country living
march9
2010
15
Diggin’ In The Dirt: March…Finally! Boots On, Shovels Up!
By Kim Camarda
Plant your new
roses now and prune
your
established
ones.
This is a great
time to prune and
train your grapes,
and vines, too.
Clematis, honeysuckle and climbing
roses are just budding in and you can see
the structure of the plant better. You can
really see if something’s been weakened
or broken during the winter. Check all
your trees and shrubs for winter damage
and monitor new shoots and buds for
disease and deficiencies. Catch it early.
Also, catch the nasty thick-rooted weeds
now, too, and you can reduce weeding
later on.
If it dries out a bit, you can start
to divide perennials like chrysanthe-
mum, echinacea, and rutabega.
Bulbs can be planted later into
the month. If yours are in the ground,
crocus, hyacinth and tulips should be
coming up already.
If you have yet to plant cover
crops but struggle with your soil, why
not just give a small space a try this
year. I think I am going to start rotat-
ing a 3’x3’ square space of various cover
crops throughout my yard for the next
few years. I inherited almost an acre
that was entirely lawn for many, many
years. The soil seems stripped of any ac-
tual nutrients, so it’s first aid for the dirt,
first thing. Cover crops can be a utilitar-
ian crop as well if you grow edibles…
You can combine a legume with a grass
or cereal plant crop to produce and store
nitrogen in the ground, or peas and win-
ter wheat or rye. Some of these combi-
nations can yield foods that can also be
harvested and eaten by various animals,
and even family members. Who doesn’t
love the wheat berry? I wouldn’t till or
dig anything until it’s been dry for lon-
ger periods of time. The ground is still
saturated.
Time to maintain and refresh
your lawns, so a note about moss in
your lawns. Moss has various causes
and is a symptom, not a cause, of trou-
ble in your lawn area. Lawns that don’t
receive enough nitrogen are prone to
moss growth. Lawns don’t grow well
in highly acid soils. You can improve
the health of your lawn by liming if your
soil is overly acid. In dense shade, grass
does not get enough light to grow well
and moss will take over. If the moss oc-
curs under a tree, think about thinning
the canopy of that tree and letting some
light in, or better yet, go with the flow
and have yourself a little moss garden
spot.
Grass roots have trouble growing in
compacted soil and if the grass isn’t
growing, the moss will take its place.
Aerating your lawn can help and iron is
essential. Waterlogged soils can reduce
the availability of iron.
My peas have shot up about an
inch. It’s a good time for cool season
veggies like asparagus, broccoli, carrots,
cauliflower, celery, chard and radishes.
If you have rabbits, hamsters or guinea
pigs, you may want to try growing some
kale for them-- they love it. Our chick-
ens eat it, too, and it’s a no-brainer. The
greens and lettuces, of course, are great
this time of year. I keep a “wild salad
box” at the back door to eat fresh from.
It’s salad greens of all sorts. Each year,
I try something I’ve never tried before.
I’ve put in chives and left whatever herbs
lived through the winter. This year, its
sage and oregano. I will rotate onions
and basils into this box as the temps
warm up and the lettuces die off.
It’s nice to keep mints in pots at
the back door, too, for teas and bever-
ages.
It’s also time to check and repair
fencing and reinforce livestock pens.
Air out places that have been closed up
for the winter. Take advantage of those
dry days. Oil and sharpen your tools if
you haven’t already.
And now for something com-
pletely different: what I learned about
slugs. The small blackish brown ones
are referred to as the “European” slugs.
They are the main eaters of the tender
shoots we work so hard for.
The long green yellow spotted
slug is referred to as the “banana” slug
and it eats mainly debris like decaying
plant material, etc. The medium-long
grey-black spotted “leopard” slug is an
eater of the greens and lettuces, BUT
also eats the European slugs. FYI on the
slug control-- Bonide makes pet-friend-
ly versions, now non-toxic to animals.
