Thursday June 11,1981
Vernonia Freedom—Page 3
Vernonia Grown
Definition of 'a weed’
by Bill Hansen
slugs, which we never need.
Since weeding seems to take up so
much of the gardener's time, you
would think there would be much
more written on the subject. Perhaps
the reason is, that if ignored, people
feel the weeds might go away. Which
of coursethey won’t. A few years ago,
when I was attending the Master
Gardener program, the class was
asked to define a weed. Although is
sounds easy, we had a very difficult
time with the assignment. Finally,
our instructor — who had obviously
been through this drill before - gave
us the best definition I have ever
heard: “A weed is any plant growing
where you don’t want it to.” Sort of
like saying, “One man’s junk is
another man’s treasure.”
No matter how hard the gardener
struggles, I have a hunch that the
weed will win the final battle. About
the best we can hope for is to hold
them at bay while we use their
territory to grow our crops.
Frequent cultivation, hoeing and
mulching will easily handle most of
your weed problems, especially those
that grow from seeds. Those that
stem from established root systems
are the most difficult to deal with.
They usually require hand pulling, a
tedious, backbreaking chore. As you
pull them, try to get as much of the
root system as you can. This will slow
them down and give your vegetables
a chance to dominate. Your garden
will do quite well this way, as even
weeds need leaves to support growth.
In our garden, it is still too early to
mulch with anything but black
plastic. Organic mulches are used
mainly to help retain moisture, which
obviously we don’t need right now.
Mulches also provide a safe place for
Slugs seem to be especially
bothersome this year. Since they feed
mostly at night, they seek some safe,
cool place to hide during the heat of
the day. You can eliminate many of
them by placing old boards (or some
other flat object) in the garden for
them to crawl under. Then, during the
day, turn the boards, over and either
toss them into a bucket of salty water
or pound the little devils flat with
your hoe or shovel. If you can’t get
ahead of them this way, you may need
to resort to slug bait. Since most of
the companies that market slug bait
have now switched from pellets to a
powdery meal, there is little or no
danger to birds or pets. But, to be
cautious, if you decide to use bait, you
can place it under something that will
prevent birds or animals from getting
to it. I often use rhubarb leaves for
this purpose,
If your beans need cultivating now,
don’t work in them when the leaves
are wet. Handling wet bean plants
will encourage a fungus called “rust”
which, while not fatal, will severely
retard your crop. Aphids, which can
be especially bothersome about this
time of year, can be controlled by
blasting them off plants with your
garden hose. This trick will work very
well on roses too, if you catch them in
time.
VERNONIA METS
SOFTBALL GAME SCHEDULE
June 8
6:15
June 10
6:15
June 15
6:15
June 23
6:15
6:15*
June 29
July 1
6:15
July 7
7:30
July 8
7:30
July 9
7:30 ♦
July 14
7:30
July 21
7:30
July 23
7:30 ♦
July 29
7:30
July 30
6:15 ♦
Playoff Games: August 3 & 4
♦ Neil Armstrong
Vernonia vs. Artistic Salon
Vernonia vs. Fryes
Vernonia vs. Holub
Vernonia vs. Telefun
Vernonia vs. Loy-Dene
Vernonia vs. Hillsboro Toyota
Vernonia vs. Scott Farms
Vernonia vs. Artistic Salon
Vernonia vs. Fryes
Vernonia vs. Holub
Vernonia vs. Telefun
Vernonia vs. Loy-Dene
Vernonia vs. Hillsboro Toyota
Vernonia vs. Scott Farms
429-8383
740fA'»*°r
CUSTOM TILLING
GO°°
IN STOCK NOW
Tomato Plants
4/$l
State licensed and inspected
-4
Closed Saturday
Seniors need
paper
Th»1 Vernonia Senior Center needs
your n^ytiable newspapers Call
429-3$» I 2 for pick up.
We Specialize in
Indonesian Cuisine
DON'T FORGET
NASI-GORENG
Indonesian Fried Rice & Sate’
BAMI-GORENG
THE
Fried Noodles & Sate’
(NEW) TIMBERNOOK
OPENS JUNE 15
American and Seafoods
Saturday: 7:00 am-9:00 pm
Open For Breakfast
Sunday: 9:00 am-7:00 pm
Hyw. 26 In Manning
Next to Arco Station
Closed Monday
Hwy. 47 & Nehalem River Bridge
Member, American Floral Services
ATTENTION GARDENERS
We have what you need
3/$1
California Wonder pepper plants............................. 3/$ 1
Petunias, Marigolds, Zinnias - and many more - per tray........................$1.25
...............
324-0781
ALPINE
LANES
Hansen’s Country Garden
Geranium Plants ■ 4” pots from...........................
Seed Potatoes, Red & White, 5 lb................
Tues — Thurs: 6:00 am-8:00 pm
Friday: 6:00 am-9:00 pm
Beer & Wine Served
429-0805
Popular "Early Girl" tomato plants........................
Sate' is an
all moat
shishkabab
OPEN BOWLING
Monday 3 pm — 10 pm
$1.49
• $1-95
50^ PER GAME
Onion Sets, 1 lb........ ..........................................................................................69$
III I IQ I IIO, MT JJVI
Fun Tournament every Thursday 7:30 pm
.................. ............
a.
BEGINNING JUNE 1,1981
Alpine Singles Classic Anytime
Hours: Tues..— Sat 10:00 — 5:30
WE HAVE A SPECIAL FOR WOMEN ONLY
(Closed 12:30 - 1:30 lunch)
Sun. & Mon. Closed
CALL OR CHECK WITH ED
OPEN SATURDAYS
Available by phone all hours, every day.
842 Madison Ave.
Downtown Vernonia
429-2355
Alpine Lanes
950 Bridge St.
429-6301
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