Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 6, 2016 9A
Give seeds a test for A+ performance
Will they or won’t they?
That’s the perennial question
when you nestle seeds into
the soil each spring and wait
for sprouts to make an ap-
pearance.
Whether you’ve selected
and saved seeds from the
garden, ordered from a cata-
log or bought off the rack,
they can be a disappoint-
ment. But there is a way to
minimize your frustration.
“It’s easy to check veg-
etable and flower seed viabil-
ity, and it can save you time
later when the gardening sea-
son begins,” said Ross Pen-
hallegon, a horticulturist with
Oregon State University’s Ex-
tension Service. “Some seeds
remain viable for a year and
others for three or more
years.”
To find out whether a vari-
ety of seed will germinate
and grow, Penhallegon sug-
gests the following test:
Place 10 seeds an even dis-
tance apart on a damp paper
towel. Roll up the towel and
place in a plastic bag.
Leave the damp, rolled
towel in a warm spot. The lo-
cation’s lighting doesn’t mat-
ter.
After three to seven days,
check the paper towel to see
Baldwin—90th
K YM
P OKORNY
Lloyd (Hap) Baldwin,
of Dallas, will celebrate
his 90th birthday on
Sunday, Jan. 10 with
family and friends at
Dallas Masonic Lodge,
140 SW Clay St., from 1
to 4 p.m. He was born
Jan. 8, 1926, in Opheim,
Mont. He has lived in
Polk County for 46
years. He retired in 1989
as an electrician at
Bonneville Power, B.P.A.
Your
Garden
which seeds have germinat-
ed.
“The percentage of seed
germinating in the towel will
give you a fairly good idea
how the same seed will do in
the garden,” he said. “If half
the seed did well in the towel,
half of the same batch of seed
will probably do well in the
garden.”
Seed is best stored through
the winter at 50 degrees with
50 percent humidity. Place
packets in a sealed jar with a
desiccant or powdered milk
at the bottom to absorb
moisture. Keep jars in a cool
room or refrigerator. Seed
can also be sealed in a plastic
bag and stored in the freezer.
Some seed types last
longer than others. Here is
the average seed life for com-
mon homegrown vegetables
and flowers:
Bush and pole beans — 3
years
Beets — 2 years
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
PHOTO BY SAMUEL
A simple test will tell you if your seeds are likely to make
an appearance in the garden this spring.
c a b b a g e , c a u l i f l o w e r,
kohlrabi — 3 to 5 years
Carrots — 3 years
Collard, kale — 3 to 5
years
Sweet corn — 2 years
Cucumbers — 3 years
Leeks, onions — 2 years
Lettuce — 2 years
Melons — 3 years
Oriental greens — 3 years
Parsley — 2 years
Parsnips — 1 season
Peas — 3 years
Peppers — 2 years
Radishes — 4 years
Rutabags — 3 years
Spinach — 1 season
Squashes — 3 years
Swiss chard — 2 years
Tomatoes — 3 years
Turnips — 4 years
Flower seed — annuals
are generally good for 1 to 3
years and perennials for 2 to
4 years.
MI TOWN
We bid a fond farewell to
2015 under a bright and star-
ry sky, with hopes that this
New Year will bring good
things to everyone. Whether
you shared a Champagne
toast at midnight or enjoyed
a cup of tea and a brand new
book to celebrate a brand
new year, many of us are op-
timistic that good things will
happen in 2016.
—
Presidential debates have
begun, and the primaries
will soon be happening in
states far away from Oregon,
but we all have the opportu-
nity to learn more about the
candidates running for elec-
tive office. There’s a good
deal of information avail-
able — and an incredible
amount of myth and folk-
lore and downright hateful
rhetoric — from both sides
of the aisle. With politics, it’s
MILESTONE
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
sometimes difficult to sepa-
rate truth from fiction, and
conversations can range all
over the map. All politics
begin at the local level, and
we can get involved by at-
tending city council meet-
ings and keeping informed
about the good things hap-
pening in MI Town. Learn-
ing about candidates for
public office gives you the
opportunity to support
those whose values you trust
and believe.
—
If one of your New Year’s
resolutions was to get in-
volved in an exercise pro-
gram, stop by the Mon-
mouth Senior Center any
weekday morning at 7:30,
where you’ll be welcomed
by the yoga group. Wear
comfortable clothing and
bring a mat (or a towel to lie
upon). We practice and lis-
ten to a Jon Kabat-Zinn yoga
CD for about an hour, then
share coffee and conversa-
tion (if you wish) for people
of all ages.
—
The Monmouth Senior
Center will begin the year
with all kinds of good and
interesting activities for
those over 55, including
travel, Wii bowling and hik-
ing, as well as many classes
for all interest groups. Please
call Sue Teal at 503-838-5678
about activities that might
be interesting and fun.
—
Have you heard about the
new craze that seems to be
taking off all over the coun-
try? Lots of bookstores and
online retailers have been
selling a lot of crayons and
pencils and all kinds of col-
oring books for grown-ups.
There are anecdotal stories
that coloring and drawing is
an incredibly good stress-re-
liever, and also an opportu-
nity for people to get togeth-
er to relax. Those of us who
have spent time with chil-
dren and grandchildren and
coloring books can now
admit that it is indeed fun.
Thursday, is Adult Coloring
Night at the Monmouth
Public Library. All supplies
are provided, including re-
freshments — and a great
time is promised. The fun
begins at 6 p.m. for MI-
Town’s grown-ups. See you
there!
in Portland.
