8
in other words
november17
2016
Diggin’ in the Dirt: Plan Your Garden
planted the following spring would not be at risk for
disease. One approach is to work manure into the gar-
den (along with some lime if you haven’t limed lately)
in the fall before the rains start and either plant a cover
crop or cover with a non-manure mulch like leaves or
black plastic to preserve surface soil tilth. The Octo-
ber deluge this year has stopped that. But manure could
still be applied to the garden surface if the ground isn’t
too soft. It could be left uncovered. I have also seen
some people cover it with black plastic in an effort to
try to keep more of the nitrogen from leaching away. If
you do that, make sure the manure stays moist enough
over the winter to still compost.
I still am very concerned about the use of ma-
nure tea during the growing season or fresh manure
applied directly to crops for health risk reasons. Well-
composted manure should be fine at any time.
By Chip Bubl
Oregon State University
Extension Service - Columbia County
2017 OSU Master Gardener ™ class will be held in
Vernonia
The Columbia County/OSU Master Garden-
er™ training will be held in Vernonia on ten consecu-
tive Tuesdays from about 9:30 am to 3:30 pm starting
on February 21, 2017. If you think you might be inter-
ested, call the OSU Extension office in St. Helens at
(503) 397-3462 or email either myself ( chip.bubl@or-
egonstate.edu ) or Vicki Krenz ( vicki.krenz@oregon-
state.edu ) to get on a mailing list for the classes when
the informational packets and applications are sent out.
The class will be held at the Vernonia Health Center
and space is somewhat limited. Cost of the class is $80
and there are a few scholarships available.
So you want to send your moles to the neighbors?
Here’s recipe #1007
In the continuing saga of neighborhood mole
herding comes this formula from Washington: Carol’s
Mint Mole Blaster.
You take a couple of big handfuls of mint leaves
and stems. Put them in a blender with just enough liq-
uid to blend up a wet paste. Mix the paste/slurry into a
large soup pot of water and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
This will make a concentrate that can be used to make
six gallons of “mole blaster.” Pour the diluted mix into
mole holes whenever you see activity. Carol, whoever
she is, says that the moles will skedaddle. It should be
possible to create the same effect with peppermint ex-
tract which would help the Oregon mint growers. You
need to experiment with concentrations but a little oil
goes a long way.
However, as you might guess, I have my
doubts. Certainly “assault by mint” will not eliminate
moles. At best it will force them to dig new tunnels,
some of which might be on the neighbor’s property.
But since Washingtonians passed a referendum that
does not allow them to trap moles, they are getting kind
of desperate. I envision all the neighbors engaging in
similar behaviors to move moles, perhaps terminally
confusing them (the moles, I think I mean). But moles
have occupied the landscape for a lot longer than hu-
mans. I have little doubt as to the winner.
Plan your garden
This month is an ideal time to make notes,
resolutions, and plans for next year’s garden. The mis-
takes of the past year (for me, too many tomatoes, some
early direct seed failures with green beans, and not
enough winter greens, etc.) should be countered with a
plan that both corrects the errors of the past and allows
room for new experiments. The notes, resolutions, and
plans don’t have to be extensive. A garden notebook is
very useful as a permanent record of your intentions,
varieties planted (with dates), observations, and results.
Finally, many gardeners don’t realize the po-
tential for raising “small fruits” in the garden. Goose-
berries, currents, blueberries, lingonberries and the
trailing blackberries like Marion and Logan berries
produce lots of fruit in modest space. There are two
great retail nurseries in the northwest that specialize in
tree fruits, small fruits and all manner of exotic fruit.
You should visit their websites to see their catalogs:
One Green World www.onegreenworld.com and Rain-
tree Nursery www.raintreenursery.com.
Using manure in the garden
You probably know that there is a controversy
about how to use manure in the garden. The primary
concern is the possible transmission of disease organ-
isms, especially the O57 strain of E. coli. Research in-
dicates that manure worked into a field in the fall and
Readers Lend Their Voices...
To the Editor,
I want to extend my
congratulations to Margaret Magruder
on her win.
Campaigning is a risk that Ms.
Magruder entered into with a personal
and financial commitment that took the
county and me by surprise.
I knew I had a battle on my
hands when she beat me in the primaries.
Her late brother Dick, her
family, her name, are respected not only
in our county but in Clatsop County as
well.
Margaret’s many years of
service on the Budget Committee,
though unglamorous and tedious, gives
her insight into the heavy lifting required
ahead to sustain Oregon PERS while
looking for dollars to provide county
services and road care.
I’d like to thank my wife Susan,
my mother Geneva, my brother and
grown children for their most gracious
and generous support.
To my team of 6 that labored
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Vernonia
Dental
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622 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR 97064
phone (503) 429-0880 -- fax (503) 429-0881
For information on trapping moles, visit this
publication on the OSU Extension website: http://ex-
tension.oregonstate.edu, click on publications, click on
the publications in the next window and then type in
EC 987 in the search window.
Food Safety or Food Preservation Questions? OSU
Extension Service Has Answers.
Are you planning to preserve food from your
garden or purchased from a farm? If so, call or visit
the OSU Extension Service office before you start can-
ning, freezing, or drying. Costly and potentially harm-
ful mistakes can be made by using outdated canning
recipes and instructions. You can find free publications
at the Columbia County Extension office in St. Helens
(across from the Legacy Clinic). If you have questions,
phone the office at (503) 397-3462. You can download
for free all our food preservation publications at http://
extension.oregonstate.edu/fch/food-preservation. An
additional great resource is the National Center for
home Food Preservation at http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/.
Take excess produce to the food bank, senior cen-
ters, or community meals programs. Cash dona-
tions to buy food are also greatly appreciated.
The Extension Service offers its programs and ma-
terials 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 sign up for
email notification of when to find the latest edition on
the web: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/columbia/.
Contact information for the Extension office
Oregon State University Extension Service – Columbia
County
505 N. Columbia River Highway (across from the Leg-
acy clinic)
St. Helens, OR 97051
(503) 397-3462
Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu
continued from page 4
tirelessly every Tuesday night, thank
you so much. Your thoughtful, helpful
direction and advice brought us close to
victory.
To those who wrote letters,
gave financially, and helped walk the
neighborhoods of Columbia County
in the rain with only a donut as a
reward, you’re the toughest.
Columbia County: land with
still waters.
Wayne Mayo, Scappoose
Baseline
Pawn, Inc.
To the Editor,
For more than two decades
Vernonia’s P.E.O. chapter has been
selling wreaths and hand-made items
for gift-giving (some are edible!) at
the Christmas Bazaar. As always, our
purpose is to raise funds for scholarships
for women. We are always motivated
by the generosity of the many people
who support this effort. Thank you,
Vernonia.
We look forward to seeing old
friends and new at the Bazaar, and invite
all to visit our table and enjoy all the
goodies we have to offer—with our
greenery and our table of treats we
not only offer a nice “aroma of the
holidays” but also a great “taste of
Christmas.”
Remember, if you have ordered
a wreath, you may pick it up at the
Bazaar. And it’s not too late to place
an order—call Mary Tolonen at (503)
429-7214. (If you can’t pick it up,
we can deliver your order after the
Bazaar.)
So, join us for the Bazaar at the
School Commons on December 3 rd
and 4 th …. we’ll see you at the “Spirit
of Christmas in Vernonia!”
Audeen Wagner for P.E.O.
Vernonia
