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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2018)
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM ܂ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2018 ܂ 3A How to keep leeks from blooming Gardening Carol Savonen Guest columnist Question: My fall planted leeks all bolted before they got big enough to har- vest. How can I prevent this from hap- pening again? Answer: Leeks are large, cold-toler- ant cousins to the onions. Ideally, leeks are best started from seed indoors in April in seed starting mix. Or you buy starts in the late spring. Then you plant them out in the garden in May and har- vest them starting in September into winter. You are not alone having bolting leeks in the late spring. I get some every year. I let some of them bolt, or bloom be- cause they have a large globular flower head, much like an ornamental onion. Pollinators love theses blooms. Fall planted, your leek plants got ma- ture enough to respond to this spring’s long days. This caused them to send up a bloom and bolt. Since a week from now the days will be getting shorter again, plant some more leek starts and see if this works better for you. Purchase transplants at your local garden center, as it is almost too late to plant them now from seed. The plants will be young enough to not send up a flower. By the time your leeks get big, the days will be getting progressively short- er. Your leeks will grow bigger, but they shouldn’t bloom, as days getting longer and longer are what stimulated your maturing fall planted leeks to bolt in the first place. Leeks are best started from seed indoors in April in seed starting mix. JOE TRUSKOT/THE SALINAS CALIFORNIAN More hints for success when growing leeks: ܂ Push soil around the edge up to the first leaf notch to blanch or whiten the stems. Or, next time you plant them, put them into a 3 to 4 inches deep trench. As the leeks grow taller, fill in the trenches in stages until the trenches are com- pletely filled in. ܂ Thin growing leeks to to two inches apart. ܂ Harvest leeks after they are an inch or more in diameter, anytime from Sep- tember until April. ܂ Store leeks in the soil until you are ready to cook them up. They’ll last a lot longer than in the fridge. ܂ Freeze sliced leeks in zip lock bags for future use. They don’t have to be blanched before freezing them. Carol Savonen is a naturalist and writer. She is an associate professor emeritus at OSU and tends a large gar- den in the Coast Range Hills west of Phi- lomath with her husband and dogs. She can be reached at Carol.Savonen@ore- gonstate.edu or c/o: EESC, 422 Kerr Ad- min. Bldg., OSU, Corvallis, OR 97331. Michael Kim, DDS “Your friendly local dentist” New Patients & Emergencies Welcome Retire Continued from Page 1A services has risen considerably. My first year we had approximately 27 calls all year. The average number of calls per year now is 205. So it’s gone from two calls a month to a call every two days." He was asked which of the District’s accomplishments brings the greatest satisfaction. Swanson said that the Fire Department reaching the high level of service it has attained is very rewarding. Upgrading the trucks and apparatus to provide a safer working environment and to be able to deliver better service has been a high priority for the District. Another source of satisfaction is the number of collaborative relationships the Department has established over the years. These relationships include a wide variety of state and federal agen- cies as well as other fire departments.” The greatest collaborative effort went into funding and constructing the new fire hall. “So many people and organizations dug deep into their pockets to donate to- ward the cost. We had so much help along the way. Marion County sold us the property for half its value.” Swanson added, “People really went the extra mile. I went into the post office one day and a guy stopped me and of- fered to purchase the siren for the new hall. One little girl painted rocks, sold them, and donated the money toward the new building. Individuals and or- ganizations were unbelievably gener- ous. “Our community is so proud of the new building and they use it all the time. The fire hall has hosted weddings, anni- versaries, class reunions, baby and wedding showers, yoga lessons and community meetings, and of course, all the drills and meetings associated with the department itself. Last year the building was used for over 240 activities and events.” Swanson was asked if the day of the “volunteer” fire chief has passed. He said, “The trend is moving away from having a volunteer fire chief. It’s tough to find someone who can commit to the amount of time it takes. So much more is required than in years past." Chief Swanson said he is grateful for the chance to work with so many top- notch volunteers in the department. He also is mindful that people have trusted and respected the volunteers who came to help them in times of need. “We care deeply about the trust placed in us, and we work hard to justify that trust,” he said. “I’ll really miss these guys,” he con- tinued. “They understand the impor- tance of honesty, loyalty and commit- ment to the department and the com- munity. They volunteer because they care deeply about helping others. They truly believe in serving the greater good of the community.” “I know I’ll miss being the chief,” Swanson said, “But it’s always good to know when to move on. It’s time for me to transition into some different activ- ities. I’m looking forward to trying some new glass projects in my business. And it will be nice to have more time for fam- ily and friends. I’ll always be grateful that I had the opportunity to serve my community.” All are invited to attend a Retirement Celebration for Fire Chief Swanson on Sunday, June 24th. at the Gates Fire Hall. The Open House will be held be- tween 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. A special pres- entation with speakers will begin at 2:30 p.m. Carol Swanson is the Gates Fire Board Director. She is not related to Gary Swanson. 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