Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 12, 2017  9A
Time to turn attention to caneberries
No matter how muddy
the spring, it’s time to slip
on your boots and gloves
and take care of blackber-
ries and raspberries.
Established red raspber-
ries and blackberries need
some care in early spring to
stay healthy and productive.
These caneberries should
be fertilized starting in early
spring when new growth
begins, said Bernadine Strik,
berry crops professor with
the Oregon State University
Extension Service.
For raspberries, apply 1
ounce of actual nitrogen (N)
per plant. For blackberries,
apply 2 ounces. Split the
total amount of nitrogen
into thirds, applying the
first in early April, the sec-
ond portion in late May, and
the last portion in mid- to
late June.
To calculate the amount
of fertilizer to use, divide the
recommended amount of
actual nitrogen needed by
the percent nitrogen in the
product, which is shown as
the first number on the
front of the bag. For exam-
ple, in raspberries if you are
using a granular fertilizer
such as 16-16-16 (16 per-
cent nitrogen), then you
would divide 2 by 0.16 to get
3.1 ounces of fertilizer. So,
you’ll need to use about 6
ounces of product (2 ounces
of fertilizer per application);
double this for blackberries.
“It’s best to spread the
fertilizer evenly around the
plant over the surface of the
soil in the row,” Strik said. “I
suggest an area about 2½ to
3 feet wide by 3 feet long for
raspberries. For blackber-
ries go 5 feet long.”
Keep the area where
K YM
P OKORNY
These Polk County groups would welcome individuals
who have time or expertise to volunteer. Organizations
that would like to be added to this list should call 503-623-
2373 or email IOnews@polkio.com.
Your
Garden
berries are growing free of
weeds by removing them by
hand. You can use a layer of
sawdust or bark mulch to
help reduce germination of
weed seeds. Don’t apply
more than about 2 inches
deep.
In all these caneberries,
the plants are perennial
with long-lived roots and
crowns (base of plant), but
the canes are biennial. Fo-
liage on the new primo-
canes should be a healthy
green color. A pale green or
yellow color may indicate
nitrogen deficiency, Strik
said. If the plants seem to
lack vigor, apply a little
more nitrogen fertilizer.
Pruning caneberries can
be confusing because differ-
ent categories of raspberries
and blackberries have sepa-
rate pruning requirements.
Strik lays it out like this:
Erect and semi-erect
blackberries (as well as
black raspberries), need
summer and winter pruning
to improve yield and fruit
size.
For trailing blackberries,
the new primocanes should
not be pruned in summer.
After harvest, floricanes die
and should be cut to the
ground and removed from
the trellis in late August.
The new primocanes
should be trellised in August
or late winter after severe
cold temperatures have
passed. Wrap these around
Photo: flic.kr
Cascade Delight is a summer-bearing raspberry.
a two-wire trellis.
Summer-bearing red or
yellow raspberries do not
need to be pruned in sum-
mer. Take out the dead flori-
canes after fruiting in late
summer.
Everbearing (or primo-
cane-fruiting) red and yel-
low raspberries will produce
fruit at the tips of the new
primocanes in late summer
through fall and can pro-
duce an early summer crop
on the base of the flori-
canes. In winter, to prune
for two crops a year, remove
all of the primocane tips
that fruited last year. The
base of these canes will fruit
in June or July, when they
are floricanes, which should
be removed when they die
after harvest in July. The
late-summer/fall crop will
be produced on the new
primocanes that grow next
season. Keep the hedgerow
of primocane-fruiting rasp-
berries to about 12 inches
wide during the growing
season.
To prune everbearing
raspberries to produce in
late summer to early fall, cut
all canes to ground level in
late February or early March
when plants are dormant.
When the new canes
emerge, keep the row width
to 12 inches apart.
This spring is a good time
to look for new, improved
varieties and established fa-
vorites in your local nursery
or mail-order catalog. Most
nurseries will order plants if
they don’t carry the one you
want.
For more information
about growing caneberries,
check out these Extension
p u b l i c a t i o n s : G r ow i n g
Blackberries in Your Home
Garden, Growing Raspber-
ries in Your Home Garden,
Blackberry Cultivars for
Oregon and Raspberry Cul-
tivars for the Pacific North-
west.
MI TOWN
How’s that spring clean-
ing going? Is the backyard
garden ready for planting?
It’s that time of year for toss-
ing a coin to determine
what project to begin — or
to complete. Some of us are
really motivated to get clos-
ets cleaned and rooms re-
decorated, while others are
knee deep in garden soil,
hoping to get everything
planted between raindrops,
or downpours.
