6
community
december27
2011
Diggin’ In The Dirt: Time to Think About Seeds
Chip Bubl
Oregon State University
Extension Service - Columbia County
Buying from seed catalogs
Winter weekends are a
wonderful time to curl up with a good
seed catalog (or catalogs). It is helpful
to start by making a list of what went
well in the vegetable and flower garden
so you can repeat that success. Then
think about what you wanted more of,
less of, or what you didn’t
have that you think you
would like to try. Write
these ideas down and then
start browsing. There are
a lot of great catalogs and
most have on-line access
now. Some of the favorites
of gardeners in this area
have been New Dimension
Seeds, Territorial Seed,
Burpee Seed, Johnny’s
Seed, Thompson and
Morgan,
Park
Seed
Company, Nichol’s Nursery and Cook’s
Garden Seeds. However, there are a lot
more out there including companies
that specialize in crops like tomatoes,
peppers, potatoes, garlic, dry beans,
etc. For a list of vegetable/flower seed
companies, call our office.
As you look through the
catalogs, think about your garden
location and the length of your growing
season. Someone in Vernonia probably
wouldn’t try the melons that a St. Helens
gardener might put in. If you have less
than eight hours of sun, forget corn/
squash and concentrate on greens and
possibly potatoes. As gardens shrink,
it is helpful to look for companies that
package seeds in smaller amounts. I do
know neighbors that buy seeds together
and then share the packets. Try some new
plants! There are varieties of winter and
summer squash that are quite compact
and fit well into a limited space garden
or into containers.
It might be worth trying some
of the All-America fruit and flower
varieties. These plants
are tested throughout
the country and tend
to be widely adapted,
with some limitations.
Okra really isn’t the
crop for Vernonia. The
web site is: www.all-
americaselections.org/.
These selections are
available both as bedding
plants, particularly for
the flowers, and seed.
Finally, keep a record
of what your gardening goals are,
your purchasing decisions and the
performance of your seeds during the
year. This will be a great tool for you in
future years.
When plants change their colors
If you think about it, most
cultivated plants are nature’s oddities.
Gardeners over the centuries have
selected onions with large bulbous
bases, mustards with giant heads (called
cabbages) and apples with heavenly
fruit. This selection for extreme types
is very pronounced in the landscape
trade, notably with variegated and curly
varieties.
There are a number of trees,
shrubs and herbaceous perennial flowers
that have cream margins on their leaves.
The cell mutation that causes this often
appears first on one shoot on a plant. An
alert nursery producer may propagate
that odd portion through cuttings,
grafting, divisions or tissue culture.
Voila! A new variety is introduced to the
novelty hungry gardening public.
However, the gene location in
the cell that produces the unique shoot
in the first place is often unstable. This
can cause portions of these plants to
revert back to their original form. It is
commonly seen in variegated maples
which produce shoots that are no longer
variegated or the curly tree that starts
throwing straight limbs. To keep the
tree looking as you want it, you must
aggressively prune out any “off-type”
reversion shoots. In addition, since these
varieties are often grafted, remove any
shoots coming from the rootstock, the
area below the graft union.
are responsible for providing volunteer
gardening education to the community
as partial payback for the training.
If interested in the program, call the
Extension office at 503 397-3462 for an
information packet.
The Extension Service offers its
programs and materials equally to all
people.
Free newsletter
The Oregon State University
Extension office in Columbia County
publishes a monthly newsletter on
gardening and farming topics (called
County Living) written/edited by yours
truly. All you need to do is ask for it and
it will be mailed to you. Call 503 397-
3462 to be put on the list. Alternatively,
you can find it on the web at
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/
columbia/ and click on newsletters.
