8
in other words
february21
2013
Diggin’ in the Dirt: The Kindest Cuts
By Chip Bubl
Oregon State University Extension
Service
Columbia County
Planting forests, big or small (and
Small Woodlands Assn. tree sale)
Many landowners in Columbia
County have a mix of forest and open
ground. Often, there are small areas that
need to be reforested. There are several
ways to acquire the appropriate trees.
You can order them from any of several
nurseries. Generally, you have to order in
bundles of 50-100 seedlings. Call us for
contact information for these nurseries.
The Columbia County Small
Woodlands Association has an annual
tree sale in St. Helens. You can purchase
a variety of trees in very small quantities.
The sale this year will be on March 9 th
at the Lawrence Oil parking lot (845 N.
Columbia River Highway) in St. Helens
from 8:00 am- 2:00 pm. They sell forest
tree seedlings, some native shrubs, and
some ornamental tree seedlings. Get
there early for the best selection.
It is possible to transplant wild
seedlings. Sometimes you can find them
on a road right-of-way. It is always a
good idea to contact the County Road
Department to see that it is all right to
remove the seedlings. Dig smaller trees
that haven’t been growing in deep shade.
Trees should come from an elevation
similar to the one in which they will be
grown. It is best not to dig trees on a cold
day or from frozen ground. Don’t cause
traffic problems or leave a mess.
Protect your seedlings from
deer by either deer protecting tubes or
SEEDLING SALE
Saturday, March 9, 2013
8:30 AM-
2:00 PM
20 species -
some bag
quantities
Pacific Pride
(Lawrence Oil)
St. Helens, Hwy 30
COLUMBIA COUNTY SMALL
WOODLANDS
ASSOCIATION
Information:
(503) 556-8800
or (503) 543-2434
by a repellent spray like Deer Away™.
Protect from field mice girdling by
wrapping the base of them stem with
aluminum foil.
Finally, trees should be
transplanted as soon as possible after
digging or purchasing them. If you can’t,
place them in a garden bed to grow one
more year and transplant the following
winter. Forest tree planting should be
complete by the end of March.
wound should heal much faster.
Most shade trees should only
be pruned to accentuate their natural
shape. Some trees, like dogwoods and
hawthorns tend to get brushy inside.
Thinning out excess foliage will
contribute to the health of the tree. Fruit
trees, however, are pruned for fruit
and ease of picking. Their shape is not
natural at all.
Finally, get some sharp tools
and keep them sharp. We generally
don’t worry about wound dressings on
cuts less than 1” and larger cuts are best
treated with exterior white latex paint if
you feel the need to do something.
The kindest cuts of all
Gardeners prune trees and
shrubs to restrain growth, remove
diseased or damaged limbs, to improve
fruiting and flowering and to develop
better air circulation within the plant.
This year, snow damage may require
that some renovation pruning be done.
A couple of concepts will help
you prune more successfully. First, get a
good book on the subject. Many shrubs
are grown for their flowers and you have
to know on what “age” of wood the
flowers are produced. Spring flowering
shrubs are not pruned now but right after
they have bloomed. Some may need a
good mix of two and three year old wood
to produce fruit or flowers.
The best cut is one that ends just
before another branch. This is called a
thinning cut. It can result in fewer buds
“breaking” and therefore less “sucker”
pruning the following year. In contrast, a
heading cut (which ends in the middle of
a stem) tends to force a lot of suckers.
On large cuts, try to locate the
branch collar. This is a slight swelling
where the branch joins the main trunk.
Cut just to the outside of the collar. The
Looking toward spring gardens
Soon, it will be time to start
vegetable plants in your greenhouse
or cold frame. Vegetable species are
started at different times depending
on their tolerance to cool conditions
and light frosts. For example, cabbage
family plants are generally tolerant of
temperatures down to 28º F once they
have gotten to a certain size and have
been hardened off. They can be started
now. For you new gardeners, hardening
off means taking your transplant out of
the greenhouse environment for several
hours per day prior to transplanting.
They are placed in indirect light and
allowed to adjust to cooler conditions.
Plants develop a thicker leaf cuticle and
resistance to wind. A week of hardening
is often enough.
After transplanting, vegetables
can be protected by hot caps, floating row
covers (a gauzy fabric that traps some
heat) or plastic cloches. Cloches add
more heat but must be opened and closed
Smith is also currently selling an orange
cranberry cake called “Orange You
Glad You Cran”and has several other
products she is fine tuning. She is plan-
ning a couple of special items, including
a limited release of “Kari Me Home,” a
bread in honor of Kari Titus, a Verno-
nia resident who passed away last year.
“It will only be available in April which
was both the month of Kari’s birth and
her death,” says Smith. Smith will do-
nate 10% of proceeds to cancer aware-
ness.
The Sasquatch name is sort of
a joke. Smith says she and her sister
are tongue-in-cheek believers in the
Sasquatch legend. “We’ve never seen
Sasquatch, but how could he not be out
there?” says Smith with a smile. “It’s
always just been something between my
sister and me. These are natural foods
and we live in the woods. I always said
that if I ever met Sasquatch I’d make
him something to eat and get him a beer
and be friends with him and he could
show me where all the deer and elk
are!”
Smith and her family moved to
Vernonia in 1996. She and her husband
Jason have two school aged children.
Jason is a volunteer with the Vernonia
Fire District; Trish is a volunteer EMT
with the Ambulance Association. Re-
cent financial difficulties have made
things challenging for the Smith family
and Trish says at one point they found
START RIGHT. START HERE. SM
REQUEST TOWING SERVICE FROM
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
themselves on public assistance. She
says she would like to be an example to
others who are also struggling.
Smith says she hopes to ex-
pand her business and is looking for a
way to purchase a large mixer so she
can increase production. She says she
has a goal of paying off the mortgage
on the church building where she is cur-
rently baking. “Right now ten percent
of everything I make goes right into
the mortgage fund.” The church was
badly damaged in the 2007 flood and
Smith says she would like to be part of
rebuilding it. I wouldn’t bet against her!
If you see Sasquatch Bread Co.
products on the shelf go ahead and give
them a try.
Terry’s
Gym
Time to get your MOWERS tuned up
Oil Change • Sharpen Blades
Filters • Cables • Pull Ropes
We pick up & deliver!
Family owned & operated for over 40 years
834 Bridge St., Vernonia (503) 429-6364
Shop Hours: Mon - Fri 9:00 - 6:00
The Extension Service offers its
programs and materials equally to all
people.
New Baking Business continued from front page
FOR TOWING EMERGENCIES
IN AND AROUND THE
VERNONIA AREA
Polife and County personnel are required
to use a rotation of available provfiders,
UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY ASK
for a servife by name.
to avoid “cooking” the transplants.
Tomatoes and other sub-tropical
vegetables require more care. They
cannot stand frosts and need more heat.
Peppers are very intolerant of cold soils.
Tomatoes are usually started in mid-
March for transplant out by mid-May.
Peppers should be started two weeks
later for early June transplanting.
It helps to preheat the soil before
transplanting (or seeding for that matter)
by putting clear plastic over the soil.
This can raise the soil temperature from
45º to 65-70º in a matter of two or three
days.
JOIN
THE TEAM!
503-901-1705
16720 Noakes Rd. Vernonia