—
Thirty-six Oregon mem-
bers of the U.S. Marine
Corps Reserve returned
from a six-month deploy-
ment to Honduras, where
they built a school, renovat-
ed a hospital and completed
several projects, but didn’t
accrue GI Bill education
benefits during this time.
Fortunately, Rex Fuller,
Western Oregon University
president, and his staff
worked to get access to the
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
Voyager Award program, so
these veterans who qualify
will receive tuition assis-
tance. MI Town’s university
now waives the application
fee for veterans who wish to
enter undergraduate and
graduate programs. It’s great
to see our service men and
women receive support for
their service to our country.
—
Coffee and Conversation
is held at the Monmouth
Senior Center at 10:15 a.m.,
on the third Monday of
every month. Kelly Cape
and the Women’s Auxiliary
provide coffee and dough-
nuts. Veterans, current mili-
tary, and others are wel-
come to share conversation
and common interests to-
gether.
—
This Saturday, the Mon-
mouth Tree Advisory Board
will celebrate Arbor Day at
Main Street Park, beginning
at 9 a.m. This is also the an-
niversary of Monmouth’s
designation as a Tree City,
USA. Following the presen-
tation, volunteers will plant
new trees throughout the
city. If you would like more
information, please contact
Mark Fancey at 503-751-
0147. Tree planting volun-
teers are always welcome
and appreciated.
—
It’s time for the Mon-
mouth Senior Center’s Vic-
torian Tea, which is sched-
uled for April 21. Tickets
may be purchased for either
the noon or 2:30 p.m. seat-
ing, and are $10. Please call
the Center at 503-838-5678
to see if any tickets are still
available. This year’s theme
is “Let’s Go Places.” Some of
the best cooks and bakers in
MI Town will prepare an
array of wonderful tempting
goodies, and the yoga
ladies, escorted by Jack Hin-
kle, will present a style
show.
—
Another sure sign of
springtime in MI Town is
the seed lending library at
Monmouth Public Library.
Stop by the library during
regular hours and take a few
minutes to look at the
flower and vegetable seed
packets that are available at
no cost. You may select
three packets every day to
take home to plant in the
garden. Last year, we had
bumper crop of green beans
and peas, which we shared
with friends and family and
enjoyed all winter long.
PEDEE NEWS
Easter is coming. Pedee
Church will be celebrating
with its annual sunrise serv-
ice at Womer Cemetery at
6:30 a.m., followed by break-
fast at the church for the
community at 7, whether
you make it to the sunrise
service or not. The Easter
service will be at 10.
—
Thanks to all who partici-
pated and supported the
missions fundraiser and
workday at Pedee Church on
April 1. Many people worked
to make this a success,
wholeheartedly jumping in
with willing hearts and
skilled hands to be a bless-
ing to the mission. Chip
North headed the event;
Adam Coe coordinated the
rummage sale; and Pam
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
Burbank and I took charge
of the bake sale, while the
kids sold lemonade and ice
tea and plant starts. Tony
and Debbie Rodriguez pres-
sure-washed the church and
did some heavy cleaning
with the help of Dave Bur-
bank, Andrew and
Stephanie Weston, Tim
Barnhart, Mike Bidwell, and
Linda Chertudi. And Linda
turned our weed beds into
beautiful flower beds with
the help of Mike McDowell.
Many others pitched in to
help with several other jobs:
Nic Heller, the Russell fami-
ly, Scott and Melody Castle,
Billy and Heather Traglia
and kids, Eric Schwanke,
Natalie Nichols, Brandon Si-
mons, and Chuck Goet-
zinger. Diana Barnhart and
Pam Burbank fueled up the
group with chili dogs and
chips at lunchtime.
—
I surely missed several
names, but we appreciated
every bit of help we had,
plus thank all who came to
purchase items. It was truly
a community effort.
—
The Pedee Women’s Club
thanks the Monmouth Sen-
ior Center for donated sev-
eral boxes of fabric, which
the group will turn into
beautiful and useful quilts
for CASA and the veterans
home they support.
—
Paige Cochrane celebrat-
ed her 20th birthday with a
dinner at North Dallas Bar
and Grill in Dallas last
Wednesday. Pretty close to
all her immediate family
joined her: parents Mick and
Debbie Cochrane and broth-
er Cole, grandparents Ted
and Ethelene Osgood and
Joe and Terri Cochrane,
cousin Heather and
Heather’s daughter Bella,
and close friend Gatlin. Her
uncle Pete Osgood dropped
in with Stephen to wish her a
Happy Birthday, too. Paige is
a sophomore at Willamette
University in Salem.
