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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2015)
8 in other words february19 2015 Diggin’ in the Dirt: Gardening Resolutions By Chip Bubl Oregon State University Extension Service - Columbia County gardens. They serve several purposes: • Covers increase temperatures around transplants and growing plants by 4-6 Grafting Workshop in February degrees during the day and 3-4 degrees The OSU Extension office will at night. This is valuable heat in the be hosting a grafting workshop on Feb- spring and fall. st ruary 21 in Clatskanie, from 9 am-noon. • Seeds planted under row covers aren’t The St. Helens class is filled. Participants seen by crows. will be taught how to graft apple scions on to dwarf apple rootstocks. Each par- ticipant will receive 5 rootstocks to work with and supplies to secure the graft. Scion varieties will be available or par- ticipants can bring their own varieties they wish to graft. Cost of the workshop is $15. The class is limited to 20 people so early registration will assure a place. To register, or for more information, call the Extension office at 503 397-3462. Row Covers Available Again! • Soils warm with the covers but don’t The interest in row covers con- crust, so seed emergence is faster and tinues to increase. For those of you that more even. missed the buzz, row covers are made • Covers can be left with enough slack so from a gauzy fabric. They come in six- that broccoli-sized plants can grow tall foot widths and we cut the roll in lengths underneath them. of 50 or 100 feet. Row covers are used in • Covers can keep insects out like car- vegetable production on farms and home rot rust flies and cabbage root maggots. NOTICE OF ELECTION OF DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS Notice is hereby given that on Tues- day, May 19, 2015, an election will be conducted by mail for the purpose of electing board members to the fol- lowing districts (positions/zones and terms) as follows: VERNONIA 47J SCHOOL DISTRICT Positions 2, 3 and 7 (4 year term) - Vernonia 1-5, South Mist, North Mist and a portion of Washington County MIST-BIRKENFELD RFPD Positions 1 and 2 (4 year terms) and Position 4 (2 year term) - South Mist, North Mist, a portion of Vernonia 5 and a portion of Clatsop County VERNONIA RFPD Position 2, 3 and 4 (4 year terms) - Vernonia 1-3, portions of Vernonia 4 and Vernonia 5 COLUMBIA 9-1-1 COMMUNICA- TIONS DISTRICT - Candidates must reside in, be nominated by and elected by zone Zone 1 (4 year term) – Clatskanie 1-3, North Clatskanie, South Clats- kanie, South Delena, North Delena, Marshland, Quincy, Apiary Zone 2 (4 year term) – Goble, Rainier 1, Rainier 2, West Rainier, East Raini- er, Yankton, South Deer Island, North Deer Island, Prescott, Columbia City Zone 4 (4 year term) – South Mc- Nulty, North McNulty, South Warren, North Warren, Vernonia 1-5, Chap- man, South Mist, North Mist, East Chapman Each candidate for an office listed above must file a declaration of can- didacy accompanied by a filing fee of $10.00 or a petition for nomination signed by at least 25 registered vot- ers residing in the election district for the office, with the Elections Depart- ment of Columbia County beginning on February 7, 2015 and no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 19, 2015. Filing forms are available on-line at the Secretary of State, Elections Divi- sion http://sos.oregon.gov/elections/ Pages/electionforms.aspx. The forms are also available at Columbia Coun- ty Elections Dept., 230 Strand St., St. Helens, OR. START RIGHT. START HERE. SM Donʻt wait for the sun! Get your MOWERS tuned up now! Oil Change • Sharpen Blades Filters • Cables • Pull Ropes We pick up & deliver! Family owned & operated for over 45 years 834 Bridge St., Vernonia (503) 429-6364 However, slugs prosper under covers so slug controls are needed. Weeds also like it under cover, so persistent weeding pays. • In 2014, we sold, in 50 or 100 foot pieces, about a mile (!!) of cover. This year we are selling one ounce covers like last year. Cost is $20 for a 6 x 100’ piece or $10 for a 50’ one. The benefit of the heavier piece is that there is a little better heat retention and the fabric is stronger and less likely to rip. You cut them down further to fit your gardening needs. Call our office (503-397-3462) if you want some. It went fast in previous years. Gardening Resolutions Okay, I know it is a little past the start of the New Year, but a good part of gardening (and life, I suppose) is planning ahead and then acting on those plans. So here are some resolutions that may be worth considering: Resolution 1: If a plant isn’t do- ing well where you put it, move it or toss it! The plant may need better drainage, more sun, or something else to allow it to thrive. If you have a place where the plant might do better and you still like it, transplant it. February is an excel- lent month to transplant. I know rose growers who give roses three-five years to show how disease resistant they are (they don’t want to spray for black spot). If they don’t perform, they are replaced. Finally, trees, some shrubs, and even some herbaceous perennial flowers can outgrow their place. Large trees and shrubs generally can’t be moved, so they need to be cut down. Perennials can be divided and/or moved. Resolution 2: Use a lot more compost and/or mulch. Vegetable gar- dens and landscape beds benefit tremen- dously from regular additions of organic matter. This is especially true of the clay soils found almost everywhere in Co- lumbia County. Top-dressings of com- post in the fall can reduce the amount of winter annual weeds that start during the fall through the late spring. If you add more mulch than compost in your vegetable garden, make sure you pro- vide some extra nitrogen to help turn the mulch into compost. If you don’t, the soil micro-organisms that make compost will capture the nitrogen and your veg- etables won’t have enough. So feed both the vegetables and the beneficial decom- posers. Resolution 3: Learn to grow more vegetables in the early spring and the late fall. This is called season ex- tension. It is quite reasonable to grow lettuce and other greens almost year round if you use the right techniques. Good tools include row covers, cloches (small plastic-covered tunnels in the gar- den), raised beds, and transplants. For home-grown transplants, nothing beats a greenhouse or equally good and quite reasonable to make from scrap materi- als, a cold frame. It is worth noting that tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers do not do well in a winter greenhouse here since our light intensities at that time of the year are so low. Resolution 4: Make a special ef- fort to grow fruits and vegetables for the Food Banks and Senior Centers. They all need and value good quality local produce. Resolution 5: Take time to just sit in your garden, soaking up the sun- shine, colors, scents, and the incredible activity of birds and insects that makes your garden such a delightful place to be. Donate extra produce to the food bank, senior center, or community meals programs. Cash donations to buy food are also greatly appreciated. The Extension Service offers its pro- grams and materials equally to all people. Free newsletter The Oregon State University Extension office in Columbia County publishes a monthly newsletter on gar- dening and farming topics (called Coun- ty 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. You can also be sent an email when the newsletter is posted. 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 Need more room? See us for the lowest prices GUARANTEED! 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