North Douglas herald., October 01, 2023, Page 12, Image 12

Page 12
October
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Budget-Friendly Gardening Hacks
(Family Features) Gardening can
be a simple way to beautify your
yard, relieve stress and save money
on your grocery bill, but like any
hobby, you can get carried away
buying necessary equipment.
Fun, frugal and environmentally
friendly, these tricks can help you
create a cost-effective garden:
1. Use a yardstick and permanent
marker to mark inches and feet
on the handle of your rake, shovel
or hoe. The next time you plant,
simply lay the marked handle along
the row to create perfectly spaced
holes for seeds.
2. Line the bottom of a clay pot
with a coffee filter to keep soil
from leaking out the bottom.
3. Use empty plastic water bottles
or clear milk jugs to fill the bottom
of large pots. They reduce the
weight of the pot and require less
soil to fill.
4. To test your seeds to see if
they’re still viable for this planting
season, place a wet paper towel
inside a zip-top bag, drop in 3-4
seeds and wait a week to see if
anything grows.
5. One way to help prevent weeds
is lining your garden with a layer
of newspaper. Just top two or three
sheets of newsprint with a layer
of pine needles, grass clippings or
dried leaves for an eco-friendly and
inexpensive weed barrier.
6. Keep gardening twine handy.
Nail a funnel to your potting bench
with the spout pointing downward,
feed the twine through and your
string will never go missing. For
a more portable solution, place a
ball of twine inside a canning jar,
make a hole in the lid and feed the
end of the twine through the hole.
Now, you can take twine anywhere,
tangle-free.
7. There is no need to buy
expensive potting systems for
starting seedlings. Place several
cardboard toilet paper rolls inside
a clean plastic clamshell, like those
used for premade salads. Fill each
cardboard tube with potting soil
and plant. Once your seedlings
grow too tall for the clamshell,
simply tear off the top lid.
Ring of Fire Eclipse in Oregon.
it’s safe to look with unprotected eyes. In
2017 the disc of the moon was bigger than
the sun. That’s what created totality for 2
minutes. In October 2023 the disc of the
moon will be smaller than the disc of the
sun by about 6%, and people will be able
to see the Ring of Fire for a full 4 minutes
in the path of totality. The sky will get dark
but not fully as dark as in 2017. Animals
will get quieter and you’ll be able to see
shadows of trees and other landscape
elements.
You’ll get to see the sun appear as
a thin ring, almost but not completely
eclipsed by the moon. Annularity happens
when the moon is at its furthest point from
the Earth and passes between the Earth
and the sun. The moon essentially appears
smaller than the sun, causing the visible
ring of light around it.
Wherever you are, make sure to
protect your eyes while viewing with
eclipse glasses and follow these tips on
how to view a solar eclipse safely. Eclipse
glasses are available for purchase at the
OMSI Science Store, or stop by a Travel
Oregon Welcome Center between Oct. 1
and Oct. 14 to pick up a free pair (while
supplies last). During the annular phase,
the sun shines brightly enough to damage
your eyes if you view it without a protective
filter. Use only an approved solar filter that
blocks dangerous ultraviolet and infrared
radiation as well as visible light.
The centerline of the eclipse will
enter the U.S. in Oregon around Reedsport
at approximately 8:05am PDT, with
annularity beginning in that location at
about 9:15am PDT. When it first touches
U.S. soil on the coast on Saturday
morning, having left the Pacific Ocean
only about 5 minutes earlier, the eclipse
will be very low in the sky. At only about
five degrees above the horizon at the start
of the partial phase and about 17 degrees
during annularity, observers will need to
find a location free of tall buildings, trees,
and terrain in the direction of the Sun.
Oregon’s beaches will likely be a popular
gathering spot within the 137-mile-wide
path of annularity, but remember that the
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Sun will be rising in the east, not over the
water. The maritime climate along the
coast could also produce morning clouds
and fog that might obscure the view.
For the area around Drain, annularity
will occur around 9:16:29 am local time.
The speed of the shadow at that time is
around 6,913mph. The shadow will last
about 4 minutes and 26 seconds. The
moons shadow will complete passage
there at about 9:20:54 and the speed of
the shadow will have dimished to about
4,670mph.
Better weather might be found farther
inland in the valleys beyond the Coast
Range, but even there morning fog might
be a problem. Drain happens to be located
just north of the centerline of the eclipse
path, with annularity lasting for about 3
minutes and 55 seconds in the downtown
area. Interstate 5 crosses the entire width of
the eclipse path between the Coast Range
and the Cascades.
Crater Lake National Park might be
an appropriate place to view an eclipse
and it’s located relatively close to the
centerline. If you decide to view the
eclipse from here or anywhere else in the
cloud-prone Cascades, make sure to check
short-term weather forecasts in the days
before the eclipse. Dont forget, it often
snows here in October.
Beyond the Cascades, the path of
annularity descends down into Oregon’s
high desert, which promises a relatively
good possibility of favorable eclipse-
watching weather. Klamath Falls is located
between the centerline and the western
edge of the eclipse path, with annularity
lasting for about 3 minutes and 23 seconds
in the downtown area.
The centerline of the eclipse exits the
state at approximately 10:44am PDT, with
annularity coming to an end in that location
at about 9:23am PDT. From the Pacific
Ocean to the Oregon-Nevada border, the
Moon’s shadow travels approximately
276 miles along the centerline in 3 minutes
and 18 seconds at an average speed of
5,025 miles per hour.