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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 2016)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL March 9, 2016 Onions: Springtime planting brings big summertime bulbs Vets group aids Relief Nursery Veterans organization the 40&8 held its quarterly state convention at the Village Green recently, and on Wednesday, March 2, the group came back to Cottage Grove to visit the Family Relief Nursery and deliver an $800 check to aid its efforts. Pictured at right are Jim Willis, Grande Chef de Gare from Leba- non and Tony Pickens, a past national offi ce holder, also of Lebanon, during the group's nursery visit. The 40&8 is reportedly already planning a return to Cottage Grove for another gathering. BY KYM POKORNY OSU Extension Service G photo by Glenn Knox W AGE Continued from page 1A The minimum-wage increase has also prompted the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce to form a legislative committee to monitor developments at the state legislature that could affect local business owners. Palmer said the committee will work in a collaborative partnership with the state Chamber of Commerce to “monitor and decipher” news of interest coming from Salem and advocate on behalf of local businesses. Here in Cottage Grove, though, several business own- ers say that while paying some of their employees more per hour may drive up costs, the ef- fects of a higher minimum wage shouldn’t necessarily be detri- mental. “Every time they talk about raising the minimum wage, we hear that the sky is falling,” said Axe and Fiddle Pub owner Bart Caridio, who said he’s seen the minimum raised several times as owner of Sam Bonds Garage in Eugene. “It’s raised, and then nothing happens,” he said. Caridio said his prices may have to increase by about fi ve percent or so, but the jump could mean an extra $3 per hour for the employee, money that’s spent in the com- munity. “It translates directly into spending in the local commu- nity,” he said. “Owners don’t do that much worse; they typically just raise prices a little.” Dean Krushke, the new gen- eral manager at Cascade Home Center, said the minimum wage increase won’t affect his em- ployees immediately, as none make the current minimum. “Once the tiered system starts affecting us, we’ll look at ev- erybody’s wage,” Krushke said. 11A “We want to stay ahead of the curve so our people don’t just have a job. We’re happy when our employees can make a liv- ing wage, but depending on how it happens, we may be forced to raise our prices a little. As long as the increase doesn’t happen overnight, we’re going to look and see if we’re able to absorb the costs.” Grocery Outlet owner Ed Sowa said he fi nds himself in a similar situation. “We’ve only got one pay grade at minimum wage, and it’s designed to offer an incen- tive to do well and be promot- ed,” Sowa said. He said the fi rst wage increase won’t have “as big an impact,” though his busi- ness will have to “adapt as time goes on.” “My biggest concern is that businesses may not be grow- ing at the same rate that wages are increasing,” he said. “The concern is how to adapt and ad- just.” At Log House Plants, a labor- intensive business that employs lots of seasonal workers, owner Greg Lee said the minimum- wage increase will defi nitely affect his business, though he’s not overly worried. “We pay above the minimum, so for the fi rst year it won’t af- fect us,” Lee said. “As long as it’s sort of gradual, it should be okay. We will probably have to raise our prices a bit, but that’s okay because our competitors should have to raise their prices too, and a lot of them haven’t raised prices in years.” Lee said it usually takes an event such as this wage increase to force competitors in the plant business to raise prices. “Our competition across Or- egon will all have the same de- cision to make,” he said. SAGINAW VINEYARD Cremation & Burial Services Affordable Funeral LIVE MUSIC EVERY FRIDAY NO COVER CHARGE 6-9pm Fri, March 11 ............................Lonesome Randall - 50s-60s covers “Compare Our Prices & Services” F a m n i l e y d Ow Fri, March 18 ............................................... Satori Bob - Americana Fri, March 25 ...............Richie G & MA Beat - Americana, country Fri, April 1 .....................................................Fiddlin’ Sue - suegrass Open daily 11 am for complimentary tasting. 942-1364 • www.saginawvineyard.com et onions in the ground in spring and avoid heartbreak when it comes time to harvest big, beautiful bulbs this summer. Plant as soon as the soil is dry enough to work, said Jim Myers, a plant breeder at Oregon State University. March and April are prime times. Most onions grown in Oregon are long-day onions. They make top, green growth until a criti- cal day length is reached, which triggers bulbing. That generally begins at about 14 hours of light per day. If you plant onions in early spring, they’ll grow to fairly large plants by the time daylight reaches 14 hours. Large bulbs result. However, if you wait to plant until the end of April when days are already 14 hours long, bulbing will begin immediately and you’ll have small pearl on- ions. “The size of the bulb is de- pendent on the size of the plant when bulbing begins,” Myers said. “This is why early planting is critical if you want large on- ions, as well as plenty of water and fertilizer.” Buy onion sets while fi rm and dormant. Harvest early in the season to eat as green onions, or in late summer when they’ve formed bulbs. When purchasing transplants, look for plants that have not been damaged by de- cay or excess drying. After getting your onion sets home, sort into two groups by size – those smaller than a dime and those larger. Use the larger size for green onions. The smaller ones will produce large dry bulbs. Onions can be grown in al- most any type of soil as long as it has good fertility and drain- age. Before planting, amend soil with compost or aged manure. A handful of complete fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, applied along the row at planting time will get the plants off to a good start. A good compost or organic fertil- izer will also supply the needed nutrients for onions. For green onions, plant the sets 1½ to 2 inches deep and one inch apart. They’ll be ready for eating in about a month when the tops reach 8-10 inches tall. For larger onions, plant the sets about a half-inch deep and four inches apart. Plant transplants 3 to 4 inches apart in rows 12 to 15 inches apart. Fertilize every two to three weeks until onions start to form bulbs and make sure to keep soil consistently moist. “Onions are shallow rooted,” Myers said. “If allowed to dry out, they bulb early and small size is the result.” When tops begin to dry out and are falling over, stop water- ing so the bulbs mature in dry soil. After about half the tops have fallen over, wait about a week and harvest the bulbs. Cure them for a week or so by spreading in the sun and cover- ing with a sheet or tarp at night. The OSU Extension Service recommends the following va- rieties as performing well in Oregon: Yellow: Copra, New York Early, Candy Overwintering: Walla Walla Red: Red Wing White: White Sweet Spanish, Superstar Green bunching: Ishikura, He-shi-ko EASTER SUNDAY CELEBRATION March 27, 2016 Delight Valley Church of Christ 33087 Saginaw Road East, Cottage Grove 541-942-7711 Keep your heart happy Who do you love with all your heart? Turns out the same people who warm your heart can help keep it healthy too. They inspire us to stay heart healthy. If you need more support in your pursuit of heart health, PeaceHealth is here with screenings, nutrition advice and teams of specialists who never miss a beat. Learn more about local heart health events sponsored by PeaceHealth at peacehealth.org/heart. #hearthappy 9:00-10:30am Free Breakfast 9:00-10:30am & After Service Free Easter pictures Props available, pictures received on the spot! 10:30-Noon-ish Worship Service – in the Gym 11:00am-Noonish Kid’s Program – in the Chapel Noonish Easter Egg Hunt (after Worship Service lets out) Easter Egg Hunt 6,000 Candy or Toy fi lled Eggs! Please join us.
