suspended because of budget issues
• Master Gardener classes
• Meet the Mason bees and friends
• Native Plants and the Backyard Habitat Certification Program

Japanese beetle special yard debris collection *suspended because of budget issues

From the Oregon Department of Agriculture:
Due to budget constraints the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) cannot offer free yard debris collection and disposal services for residents or landscapers living or working in the Japanese beetle yard quarantine. Instead, ODA is prioritizing pesticide application and trapping in infested areas. In addition, ODA will increase its trap monitoring for the possible movement of Japanese beetle by increasing traps placed at yard debris disposal sites.

Lawmakers will allocate agency budgets for the next biennium (2023-2025) by the end of June. At that time, ODA will reassess costs and the ability to pay for yard debris collection and waste management in 2024 and beyond. 

Thank you to those who have supported the quarantine over the past six years. ODA asks for the public’s continued support. The best way to help limit the spread of Japanese beetle currently is to ensure you are:

• not moving any plant material, including outdoor potted plants, to new locations outside of Washington County. Also,
• please refrain from participating in any plant swaps if you are within the treatment area.

To see if you are within the treatment area please visit oda.direct/jbmap. Residents in Washington County can continue to use their curbside yard debris bins as usual. 

For more information on where we recommend residents and landscapers take yard debris material (for those within a treatment area), please consult this list of participating disposal sites.

•[what this means to you is that nothing will change with your yard debris collection, it just won’t be going to a special location. Your landscaper will have been contacted if they have been participating. ODA spokesperson says they’ve been monitoring the special location and there aren’t a large amount of beetles trapped there.]

Master Gardener classes

How could you not grow garlic?

Tuesday, June 6, 7-8 pm, online

This presentation will cover preparations for planting garlic including a bit on varieties, planting techniques and locations, fertilizer use, weed management, irrigation or not, disease and insects, harvest timing, and storage issues. There should be time for questions. Presented by Chip Bubl, Associate Professor, OSU Extension. Bring your questions about growing garlic! Register here.

Raising chickens at home

Saturday, June 10, 9-11 am, PCC Rock Creek Building 4 Room 104, 17705 NW Springville Rd, free

Join PCC farm manager Avery Thompson to learn the pros and cons of chickens within your home garden and how to care for them. Free parking available; no registration! Visit the Washington County Master Gardener website for more information. 

Bees in the garden 

Saturday, June 17, 10 am-12 pm, PCC Rock Creek Building 4 Room 103, 17705 NW Springville Rd, free

Learn how to distinguish bees from wasps and flies, what native bees need to survive, and what you can do to help them with the Washington County Master Gardeners Association. We will look for bees and other pollinators at the WCMGA Education Garden with adults and school-aged children. Free parking available, no registration! Visit the WCMGA website for more information. 

Meet the Mason bees and friends

Saturday, June 3, 12-3 pm, WCMGA Education Garden (PCC Rock Creek), 17705 NW Springville Rd, free

Join OSU and Oregon Bee Atlas volunteers to meet the Mason Bees and Friends. Children and adults are invited to join the Washington County Master Gardeners Association to celebrate the emerging mason bees. Learn about them and other Oregon-native bees. Free parking available, no registration! Visit the WCMGA website for more information.  

Native Plants and the Backyard Habitat Certification Program 

Saturday, June 24th, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. . PCC Rock Creek Campus, Bldg. 4, Room 103 and the WCMGA Education Garden at PCC Rock Creek. 17705 NW Springville Rd, Free program, no registration needed. 

Join the Washington County Master Gardeners to learn about the native plants that thrive in the PNW garden, how to naturescape in support of wildlife and pollinators, and the possibilities the Backyard Habitat Certification Program offers through its customized yard assessment. 

OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers Robin Carpenter and Jack Shorr will lead this In the Garden Series workshop. 

The Washington County Master Gardener™ Association (WCMGA) sponsors a wide variety of gardening–related demonstrations, lectures, seminars, and workshops in various Washington County Oregon locations. They are a 501c3 non-profit supported by volunteers who work to educate the public about sustainable, affordable gardening. 

Most of our events are free and open to the public.