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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2012)
in other words Diggin’ in the Dirt: Some Like it Hot! By Chip Bubl Oregon State University Extension Service Columbia County A soil thermometer is a great gardener’s gadget. To get good information, measure the soil temperature at a two-inch depth at 9:00 am over several days. Without a soil thermometer, you can estimate that the soil temperature will be a week behind the average air temperature. Na tu ces vi 17 th Annual Spring Garden Fair Saturday, April 28 th in St. Helens! It’s that time of year again. The OSU/Columbia County Master Gardeners™ are putting on their Spring Garden Fair Saturday, April 28th from 9:00am until 3:00pm at the St. Helens High School Commons. Highlighting the Fair are the tomato plants. Over 5,000 plants consisting of over 40 varieties, both heirlooms and standards, will be sold for $1.50 each. There will be many other vendors selling a variety of annual, herbaceous perennial and woody plants. Garden art, garden books and other garden accoutrements will also be available. Master Gardeners will be available to answer tomato and gardening questions. There will be displays and raffles. As always, admission to the fair is free. See you there! Here are some minimum germination Vegetable gardening tips temperatures for seeds in well-drained gardens: To give seedlings and transplants a “jump start”, make sure phosphorus is available in cold soils. Basil 60-65° F Do this by banding super phosphate (0-20-0) under the Beans 48-52 seeds or transplants. Make a three inch deep furrow Cabbage 38-40 (for seed) or a six inch deep furrow for transplants in Corn 46-50 the planting area. Into this furrow, evenly sprinkle one- Melons 55-60 half cup of super phosphate per 40 linear feet of bed. Onions 34-36 Cover the band of super phosphate with at least two Peas 34-36 inches of soil. Peppers 55-60 You can use a high phosphorus transplant Tomatoes 50-55 drench several times as a substitute. African violet fertilizers would work well. But for all of these, the warmer the soil, the For best results, select transplants that are about better they emerge. as tall as they are wide, dark green in color, vigorously It is possible to warm the soil before seeding growing, and free of spots on the leaves. (or transplanting) by covering it with clear or black To thin larger plants, use a knife to cut the stems plastic. Clear plastic warms more but it also stimulates at ground level. This reduces the plant competition weed growth. Raised beds drain off excess moisture (which you need to do to get good plant vigor) and and, as a result, warm more quickly. does not damage the root systems of the remaining Once the seed is in the ground, it is not vegetables. Pulling plants can damage the remaining unusual for the weather to turn cold and rainy. Newly plants. Also, keep weeding. planted rows could be covered with plastic tunnels or Some like it hot Soil temperature can have a huge impact on seed germination. Path Health Ser Inexperienced gardeners often plant ral heat-loving vegetables like corn, beans, and the squash/melon family before the soil is warm enough for rapid germination. In such conditions, the roots and shoots may emerge slowly. The longer the process takes, the greater the chance the seed will mold or be eaten by soil insects. The “high-sugar” corn Dr. Carol McIntyre varieties are outstanding in quality. Naturopathic & Chinese Medicine However, they are more sensitive to poor germination conditions (cold, 503.429.3928 wet soils). It is not uncommon to lose cccmnd@yahoo.com a third or more of the seed planted. naturalpathhealthservices.com You can reduce the problem by planting enough seed so that, even 786 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR, 97064 in a bad year, you will still have a stand. Vernonia Computer Services Computer problems? We can help. Hardware testing, repair, replacement Mac – Windows – Linux Software install/upgrade Virus/spyware removal Custom systems built Housecalls Available Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat 10-6 and by appointment Bill Langmaid (971) 998-3705 bill@rangelights.com april24 2012 9 floating row covers to keep them warm until the seeds germinate. Plastic on wire hoops works well but must be lifted most mornings to avoid frying the plants underneath. Floating covers can be left in place but don’t forget to bait for slugs. Floating row covers do have the additional advantage of confusing crows. Once the corn is 3-4 inches high, the pleasure that crows take in pulling it up is gone, so the covers can be removed. Don’t feed landscape clippings to livestock! There are a lot of landscape plants that can harm livestock. I get several calls a year about a poisoning which, upon discussion, can be traced back to clippings being dumped over the fence. The consequences of a steer eating relatively small amounts of yew or Pieris andromeda foliage are rapid and often fatal. Other common (and not so common) landscape plants are equally toxic. It is never a good idea to supplement the pasture with such material. Garden crops like corn and beans are fine, but squash, tomato, and potato vines are all toxic. 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 from the Legacy clinic) St. Helens, OR 97051 503 397-3462 Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu
