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.
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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.