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
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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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