Barnyard News: Back in the Saddle
By Dawn Carr
This month I would like to
talk about horseback-riding.
With the weather changing to a
more mild temperature, we want
to get out and start riding those
trails. Before you saddle up, make sure your horse is in
good health. Here are some questions you may want to
ask yourself: What kind of terrain will we ride in? Do
I need shoes on my horse or will boots be sufficient? Is
my horse current on his vaccines and worming? Is my
tack clean and ready to put on my horse? Is any of my
tack old (straps/cinch) and do I need to replace them?
Is my saddle pad clean? Will I trailer my horse? If so,
you may want to do a check on the floor to make sure
there are no rotten boards. Are the tires in good shape?
The way I look at it is like this-- my horse is
the least expensive part of my ensemble. Purchasing a
horse isn’t the expensive part, it’s the stuff required to
take care of him.
I was out in my barn cleaning stalls today and
took a good look at my horse, Chuck. He looked a
little on the shabby side. His coat seemed dry and was
shedding a bunch. So, after grooming him and getting
his stall done, I thought I should check his records and
see if he is coming due for anything. To my surprise,
he was due again for his wormer. Man, it seemed like
I just did that! So I pulled him back out and gave him
his wormer. I know he didn’t appreciate it, but it was
necessary.
I also wanted to talk about selenium. I’ve heard ing out there and not being prepared and helpless. So
that we don’t have enough selenium in our grasses to make sure you have gauze and vet wrap to name a few.
meet a horse’s needs. There are supplements that you I know if there is something that can hurt my horse out
can give to them or even a salt trace mineral block with on the trail, with his luck, and mine, he’s gonna find it!
selenium in it. I was talking with one of my customers
It’s great to able to start thinking about trail
about selenium and we found on the internet that fruits riding again-- just be safe and be prepared. That will
like watermelon, mango and dates contain selenium. make for a great day in the saddle.
Also, vegetables like parsnip and asparagus have sele-
Until next month, wishing you a safe and won-
nium in them. Before you offer these, check with your derful trail ride!
veterinarian to see if you
can feed them. I have al-
ways given watermelon to
my horses in the summer;
they really love it, but I
should really check with
my vet first to see if that’s
OK. I am in no way giv-
ing you medical advice,
only sharing information I
TACK, FEED
ENGLISH AND
have seen.
AND
FARM
WESTERN
When you get out
and are riding the trail, one
thing to remember when
packing your saddlebags
are emergency supplies.
If your horse were to get
cut or receive an injury,
it’s good to have adequate
supplies so you can treat
CHICKS, DUCKLINGS, QUAIL, GEESE AND
them on the trail. There is
BUNNIES FOR EASTER NOW AVAILABLE.
no worse feeling then be-
March Specials!
Stop by to pre-order for following week pick up
If we don’t have it, we can get it
291
A
Street
CONSIGNMENT & CLEARANCE
ROOM NOW OPEN!
Used and Clearance Tack -
saddles, bridles and breast collars
call Kim
Free Wedding
Consultations
Pet Supplies & Grooming
(503) 429-PETS (7387)
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Ben-n-Lisa@CreaturesPetShop.com
Custom Arrangements
(503) 429-2000
www.VernoniaFlorist.com
Lisa@VernoniaFlorist.com
Open Monday thru Saturday
10AM to 6PM Closed Sundays
736 Bridge Street, Vernonia
Visa/Mastercard Accepted
Lovable service at
a reasonable price.
• Bathing
• Haircuts
• Nail Clipping
• Nail Polishing
• Specialty
Shampoos
Tack Sale! 10% off
We Carry
Hillsboro Feed!
Get It Locally!
expires
3/31/10
Saddles, bridles, breast collars, etc.
Proceeds benefit ........... for Rodeo Sponsorship
Stop by the store to buy raffle tickets.
Open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm and Sun 12-4pm
1103 Bridge Street (on the corner of Rose & Bridge)
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