P2 The SpokeSman • WedneSday, January 12, 2022
Gardening column
BREAK OUT THE SEED CATALOGS
We all vie for the title of growing
the biggest tomato in the
neighborhood. Maybe it would be
more prudent to plant a smaller
variety that is full flavored but is
shorter in maturity time requiring
less water.
BY LIZ DOUVILLE
For The Spokesman
The time has come. The table is
set. No, not with the good china or
holiday food. The table is set with the
2022 seed catalogs, black marking pen
and a stack of yellow sticky notes.
The stash of catalogs is not as high
as last year’s pile. I have received sev-
eral emails stating the company was
not printing a catalog this year.
Paper catalogs are addictive. All
those varieties make your eyes bounce
from one image to another. And those
wonderful photo’s convince you that
all things are possible in the world of
gardening.
Sitting in front of a screen just isn’t
as satisfying for some gardeners as
turning page after page. I know, deep
down, that the decision makes sense.
It is another difficult decision a busi-
ness has to make to get product to
customers via the quickest, most eco-
nomical means.
Steve Aitken, wrote an editorial
comment in Fine Gardening mag-
azine that made me do some deep
thinking. His comment had to do
with botanical developments. In part
it was, “Progress is rarely pure, unfor-
tunately. For every step ahead, some-
thing is left behind.”
For me, it was breaking the tra-
dition of New Year’s Day. For many
years the tradition was to order the
seeds. My husband always viewed
New Year’s Eve as amateur night. It
was never difficult to be clear-headed
on New Year’s Day and concentrate
on seed orders, admittedly between
123rf.com
Seed catalogs sprout in mailboxes this time of year.
critical football plays.
I still maintain the amateur night
tradition, what changed for me was
the criteria I used to choose the seeds
I ordered.
The two criteria I set in place were
water conservation and to plant seeds
that were more locally sourced rather
than from the east coast. If the seed I
am looking for isn’t available locally, I
plan to order from sources in Oregon,
Washington or California.
The current drought conditions in
many states, not just Oregon, should
make all gardeners stop and assess
how much they really know about the
plants they place in the ground. Do
we irrigate on Tuesday because that is
the day we always irrigate? Or do we
start paying more attention to what
the plant needs and start practicing
zonal plantings.
According to Jim Meyers, horticul-
ture professor at Oregon State Univer-
sity, tomatoes, squash and melons es-
tablish deep root systems quickly and
draw moisture from deeper soil long
after the soil surface has become dry
in mid-summer.
Meyers, who is also a plant breeder,
says more drought tolerant vegetables
are being developed. One is a zucchini
variety, Dark Star has been developed
to grow under dry-land conditions
with roots that seek out the water ta-
ble. We all vie for the title of growing
the biggest tomato in the neighbor-
hood. Maybe it would be more pru-
dent to plant a smaller variety that is
full flavored but is shorter in maturity
time requiring less water.
Sweet corn and lettuce are shal-
low-rooted and require lots of water.
The favorite cool-season peas, cab-
bage, cauliflower, broccoli are not
drought tolerant so should be planted
in the same watering zone.
In many ways 2022 will be an in-
teresting gardening year. Vendors
wonder if the interest in back-yard
gardening will continue. Gardeners
wonder if there will be another seed
shortage. And don’t be surprised if
prices are a little higher.
Many aspects of life have changed
over the past few years. What hasn’t
changed is a gardener’s quest to learn
more, to improve and expand our
knowledge of how to improve our
techniques and our gardens.
Resources I have used
Renee’s Seed — Felton, Calif.
Siskiyou Seeds —Southwest Ore-
gon
Nichols Garden Nursery — Philo-
math, Ore.
Territorial Seed — Cottage Grove,
Ore.
Adaptive Seeds — Sweet Home,
Ore.
The Thyme Garden — Alsea, Ore.
Lose weight in a healthy manner to ring in new year
BY KEYLEN VILLAGRANA
Better Business Bureau
Since some of us will be
looking to get in shape starting
the new year, Better Business
Bureau is ringing in 2022 with
tips on how to work toward
your fitness goals without cut-
ting back on trust. The desire
to drop weight fast increases
the risk of being deceived by
products or memberships that
do not work as advertised.
It’s important to have a solid
understanding of how to lose
weight in a healthy manner.
What works for one person
may not work for others. Build
long-term habits to achieve
sustainable results. In other
words, ease yourself into a
weight loss plan that best fits
your needs.
