in other words
november21
Diggin’ in the Dirt: The Wooly Bear Caterpillar
By Chip Bubl
Oregon State University
Extension Service - Columbia County
2014
OSU/Columbia
Master
Gardener™ Class Will Be Held in
Vernonia (again)

After twenty-one years of
having the Master Gardener classes in
St. Helens, Vernonia hosted the class
in 2010. It was a wonderful class. After
discussion with a number of people, we
have decided to come back to Vernonia
for the 2014 class. The classes will be
held at the Vernonia Learning Center
each Thursday from about 10:00
am – 3 p.m. starting March 6 th. 2014;
there will be about 10 class days on
successive weeks. Classes
will start in March to avoid
the worst weather and will go
through early May. Cost of the
class series will still be $75.
Gardeners from all parts of
the county are welcome. The
classes will cover vegetable
and fruit gardening, soils and
fertilizers, insect and disease
identification and management,
weed identification and
management, and lots of other
topics of interest to gardeners.

Payback projects (an
obligation for all Master Gardeners™)
will be focused in the Vernonia area
and nearby communities. If you are
interested in the Vernonia OSU Master
Gardener program, please call Chip
Bubl at the OSU Extension office 503
397-3462 to get more information and to
get on the mailing/email list.
Food preservation and food safety

Want to learn how to safely
preserve produce from your garden
this summer? The OSU Extension
Service in Columbia County offers food
preservation information and resources.
Here is a list of services that we provide:
• Free Printed Publications and Safe
Canning Recipes
• Online Publications and Recipes:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/fch/
food-preservation
• Free Pressure Canner Gauge Testing
(call ahead before bringing in your
gauge)
• In addition, you can call our local
OSU Extension office in St. Helens at
503 397-3462 with food preservation
questions
Jenny Rudolph, MPA
OSU/Columbia
Educator
County
Extension
Soil crusting

Many of the clay-infused soils
of Columbia County can form a crust
when tilled. The crust can affect the
emergence of small seeds in the spring.
Carrot, lettuce and beet seeds have a
tough time breaking through crusts.
You can improve your soil structure
by the following practices:
• Keep your soil covered when rain
is falling. This means a cover crop or
mulches in the winter and mulches again
in the spring.
• Build your soil structure by adding
organic matter at every opportunity.
Leave crop residues on the soil surface
over the winter.
• Lime the soil in the fall if you till.
• Till as shallowly as possible to
incorporate organic matter and lime in
the fall. Deeper tillage may be needed in
the spring.
Wooly bears, winter, and poison
hemlock

Popular folk culture says that
the width of the black band on the fuzzy
wooly bear caterpillar will forecast the
severity of the winter. There is no truth
to the old tale. The band changes as the
caterpillar grows. The caterpillar feeds
on plantains (both narrow and broadleaf)
as well as clovers, dandelions, and some
grasses. They do no economic damage.

Apparently, they can also feed
on poison hemlock and the equally
deadly water hemlock. They look for
hemlock when they are attacked by
parasites. Compounds in the hemlock
seem to protect the caterpillar.

The adult of the fuzzy wooly
bear is the Tiger Isabella moth which is
common in these parts in June through
August.
2013
9
termite nests. He tolerates the ants and
There will always be an Australia (my is free of termites. As he said, pests get
used to poisons but not to being eaten.
apologies to the New Yorker)

An Australian naturalist has Adapted from the New Scientist
enlisted some surprising allies in his
war against molds, cockroaches, and Take extra produce you might have to the
food bank, senior centers, or community
termites.

For the mold in his shower, meals programs. Cash donations to buy
naturalist Robinson began experimenting food are also greatly appreciated.
with slugs! He found them quite
efficient. They were especially good at The Extension Service offers its
getting mold out of grout and other hard programs and materials equally to all
to reach places. He provided them a cozy people.
and moist place to retreat to during the
day. One species insisted in roaming Free newsletter
The Oregon State University
around the house at night, so he/she (a
little slug humor here) got their walking Extension office in Columbia County
papers. Realizing that slugs might not fit 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.
all decors, he selected some remarkably
colored ones and even found that a white
species could be color-coordinated by
feeding it with vegetable dyes.

For cockroaches, he has geckos
and skinks roaming freely behind the
furniture. His most amazing discovery
was that a small black ant destroys
Vernonia
Volunteer
Ambulance
Association
Presents the
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
C HILI
2nd annual
C OOK
O FF
December 7th 2013
Vernonia Senior Center
Cost to enter is
$10.00 per crockpot
Enter your favorite chili
in the following categories
*Traditional Chili
*Wild Game Chili
*Vegetarian Chili
*Turkey Chili
*Your Original Chili
Prizes will be awarded
Drop off between 9am-10am
Judging to start at 10:30am
Entry forms and payment
due at Registration
$5 Lunch
Includes
Bowl of Chili with roll
Drink and Cookie
Lunch sales start at 10:30am
until it’s gone
Coloring contest with prizes
Kids age 3-12
Check out the event page
on facebook