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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2015)
8A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • August 5, 2015 Polk County Living Brew your own beer? Grow hops? With craft beer and home brewing becoming more popular, interest in growing hops is fermenting among home gardeners. Oregon State University’s h o p s b r e e d e r, S h a u n Townsend, said he regularly fields questions from the public about growing hops. “Typical questions are: ‘How do I fertilize, water and harvest? What sort of diseases and pests do I need to monitor for? What hop varieties should I get?’” said Townsend, who an- swers those questions and more in OSU Extension Ser- vice’s new publication, Growing Hops in the Home Garden. To get started, Townsend advises planting hops in well-drained soils and full sun exposure for optimum growth. You’ll likely need at least a 10-foot trellis or pole system to train these vigor- ous climbers if your interest is in cone production – the part of the plant that’s used in beer. Wrap the bines, or elon- gated stems, in a clockwise direction around the climb- ing support to train the plant. Use string, paper twine, coir (made from the fiber of coconut husk) or anything that the bines can grip well. Hops produce different flavors of beer depending on the variety, and there are two types of hop: bitter or K YM P OKORNY Krikava-Parks Aria Elizabeth Krikava-Parks was born to Ethan Parks and Ellen Krikava-Parks of Portland at 11:22 a.m. on July 8 at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. She weighed 9 pounds, 15.3 ounces, and was 22 inches long. Aria joins Nola, 12. Grandparents are Ed and Sandra Parks of Dallas, and Shelly Krikava of Modesto, Calif. Great-grandparents are Dennis and Lavonne Bierman of Salem. Your Garden aromatic. Townsend recom- mended the aromatic “Cas- cade” variety, developed through the U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture’s breed- ing program at OSU in 1972. It can withstand cli- mates anywhere from cen- tral Oregon to the Willamette Valley. “It’s pretty much fool- proof,” Townsend said. Other good choices for Oregon are “Centennial,” “Newport,” “Sterling” or “Nugget.” Some varieties do not do as well as others in heat. You can order whole plants or the rhizome, an underground stem that produces buds, from online sources and local distribu- tors. You can also dig up a rhizome or make a stem cutting from a friend’s es- tablished plant. January and February are the months for digging up rhizomes for replanting, Townsend said. Cut about a 3- to 4-inch section of rhi- zome, making sure that a pinkish-white bud is pres- ent. Then grow it in a green- house with extra lighting. Rhizomes can also be planted in deep containers BIRTHS COMMUNITY CALENDAR To submit an event for calendar consideration, please see information on page 7A. Continued from page 7A Courtesy of Oregon State University Extension Service One or two plants are plenty for backyard cultivation. A single vigorous plant can yield about 5 to 6 pounds or more of fresh cones. outside or directly in the ground after January. In May, transplant the potted plant to your garden plot. When deciding where to place your plant, keep in mind that it grows robustly and prefers full sun. Don’t plant it near shade-intoler- ant plants that hops could crowd out. Apply one teaspoon to one tablespoon of nitrogen- rich fertilizer about once every other week from late April or early May into June. After that, the plant doesn’t need extra nitrogen. Be careful not to over-fertilize, as lots of nitrogen can propagate a lush, dense plant that could attract pests and diseases, Townsend said. Water the plant with 2 to 4 gallons every one to three days. Harvest your hops be- tween mid-August and mid-September. Depending on the vari- ety, hops typically fully ma- ture by the third growing season. During the first and second season, gardeners can still harvest enough hops even though the plant is not producing at full ca- pacity. By fall, you’ll get to taste the fruits of your labor in your very own homegrown homebrew. TUESDAY, AUG. 11 • Polk County Bounty Market-Monmouth — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Main Street Park, 120 E. Main St., Monmouth. 503-623- 2564. — WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12 • 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. • Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce Lunch Forum — Noon, Polk County Fire District No. 1, 1800 Mon- mouth St., Independence. The Polk No. 1 will present. Bring your own lunch. 503-838-4268. • Free Blood Pressure Check Clinic — 2 to 3 p.m., West Val- ley Hospital (surgery admitting area), 525 SE Washington St., Dallas. 503-623-7323. • Monmouth Senior Center Music Jam — 6:30 p.m., Mon- mouth Senior Center, 180 S. Warren St., Monmouth. Open to the public; musicians of all types welcome. 