Lloyd loves spending time with family and reading. He
is a member of many Shrine organizations.
His family includes his wife Patricia; and their children
Lloyal Anne and Tyrone Harris, of Puyallup, Wash.; Mike
Baldwin, of Haslet, Texas; and Donna Jean and Monty
Weld, of Dallas. He has six grandchildren, and one great-
grandchild.
BIRTHS
Shafer
Vivienne Jean Shafer was born to Jesse and Nicole
Shafer, of Monmouth, at 3:35 a.m. on Dec. 22 at Bella Vie
Gentle Birth Center in Salem.
She weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 19.5 inches
long.
Vivienne joins Stella, 2.
Grandparents are Tom and Sherry Perry, of Monmouth,
and Doug and Paula Gillespie, of Lewiston, Idaho.
Peters
Aria Nicole Peters was born to Thomas Peters IV and
Sabrina Eddins, of Dallas at 9:24 p.m. on Dec. 26 at Salem
Hospital Family Birth Center.
She weighed 9 pounds, 4 ounces, and was 20.5 inches
long.
Aria joins Aiden, 6.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 8A
—
• Polk County Republican Women — 11:30 a.m., Oak Knoll
Golf Course, 6335 Highway 22, Independence. No-host lunch
available; everyone welcome. 503-623-5759.
• Free Blood Pressure Check Clinic — 2 to 3 p.m., West Valley
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.
• Dallas American Legion Post No. 20 — 7 p.m., Academy
Building, Room 108, 182 SW Academy St., Dallas. 503-831-3971.
• Helping Hands Emergency Food Bank — 10 a.m. to noon,
Monmouth Christian Church, 959 Church St. W., Monmouth. For
eligible community members; available every Wednesday. 541-
404-6517.
PEDEE NEWS
Christmas comes and
goes so fast now that I’m al-
most glad that the stores
start decorating right after
Halloween! Judy Guida, my
daughters Suzanne Bur-
bank and Lorraine Odell,
and I got together at my
house the first Saturday in
December and made
Christmas cookies all day —
six varieties — which got
the season started for me,
although not much was left
by Christmas day.
—
One of the best parts of
Christmas is the children’s
Christmas pageant at the
church. This year Allison
and Jacob Barnhart directed
the program, which was pre-
sented on Dec. 18, and was
the epitome of an old-fash-
ioned Christmas play, right
down to the little shepherds
and angels. One shepherd’s
sole part was “AAGHH,”
played perfectly when he
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
saw the costumed heavenly
hosts, and another memo-
rable moment was when the
angel kids were singing as
one little angel kept saying,
“She’s standing in MY
place!” The children in the
play were Blake and McKen-
zie Houck, Leo and Annika
Mellein, Janae Traglia, Ma-
hayla Benoit, Liam Castle,
and Alanna, Alex, Abby, and
Aliyah Russell.
—
Steve and Audrey
Cameron’s granddaughter
Ana Barth was an angel in
the Rickreall pageant and
son Bob’s daughter played
Puck in the Tigard High
School production of “Mid-
summer’s Night’s Dream.”
Five of the grandkids sang
the Swedish songs in Steve
and Audrey’s “Tre Kronor”
program in Salem, where
one was the “Lucia Bride.”
Ana was also a star in her
Sunday school program and
cousin Eliana was an angel
at Mt. Scott Church of God’s
program.
—
Christmas Eve for the
Camerons was at son James
and Jenny’s in Milwaukie,
where son Chris and
Natasha drove up from As-
toria and they celebrated
Bob’s Christmas Birthday.
Clayton and Noah joined
everyone on Dec. 26 for the
“farm” Christmas party
where they cooked a Christ-
mas goose.
—
Paul and Diane Telfer fi-
nally got their water back a
few days before Christmas,
after not having any for
three weeks because of
pump problems. Since
Salem firefighter Paul was
working on Christmas day,
Diane took dinner in to him
that day, then they celebrat-
ed Christmas with their
family later.
—
Bob and Lynda
Schnekenburger went to
the Virgin Islands and
stayed on St. Thomas for al-
most three weeks and St.
John for three days right be-
fore Christmas. They en-
joyed snorkeling, sailing,
and sunning — the three S’s
of a wonderful vacation.
They had a great time and
can’t wait to go back.
—
Don’t forget the Polk Sad-
dle-ites’ New Year’s ride on
Saturday at president Jerry
Mentzer’s place on Pedee
Creek Road. They’ll get
started around 10 a.m.
It’s likely that your retirement income may come from many
sources, such as Social Security, pension distributions, a
401(k) or IRA withdrawals. That’s why, if taxes are a concern
for you, it’s important to choose the right investments for your
portfolio. At Edward Jones, we have many options that can
give you more control over your taxes, so you can enjoy what
you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors cannot provide tax advice. You
should consult with a qualified tax specialist for professional advice on your specific
situation.
___________________________________________________________
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makes us best suited to help long-term investors meet their
current needs and future financial goals.
Ben Meyer, AAMS ®
Bob Timmerman
Financial Advisor
Financial Advisor
503-606-3048
503-623-5584
193 E. Main Street Mon-
mouth, OR 97361
159 SW Court Street
Dallas, OR 97338
Kelly K. Denney
Financial Advisor
Call us.
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Dallas, OR 97338
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