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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 2019)
8 in other words december19 2019 Diggin’ in The Dirt: Annual Gardener Wish List By Chip Bubl Oregon State University Extension Service - Columbia County Master Gardener™ class signups being taken for 2020 class in St. Helens The OSU Extension office in Columbia County will be offering the Master Gardener™ training again this spring. This year, we are trying a new schedule that allows people that work to attend. The classes will be held on Wednesdays from 6:00 - 9:00 pm and on alternate Saturdays from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm for about 10 weeks starting on Feb- ruary 5, 2020 at the Extension office in St. Helens. Cost of the program is $100 which includes a large resource book. Some scholarships are available. Master Gardeners are responsible for provid- ing volunteer gardening education to the community as partial payback for the training. If interested in the program, call the Extension office at (503) 397- 3462 for an information packet. Online registration is now available at https:// tinyurl.com/ColumbiaMG2020. We can also send you an application and/or you can come into our office to sign up. A gardener wish list (take it while shopping) • Nice gardening gloves, especially those flexible kinds that rose thorns don’t penetrate, or nice-fitting leather gloves. • Knee pads or knee benches for garden- ers to make close work less of a pain. • A well-made spading fork or shovel. • Cast aluminum hand tools or special- ly designed “ergonomic” tools for less muscle strain. • A greenhouse or a good cold frame (could be home-made). • High quality loppers or hand pruners • Gift certificates to garden centers • A soil thermometer is very useful. So are moisture meters with ~12-inch probes. Both are inexpensive gifts. • Q Knot reusable cable ties are handy for staking tomatoes or trellises. Get them from a local hardware store. • Manual or electric water timer. This device can be attached to any faucet, and automatically shuts off water after a set amount of time. Get a single or dual model from a hardware store. • Water bubbler with flow control or other interesting sprinklers. • Corona Quick Tool Sharpener. A pocket-sized tool for sharpening prun- ers, shears, blades. • Floating row covers are lightweight blankets to put over vegetables that help capture warmth and protect plants. May be available from the Extension office in February/March. Call us. • Heavier row covers for pot protec- tion from cold winter weather. We have some now at the Extension office at a sale price. • A Hori Hori Knife is a transplant knife from Japan, that’s part trowel and part knife. Also, good for dispatching slugs. It is a great tool. • Folding pruning saws are necessary for pruning but also handy for camping or backpacking. Fiskers, Barnel, or Co- rona are good brands. • LED headlamp is a handy tool for gardening or locating slugs at night (if you are so inclined). If you have close Vernonia Dental How they survive winter Hummingbirds: The rufous humming- bird is a long-distance traveler that sur- vives the winter quite nicely in S. Cali- fornia, Mexico, and Central America. It returns to Oregon in mid to late March and may travel on up into Canada. They usually don’t winter here. The Anna’s hummingbird is an interesting story. It was not seen in Oregon until 1944 but has expanded its range northwards since then. It is now a year round resident, especially around cities. There are con- flicting theories for this change in their range. One theory says that it is a long- term impact of climate change. Another says that it may be due to human activity including cultivating more exotic land- scape plants that provide nectar at key times and the fact that many homes put out nectar feeders throughout the win- ter. They are a constant presence at our house and we bring the feeders indoors on cold nights and put them back out early next morning. It is known the An- na’s will eat spiders (which can be found in fair abundance in our trees, even in VERNONIA C H I RO P R AC T I C C L I N I C, I NC. VernoniaChiro.com D DM an e rm . Dr ri h C neighbors, warn them of your new hob- by. Also good for looking for carpenter ant evidence under your house. • The market has a number of lithium battery-powered chain saws, pole pruners, and weed whackers. For ca- sual users of these tools, they may work well and not have the challenges of a gas-fueled version. • A good Insect, Mushroom, or Weed identification book. • Support for our Food Bank and local efforts to help those in need. s r e h to p M . S c u he Joseph Dombek, DC (971) 248-4055 Now Accepting New Patients 610 Bridge Street • Vernonia, OR 97064 the winter) and tree sap. Garter snakes: We have several species of garter snakes in Columbia County. They all take a break for winter, crowd- ing together in communal dens that can contain a tremendous number of snakes. Often they are in mole tunnels or hol- lowed out sections under rocks or com- post bins. They actually don’t hibernate (i.e. burn calories to keep up a certain temperature like bears do). Being cold- blooded, they just slow way down, never completely sleeping. This is called bru- mation. They hang out lower than the frost line (otherwise they can freeze to death) but in western Oregon, that isn’t much of a problem. If it gets really cold, they can move lower if there is a lower to go in their tunnel system. In early springs, like last year, you will see some moving about weeks before the group is fully active. To support snakes in your garden, build rock piles or log structures to give them cover, mow carefully when they are about, and try to keep the cats at bay. Free newsletter (what a deal!) The Oregon State University Extension office in Columbia County publishes a monthly newsletter on gardening and farming topics (called Country Liv- ing) written/edited by yours truly. All you need to do is ask for it and it will be mailed or emailed to you. Call (503) 397-3462 to be put on the list. Alter- natively, you can find it on the web at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/colum- bia/ and click on newsletters. Take excess produce to the food bank, senior centers, 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. 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 Vernonia’s Voice is published twice each month on the 1 st and 3 rd Thursday. Look for our next issue on January 2, 2020! 622 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR 97064 phone (503) 429-0880 -- fax (503) 429-0881 Don’t Sell it! Pawn it! For fast cash! • Kitchen & Bathroom Remodels • Finish Carpentry • Ceramic Tile Work • Custom Home Construction • Additions • Commercial Tenant Improvements Baseline Pawn, Inc. 2245 Baseline St., Cornelius (Across from Fred Meyer) 503-530-8119 State Licensed PB-0388 Open everyday at 10 a.m. Jim Morrison, Jr. General Contractor CCB# 112057 Ph: (503) 429-0154 MorrisonRemodeling@hughes.net Vernonia, OR 97064 • Licensed • Bonded • Insured Fresh Roasted Coffee espresso • baked goods Open Every Day at 6:00 am 825 Bridge Street 503-429-0214