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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2020)
8 in other words may21 2020 Diggin’ in The Dirt: Strawberry Fields Forever is no significant shortage with surface mulching. That said, you still need to fertil- ize your crop. The winter rains wash all The OSU Extension office is closed to face-to-face public contact but you the nitrogen out of the soil profile and it must be replaced. You can use natural can still reach us! All of us (faculty and staff) will or inorganic nitrogen sources. Just make still be working (mostly out of the of- sure you use enough. A nitrogen-starved fice), answering phone calls left on our plant is light green and generally stunt- answering machines, email messages ed. I see them all too often. (chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu), writing Transplanting success newspaper columns and newsletters, and Many gardeners use transplants working to develop programs that can to speed up the growing season. Trans- reach you on-line. We are really com- plants allow the gardener to space the mitted to helping our communities in plants perfectly. Weeds are at a disad- any way we can, especially in our areas vantage when they face the more com- of subject matter expertise (farming, petitive transplant. gardening, forestry, food, food safety, However, transplants often re- and nutrition, healthy decision-making, ceive quite a shock as they are moved and youth education) and any other way into the garden. First, they have been we can enrich your life and/or make living in a greenhouse or cold frame. you safer in these challenging times. Greenhouse soil temperatures are far Please do not hesitate to contact us! And greater than the garden soil they will be please, take all steps necessary to ensure going into, especially in the spring. You that you and your loved ones are safe. can help the transplant by pre-warming the soil with clear plastic. You can also Here are some free classes: • Free online OSU vegetable garden- water with warm water. The plants will ing class: https://workspace.oregon- also need something to protect them state.edu/course/master-gardener-series- from cool air temperatures, such as a floating row cover. vegetable-gardening By Chip Bubl Oregon State University Extension Service - Columbia County • Free online beginning OSU/Food Bank vegetable gardening class (“Seed to Supper”): https://www. oregonfoodbank.org/our-work/pro- grams/education/gardening/ Do mulches steal nitrogen? There is a common miscon- ception that a surface mulch ties-up soil nitrogen. This isn’t true. It is known that when you mix organic matter into the soil, which is a good thing, you can tie-up nitrogen. In that case, you have creat- ed a soil composting process. The soil bacteria and fungi that break organic matter down need nitrogen to build up their populations. They scavenge ef- fectively the nitrogen in the soil solu- tion. Your crop plants can’t compete as well. So when you work organic matter in, you must add extra nitrogen to feed both the crop and the composting micro- organisms. But when you put the mulch on the surface, you don’t create that same situation. Only the “face” of the mulch in contact with the soil experiences the same rapid colonization. Your crop roots are lower than this zone and are not com- peting for the same nitrogen. Thus there use fish fertilizer or a high phosphorus containing fertilizer like African violet “food.” Again, warm water is best. Phos- phorus is hard for new plants to get out of cold, wet soils. The plants may need to be pro- tected from wind and sun for a few days. In the greenhouse, the humidity is high and the plant may not develop enough of a waxy cuticle. Hardening off the trans- plant tray outside for a couple of hours underside, it isn’t going to taste as good a day for several days before putting the as it would if you waited a day. plants out will reduce transplant shock. “Day-neutral” varieties like Sea- scape, Albion, and Tristar fruit over the Strawberry fields forever While most of the large straw- entire summer. These are great for fresh berry operations are no longer active in eating. Seascape and Albion have be- Columbia County, there are several U- come the mainstays of the fresh market pick locations still going. Additionally, strawberries found after June at farmers markets. Albion makes very large fruit you can grow your own strawberries. Strawberries are easy to cul- but if the summer isn’t warm enough, ture. The ground should be reasonably doesn’t have the best flavor. Seascape well drained. You should work a mod- yields decently and has fine flavor for a est amount of fertilizer into the soil be- non-June-bearing variety. fore planting. After planting, you need to May you all be safe and have a won- protect the strawberry plants from slugs, derful garden year. Hope to be able to weeds, and deer. see you soon. ~Chip You have a choice of “long- Free newsletter (what a deal!) day” or June bearing varieties The Oregon State University Ex- like Hood, Shucksan, Benton, and the tension office in Columbia County pub- like. These varieties give a heavy June- lishes a monthly newsletter on gardening and farming topics (called Country Living) 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. Alternatively, you can find it on the web at http://extension.oregonstate. edu/columbia/ and click on newslet- ters. Arugula transplants from Ohio State University Transplants also are grown in very well drained media. As they go into the garden, the soil may not be so well drained. A good sized planting hole with plenty of well-decomposed compost mixed in will encourage rapid root es- tablishment. Transplants should be gently separated. The roots should be spread and the plants placed to the depth of their first true leaves. The roots should never be allowed to dry out. Water the young transplants with a good nutrient solution. You can Take excess produce to the food bank, senior centers, or community meals programs. Cash donations to buy food are also greatly appreci- ated. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to early July crop but nothing during the all people. rest of the summer. Their fruiting is triggered when the day-length reaches Contact information a certain critical minimum. These have for the Extension office been the mainstay varieties grown com- Oregon State University mercially in Oregon and many consider Extension Service – Columbia County them to have the best flavor. The concen- 505 N. Columbia River Highway trated fruiting means that you get your (across from the Legacy clinic) jam making and freezing out of the way St. Helens, OR 97051 fairly quickly. Benton seems very root (503) 397-3462 disease resistant, yields well, and tastes Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu great with one caveat. You have to see if the berry you are about to pick is red on both sides. If it is still yellow on the Mariolino’s Pizza & Grill VNC 503-429-9333 Recreational & Medical Marijuana Dispensary Serving the Community Owned and Operated by Don & Kim Wallace DON WALLACE, PLS Professional Land Surveying 1224 E. Alder St. Vernonia, OR 97064 Phone: 503-429-6115 FAX: 1-866-297-1402 Email: DWallace_KLS@msn.com Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner Ice cream - cones, shakes & sundaes Daily Specials Family owned and operated for 50 years. CORPORATE MEMBER 721 Madison Avenue, Vernonia (503) 429-5018 Featuring: • Edibles • Concentrates • CBD Oils, Topicals, & Tinctures • Flower Grams & Pre-rolled Joints Vernonia’s Natural Choice Open 7 days 10am - 8pm 736 Bridge Street, Suite 1