Contact information for the Extension
office
Oregon State University Extension
Service – Columbia County
505 N. Columbia River Highway (across
Master Gardener™ class signups from the Legacy clinic)
being taken
St. Helens, OR 97051
The OSU Extension office in 503 397-3462
Columbia County will be offering the Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu
Master Gardener™ training again this
spring. This year the class will be in
Vernonia’s Voice is
St. Helens. The classes will be held on
published
twice each month on the
Mondays from 9 am – 4 pm for about 10
th
2nd and 4th Tuesday. Look for our
weeks starting January 9 , 2012. Cost
of the program is $75.00 which includes
next issue on January 10th.
a large resource book. Master Gardeners
Senior Center Activities
5-Area Luncheon: There are no lun-
cheons scheduled for December.
GET PREPARED FOR WINTER
• chains • antifreeze • winter tires mounted & balanced
• wipers • generators • kerosene • flashlights • boots
• batteries • lamp oil • gas cans • candles • propane
Family owned & operated
for over 40 years
834 Bridge St., Vernonia
(503) 429-6364
PAYROLL PLUS LLC
Edi Sheldon
503-429-1819
edisheldon@gmail.com
Income Tax Preparation
(Individual & Small Business)
Bookkeeping
QuickBooks Assistance
Full Service Payroll
LTC#29629-C
Need more room?
See us for the lowest prices
GUARANTEED!
Debit/Credit now accepted
U-Haul now available on site
5x10 $39
10x10 $69 10x20 $99
RV Storage $149
Outside storage available
Totally fenced and gated
Padlocks Available
58605 Nehalem Hwy S.
P.O. Box 292
Vernonia, Oregon 97064
(503) 429-7867
10-5 Tue-Sat, 12-4 Sun
Connie’s Fabulous Breakfasts: Fab-
ulous breakfasts are available to the
public on Fridays for a cost of only
$3.50. The event happens at the Senior
Center (446 Bridge Street) from 7:30
to 9:00 AM each Friday. Meal price in-
cludes a beverage, too. Enter through
the side, parking lot door. What a deal!
Week Day Lunches: The Vernonia
Senior Center offers nutritious and
tasty lunches each weekday for a $4
donation for seniors over 60; cost is $5
for anyone under 60. To-go meals are
available for $5. These are available
to the public, not just Senior Citizens.
(Mealtime is noon; late arrivals may
not be served.) You can reserve your
lunch by calling by 11:15 AM, or fur-
ther in advance if possible, to assist the
cooks as they prepare the day’s meals.
Meals on Wheels are available for a $4
donations for seniors over 60. Please
contact the Senior Center for an appli-
cation.
Maple Bars available locally! Con-
nie King, the cook at the Senior Cen-
ter, is making maple bars each day. The
maple bars are available to the public,
too, and only cost $1 each. Availabil-
ity is subject to quantity on hand. You
can assure yourself of a good supply
by pre-ordering them directly from
Connie by calling the Senior Center
(503-429-3912) any week day, from
7:00 AM-3:00 PM. Please allow one
day lead time for larger orders. The
Center’s front door opens at 9:00, but
the side parking lot door opens at 7:00.
Ah, sweet treats!
Thrift Store: Bargain prices can be
found in Vernonia’s Senior Center in
their Thrift Store. The retail store is
open Monday through Friday, from
9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. The Thrift
Store provides funds for the Senior
Center’s facility and its many activi-
ties. Donations can also be dropped off
during those same hours, and donated
clothes need to be clean and in good
condition so they are “sales ready”.
We are offering half off during the first
week of each month. Buy locally and
support your local Senior Center.
For after hours drop-offs please con-
tact Pauline 503-429-5810.
Special Days: On the last Wednesday
of the month Wauna Credit Union will
be serving ice cream. On the last Fri-
day of the month we will serve birth-
day cake and ice cream to celebrate
that month’s birthdays.
Membership Dues: Another way to
support Vernonia’s Senior Center is to
pay the $15 annual membership dues.
Checks may be mailed or dropped off
at the Senior Center. Anyone 50 and
older may join.
Questions? Call: (503) 429-3912