Before investing in any
trendy fitness programs or di-
etary supplements, Better Busi-
ness Bureau recommends the
following:
Be skeptical of any “miracle”
claims for weight loss. There
is no such thing as a “secret
ingredient” or “breakthrough
formula” that can result in
weight loss virtually overnight.
So, be suspicious of products
promising miraculous results
without diet or exercise. Ask
your doctor what an achiev-
able weight loss goal would be.
If you come across an adver-
tisement you feel is especially
deceptive, report it to BBB.org/
AdTruth.
Be wary of free trial offers
and review the fine print be-
fore signing up. Many con-
sumer complaints describe
weight loss programs as diffi-
cult to cancel, even if the prod-
uct did not work as claimed.
CROSSWORD
Submitted photo
Keylen Villagrana
Consumers reported believing
that they were making a one-
time transaction, but instead
received recurring charges to
their credit cards. When they
contacted customer service,
they were informed that they
had signed up for a subscrip-
tion, which was only disclosed
in the fine print of the terms
and conditions of their original
purchase.
Take your time selecting a
gym or fitness program. Many
gyms offer free trial passes for
prospective clients to test and
tour their facilities. If you are
unsure whether you’d prefer
an independent setting at your
own pace or a team-oriented
program with a class structure,
this is the time to explore your
options. Gyms are vastly dif-
ferent when it comes to their
pricing, policies, branding and
target demographics – take the
time to compare these options.
Understand the terms and
conditions of the fitness pro-
gram. Many fitness programs
offer low sign-up fees if you
commit to a longer contract
term, but the price could ex-
ceed what you budgeted once
here is no such thing as a “secret ingredient” or
“breakthrough formula” that can result in weight loss
virtually overnight. So, be suspicious of products promising
miraculous results without diet or exercise. Ask your doctor
what an achievable weight loss goal would be.
the initial trial-period ends.
While the initial price may
seem like a deal you can’t pass
up, make sure you understand
the total costs of the service in
the long run. Take a second to
determine whether you prefer
a monthly membership with
more flexibility. Be sure to un-
derstand all the charges asso-
ciated with the plan including
any cancellation fees, late fees,
or annual membership fees.
Utilize BBB as a resource.
Look up the company on BBB.
org before making a purchase.
SUDOKU
BBB’s website has individual
business profiles disclosing
whether the company is BBB
Accredited, its letter ratings,
potential consumer alerts, de-
tailed customer complaints,
and information on how the
business is responding to con-
cerns. Taking that additional
step will give you a better idea
of the company’s reputation. If
any issues arise, you can also
submit a complaint and seek a
resolution.
For more consumer tips,
visit Trust-bbb.org.
WEATHER
Fill in the grid so every row, every column and every
3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9, with no repeats.
FORECAST
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
monday
Tuesday
LAST WEEK
HIGH
LOW
54
50
48
49
51
52
48
34
31
29
29
32
34
34
HIGH
LOW
Cloudy
partly Cloudy
partly Cloudy
partly Cloudy
partly Cloudy
partly Cloudy
partly Cloudy
PRECIP
monday, Jan. 3
44
30
.61
Tuesday, Jan. 4
41
29
.05
Wednesday, Jan. 5
46
35
.03
Thursday, Jan. 6
53
36
0
Friday, Jan. 7
48
33
0
Saturday, Jan. 8
46
24
0
Sunday, Jan. 9
49
27
0
precipitation to date this year: .69 inches
* = daily record
national Weather Service broadcasts are on 162.50 mhz.
Answers on Page 6
Mailing Address: p.o. Box 6020, Bend, or 97708
Office Number: 541-548-2184
NEWSROOM CONTACT:
Gerry o’Brien, gobrien@bendbulletin.com
NEWS ASSISTANT:
Lydia Valenti, lvalenti@redmondspokesman.com
ADVERTISING CONTACT:
debbie Coffman, dcoffman@bendbulletin.com
OFFICE HOURS:
By appointment
Answers on Page 6
NEWS & SPORTS:
541-633-2166, news@redmondspokesman.com
DISPLAY ADVERTISING:
541-383-0393, adv@redmondspokesman.com
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING:
541-923-3725, classified@redmondspokesman.com
OBITUARIES:
541-385-5809, classified@redmondspokesman.com
CIRCULATION:
541-923-1370, circ@redmondspokesman.com
TO SUBSCRIBE:
541-923-1370, circ@redmondspokesman.com
• home delivery print: $52 per year
• e-edition alone: $52 per year
• mailed in oregon: $60 per year
• mailed outside oregon: $80 per year
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: p.o. Box 6020, Bend, or 97708. periodicals postage paid at Bend, or, and at additional mailing offices. uSpS 778-040