Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 29, 2015 9A
Polk County Living
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 8A
KYM POKORNY / for the Itemizer-Observer
A fruit tree trains on an espalier, which can
make the fruit easier to pick because it is at a
lower level. The practice takes patience.
Training a fruit tree into an espalier
Espaliered trees bring
fruit down to eye level. They
allow for easy picking and
taking advantage of small
spaces.
But don’t kid yourself into
thinking espaliers are any
easier than regular-sized
trees, said Ross Penhallagon,
a horticulturist with Oregon
State University’s Extension
Service.
“Espalier is one of many
ways to prune — or design
— a fruit tree,” he said. “It’s
beautiful; it doesn’t take up a
lot of room in the yard.
There are a lot of reasons to
do it, but it takes dedication
and time. It’s like growing
grapes or wisteria correctly.”
In espalier, tree branches
are typically trained flat
along the wires of a trellis,
which may be of several
types, depending on how
difficult an espalier project
you want to attempt. In ad-
dition to a trellis, trees can
be supported by a wall,
wooden fence, or deer or
cattle fencing.
If the trellis will be at-
tached to a building, consid-
K YM
P OKORNY
Your
Garden
er how it will look. Even
though the trellis may be re-
moved once the tree has
reached its final, rigid state,
it will need to remain in
place long enough to sup-
port the tree, which can be
up to 10 years.
The most important as-
pect of growing an es-
paliered tree, which can be
any type of fruit but is usual-
ly an apple, is pruning. Un-
like an open canopy tree,
Penhallagon said, an es-
palier must be pruned sev-
eral times during the grow-
ing season to keep in con-
trol.
“That’s a lot of cutting,”
he said. “Most people don’t
know how to prune, so it’s
important to do your re-
search before beginning.”
Penhallagon offers the
following instructions for
the simplest way to espalier
an apple tree:
• Build a trellis by setting
posts 8 feet apart and
stretch 12-guage or heavier
galvanized wire between
them 18 inches from the
ground. At that time you can
add more levels of wire, typ-
ically three, each 18 inches
taller than the other. Alter-
natively, you can wait until
the following years when it’s
time to train another level to
add additional wires.
• Buy a 1- or 2-year-old
tree, preferably a dwarf vari-
ety, and plant in the middle
of the trellis, usually in Feb-
ruary. Attach two supple
branches, which are called
laterals, to the first level of
wire, one going left and one
going right. Prune out the
thickest branch, which is
generally in the middle and
called the leader, and any
other branches.
• As the season goes on,
weak branches — called
suckers — will grow straight
up. These need to be re-
moved regularly. If they are
young enough, rub off with
your thumb or, if too thick,
cut them off. Also appearing
will be stubbier shoots —
called spurs. Leave one
about every 6 inches and cut
off the rest. As they begin to
grow, prune the spurs down
to three leaves. This is where
fruit will form after two
years.
• The year after beginning
the espalier, start another
level by training two lateral
branches along the next
level of wire and cutting off
any additional branches.
The following year, add an-
other level.
• After four years, cut off
all spurs along one of the
branches along the bottom
wire to allow new ones to
form. The next year, prune
off spurs on the other
branch on that same wire. In
subsequent years, do the
same thing, working your
way up each level of the es-
palier.
For more information on
espaliering, check out the
Extension guide called
Training and Pruning Your
Home Orchard.
MI TOWN
Su m m e r t i m e — a n d
when tempted to complain
about my labors while work-
ing in a very warm kitchen, I
think about those who are
working in the fields and on
highway construction proj-
ects. It helps keep things in
perspective until the next
batch of jam jars need to be
removed from the boiling
water bath. This summer is
proving to be an excellent
one for all garden goodies;
and the apple trees and
grapevines promise even
more bountiful delights in
the weeks to come.
—
Be sure to mark your cal-
endars for Aug. 6 through 8
for the upcoming Polk
County Fair. You can find all
the information you need
on
the
website:
w w w. c o. p o l k . o r. u s / f a i r,
about Blue Jeans and Coun-
try Dreams – this year’s fair
theme. There’s also a list of
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
contributors who help make
this wonderful event possi-
ble who would welcome
your support. The Polk
County Fair is just about my
favorite event of the sum-
mer, and I can’t wait to enjoy
corn on the cob from the
FFA Alumni booth. Fairgoers
of all ages will have some-
thing wonderful to see and
do, and it’s always such fun
to discover the talents of our
friends and neighbors as we
visit the exhibits throughout
the fairgrounds.
—
Those of us who were 4-H
kids, as well as others who
learned about the benefits
of 4-H membership, have
seen our children and
grandchildren enjoying
learning so many good
things about their commu-
nities, the world beyond our
borders and a renewed in-
terest in science and space
exploration. This year’s Polk
County Fair will showcase
accomplishments and tal-
ents of MI Town’s 4-Hers and
those who participate in this
worthwhile program
throughout Polk County. Be
sure to stop by the 4-H
Building to meet these
youngsters and the leaders
who have generously donat-
ed their time and talents to
yet another generation.
—
We’ve so enjoyed watch-
ing our great-grandson,
Austin Keel, whose baseball
team from Milwaukie won
third prize in their recent
state tournament, and
granddaughter, Nicole Luk-
inbeal whose ASA softball
team beat teams from Salem
and Houston last Thursday.
It’s great to share the team-
work, sportsmanship and
enthusiasm with players,
family members, coaches
and volunteers while cheer-
ing for young athletes who
love to play baseball.