503-838-5678. • Music in the Park — 6:30 p.m., Main Street Park, Mon- mouth. Student Loan String Band, newgrass. Free. www.ci.mon- mouth.or.us. Peridot is the birthstone for August. It is believed that peridot will bring the wearer good luck, peace and success. Peridot also signifies friendship. MI TOWN It’s time for Blue Jeans and Country Dreams – this year’s Polk County Fair theme. The doors open at our very own Polk County Fair tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. It’s a big day in our household and hopefully, yours, where we all have the opportunity to celebrate all the good things Polk Coun- ty has to offer everyone. There’s nothing quite as wonderful as the first bite of a corn dog at the fair on a s u m m e r d a y, a n d t h e chance to visit with friends and family right here in Polk County. — The record-breaking heat wave that has scorched our gardens, turned out lawns the color of burnt toast, and tested our capacity for en- durance beyond all reason, and frayed tempers contin- u e s t o h a n g ov e r t h e P ATTY T AYLOR D UTCHER Columnist Willamette Valley like some kind of heavy curtain. Let’s hope for some welcome re- lief in the form of cooling breezes, lower tempera- tures or good old-fashioned rain. The forests are tinder- dry and our lakes and rivers need moisture that can’t ar- rive quickly enough. — It’s good to see MI Town residents and visitors to our community support the summer evening events at the Independence Am- phitheater as well. We con- tinue to enjoy the concerts, movies and special events – and they’ll continue through the month of Au- gust. Let’s all support our local businesses and organiza- tions that are so giving of their time and financial contributions to support these wonderful programs in our community. — Don enjoys walking our Golden Retrievers all over MI Town, and especially on the Western Oregon Univer- sity campus, where we all enjoy an opportunity to be out on a summer morning. The air is fresh and clean and the dogs love to chase a stick or a ball as we walk along the edges of the fields. What isn’t quite so wonderful about the whole experience is that not everybody is mindful of what their dogs deposit along the way (this is a fam- ily newspaper and I don’t want to say THAT word). It’s very easy for all dog walkers to bring along some plastic bags to pick up animal waste, and there are trash cans located all over cam- pus and our communities, where it can be disposed of. I’d hate to see our wonder- ful campus closed to dogs because of a few irresponsi- ble people who don’t think rules apply to them. — Drug charges reminds us that bad things can happen in our community, and that we must be concerned about what can be happen- ing to our children and our friends and neighbors. We need to work cooperatively with our local law enforce- ment agencies to report drug use and abuse, and to support efforts to help peo- ple overcome addiction. 20% Off this Month SPEAK OUT ONLINE Visit us at www.polkio.com 503-623-3117 and click on “Letter to the Editor” 837 Main St. • Dallas Mon-Fri 9-5:30 Sat 9-4 PEDEE NEWS Diane Telfer, who volun- teers with the American Red Cross, went to Houston for the last week of the Red Cross’s work with the people who lost their homes in the March flooding there. The damage was so extensive that it took several months to get the necessary help for everyone. Diane no sooner got home and her garden harvested than she had to drive to Idaho for the funeral of an aunt this last weekend. Husband Paul was on the A RLENE K OVASH Columnist kitchen crew at Bridgeport’s summer church camp, so was unavailable to help. — Judy Guida has her 8- year-old grandson, Neko, with her for two weeks, so Furniture Upholstery All types: for homes, offices, equip- ment. Also, repairs, RV cushions, slipcovers, High Quality since 1966 Stephen Winters Sewing 503-838-4999 or 503-375-9266 Emmy Joseph 440 E. St • Independence, OR 97351 www.winterssewing.com Serving Polk County 16yrs they’ve been going to the beach and the Enchanted Forest, taking refuge from the heat at the movies, horseback riding, and play- ing in the woods. Neko and his parents John and Gina Guida live in Houston. — Tim and Diana Barnhart drove nine Pedee and Kings Valley high school kids to the Beartooth Christian Camp south of Billings, Mont., two weeks ago, where they had an amazing week of fun and spiritual growth with 200 other kids from around the West. Some of them had never been out of Oregon, so loved seeing the countryside along the way. They were especially impressed with the thunder- storms as they drove east. Levi Bault, Brady Tarvin, Glen Mott, Olivia and Nicholas Hazleton, Clara Castle, Reed and Tanner Simmons, and Becca Barn- hart all had a trip to remem- ber all their lives. Music from the Redgate Winery & Fieldhouse Fri. August 7, 6-9 PM featuring Orvil Ivie / Garry Meziere Sat. August 8, 6-9 PM featuring The Brothers Kidd $5.00 cover • Must be 21 Food Available Tasting fees & glasses of wine $5.00 8175 Buena Vista Road Independence • 503-428-7115 • www.redgatevineyard.com What’s YOUR neighbor up to? Find out in the Itemizer Observer. You may find your neighbor, your boss, your friend or yourself in the pages of the Itemizer-Observer. Local stories on local people - that’s our specialty. The Next Step – You’re Invited! Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. Volunteer Hall (144 Warren St. S.—right behind City Hall in downtown Monmouth) Community members, WOU students, visitors and other interested persons have returned more than 1,400 surveys to share their visions for Monmouth’s future. To transform these visions into action, we need your help. Please join us for this important event that will help make the Monmouth Engaged vision a reality. More information contact: YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER • 147 SE Court St., Dallas • 503-623-2373 Scott McClure, Monmouth City Manager smcclure@ci.monmouth.or.us / 503-751-0146 www.ci.monmouth.or.us