—
Independence High
School graduates: the class
of 1950 will mark 65 years
since graduation with a clas-
sic car rally at 11 a.m. fol-
lowed by a luncheon at
noon at Rock-N-Rogers Far-
rol’s Restaurant on Friday,
Aug. 21. The cost is $14.99.
The following day, Aug. 22,
the all-school reunion will
be held at Henry Hill Educa-
tional Support Center, locat-
ed at 750 S. Fifth St., in Inde-
pendence. Tickets are $15
and are available by contact-
ing Al Oppliger at 503-838-
1353.
—
TUESDAY, AUG. 4
• National Night Out-Independence — 6 to 8 p.m., Mount
Fir Park, on F Street between Seventh and Eighth streets. Meet
McGruff the Crime Dog and tour the Inspiration Garden. Free.
503-838-1214.
—
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 5
• Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank
— 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutoff Road, Building E,
Dallas. Weekly distribution for eligible community members.
503-831-5634.
• Scrabble with Betty — 1 p.m., Independence Public Li-
brary, 175 Monmouth St., Independence. Scrabble games first
Wednesday of every month. Free; refreshments and prizes avail-
able. 503-551-7687 or 503-838-1811.
• Yarning for Others — 3 to 5 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal
Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. Knitters and crocheters
gather to make clothing and accessories for those in need on
the first Wednesday of every month. 503-689-7222.
• Music in the Park — 6:30 p.m., Main Street Park, Mon-
mouth. Roseland Hunters, New Orleans Funk. Free.
www.ci.monmouth.or.us.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Dallas VFW honored nationwide
DALLAS — The Dallas Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 3203
received top honors at the state and national levels this year.
The all-State and all-American designations go to a VFW post
that excelled in various areas during the 2014-15 membership
year including membership, community service and participa-
tion in VFW programs.
Through recruitment drives and increased interest in veteran
benefits and causes, the post’s membership has increased from
91 members last year to 123 this year.
Post members donate their time and money to outside char-
itable activities. Totals for time and money donated is 2,252
hours, driving 11,000 miles and $2,700 to assist others.
The final criteria used to judge VFW posts is programs includ-
ing “VFW in the Classroom” and national military service pro-
grams. Post No. 3203 had entrants in all three of the programs
that come under the “VFW in the Classroom.”
Also, the VFW Post No. 3203 formally adopted the 162nd Ore-
gon National Guard Unit. For more information about VFW:
myvfw.org/Oregon.
American Pickers to come to Oregon
POLK COUNTY — Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz from the series,
“American Pickers,” on the History Channel, will film in Oregon in
September.
The show is a documentary series that explores the world of
antique “picking.” Wolfe and Fritz embark on road trips across
the U.S. in search of the most valuable antiques from motorcy-
cles, classic cars and bicycles to one-of-a-kind vintage memora-
bilia.
American Pickers is looking for leads. Producers are on the
hunt for interesting characters with interesting and unique
items. Some of what they look for: vintage bicycles, toys, unusu-
al radios, movie memorabilia, advertising, military items, folk
art, vintage musical equipment, vintage automobile items, early
firefighting equipment, vintage clothing and pre-1950s western
gear.
To be considered for the show, email your name, number, ad-
dress and description of the collection or photos to american-
pickers@cineflix.com.
PEDEE NEWS
Portia Perkins flew to
Davenport, Iowa, on July 14
to visit her sister Paula. Dur-
ing the week, they put 2,000
miles on Paula’s car, travel-
ing around visiting friends
and family, some as far away
as Blue Springs, Mo. They
especially liked Galena, Ill.,
where they ate and shopped
much, before going on. They
did have a grand time being
together for a week.
—
Meanwhile, James and
Jenny Mellein and their kids
Leo and Annika spent two
weeks in Enterprise, Ala.,
with Jenny’s family. Coinci-
d e n t a l l y, h e r b r o t h e r
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
Michael was there on leave
from his post in
Afghanistan, which was a
happy surprise. Also, James’s
sister Melisa Clements and
her two kids, Sammy and
Lory, came up from League
City, Texas, to see them.
Jenny had been working at
the Clemens Community
Pool in Philomath for sever-
al years, but had resigned in
time to enjoy herself on the
trip.
—
Bob and Lynda
Schnekenburger traveled to
Wisconsin to pick up a 1947
Chevy Coupe they pur-
chased to give Bob a project
to work on. They traveled
through Yellowstone from
east to west and saw some
buffalo. They plan to go
back and spend more time
there.
—
Pedee Church’s Vacation
Bible School (VBS) has just
concluded a week of crafts,
games, music, and fun, all
24 hour
Service
teaching about Jesus based
on the theme “Weird Ani-
mals.” The 29 children of all
ages were taught and super-
vised by teens and adults
from both Pedee and Kings
Valley. Each helper was so
appreciated, I’m listing
them all. Lyndsey and Rob
Zarfas were in charge of the
“zoo,” and helping them
were Shelly and Erika Tarvin;
Scott Castle; Ronnie Sim-
mons; Pesa, Alyssa, and Abi-
gail Makalea; Philip and
Jacob North; Jenny Mellein;
Allison Barnhart and Alicia
Warren. I prepared and
served refreshments during
the week.
Pick up &
Drop Off
A Division of Ernst Irrigation • CCB# 185365
• Residential Electrical • Agricultural Electrical
• Well Pump Service and Replacement
• Solar Water Pumping • Variable Frequency Drives
Brock Blacklaw , Electrician
Mobile: 503.757.8382 • Phone: 503.633.1111 • Fax: 503.633.1122
PO Box 490 • 20179 Main St. NE, St. Paul, OR 97137
www.ernstirrigation.com
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