LIBRARY CALENDAR
DALLAS
950 Main St. • 503-623-2633
www.ci.dallas.or.us/library
• Wednesday, April 12, 3:45 p.m. — Teen
Advisory Board. 
• Wednesday, April 12, 4:30 p.m. — Teen
Book Club. 
•  Thursday,  April  13,  2:30  p.m.  —  Lego
building. 
•  Thursday,  April  13,  4  p.m.  —  Author
visit (Debora Hopkinson). 
•  Tuesday,  April  18,  10:30  a.m.  —  Chil-
dren’s Story Time. 
—
INDEPENDENCE
175 Monmouth St.
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
503-838-1811
www.ci.independence.or.us/library
•  Wednesday,  April  12,  10:30  a.m.  —
Family Story Time. 
• Thursday, April 13, 4:30 p.m. — Chess
Club. 
•  Thursday,  April  13,  6  p.m.  —  Mystery
Book Club.
• Friday, April 14, 4 p.m. — Adult Color-
ing. 
•  Saturday,  April  15,  3:30  p.m.  —  Cuen-
tos en Español. 
• Tuesday, April 18, 2 p.m. — Tiny Tots. 
—
MONMOUTH
168 S. Ecols St.
503-751-0182
www.ci.monmouth.or.us/library
•  Thursday,  April  13,  10:15  a.m.  —  Pre-
school Explorers. 
•  Thursday,  April  13,  7  p.m.  —  Once
Upon a Thursday book club. 
•  Tuesday,  April  18,  10:15  a.m.  —  Tales
for Tots. 
—
WAGNER COMMUNITY LIBRARY
111 N. Main St., Falls City
503-787-3521, ext. 319
www.facebook.com/
WagnerCommunityLibrary/timeline
• See the library’s Facebook page for up-
coming events.
• AARP Foundation Tax-Aide – 503-930-7636
• After DARC — 503-623-9501
• Arc of Polk County — 541-223-3261
• Central School District — 503-838-0030
• City of Dallas — 503-831-3502
• City of Independence — 503-838-1212
• City of Monmouth — 503-751-0145
• Crime Victims Assistance Program — 503-623-9268
• Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce — 503-623-2564
• Dallas Fire Department — 503-831-3532
• Dallas Food Bank — 503-623-3578
• Dallas Kids, Inc. — 503-623-6419
• Dallas Police Department — 503-831-3582
• Dallas Public Library — 503-623-2633
• Dallas Retirement Village — 503-623-5581
• Dallas School District — 503-623-5594
• Delbert Hunter Arboretum — 503-623-7359
• Girl Scouts of Southwest Washington and Oregon 
— 1-800-338-5248
• Ella Curran Food Bank — 503-917-1681
• Falls City Arts Center — 503-559-6291
• Falls City School District — 503-787-3531
• Family Building Blocks – 503-566-2132, ext. 308. 
• Friends of the Dallas Library — 503-559-3830
• H-2-O — 503-831-4736
HART (Horses Adaptive Riding and Therapy) 
— 971-301-4278
• HandsOn Mid-Willamette Valley — 503-363-1651
• Heron Pointe Assisted Living — 503-838-6850
• Independence Health and Rehabilitation 
— 503-838-0001
• Independence Public Library — 503-838-1811
• Kings Valley Charter School — 541-929-2134
• Luckiamute Watershed Council — 503-837-0237
• Luckiamute Valley Charter School – 503-623-4837
• Meals on Wheels — 503-838-2084
• Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce 
— 503-838-4268
• Monmouth-Independence YMCA — 503-838-4042
• Monmouth Public Library — 503-838-1932
• Northwest Human Services — 503-588-5828
• Oregon Child Development Coalition — 503-838-2745
• OSU Extension Service - Polk County — 503-623-8395
• Perrydale School District — 503-623-2040
• Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of 
Polk County Inc. — 503-623-8473
• Polk Community Development Corporation 
— 503-831-3173
• Polk County Community Emergency Response Team 
— 503-623-9396
• Polk County Museum — 503-623-6251
• Polk County Public Health — 503-623-8175
• Polk County Resource Center — 503-623-8429
• Polk Soil and Water Conservation District 
— 503-623-9680
• Relief Nursery Classroom — 503-566-2132
• Rickreall Watershed Council — 503-623-9680
• SABLE House — 503-623-6703
• SALT (Senior and law enforcement together) 
— 503-851-9366
• Salvation Army — 503-798-4783
• SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) — 503-391-8423
• Salem Health West Valley Hospital — 503-623-8301
• Victim Assistance Program-Polk Co. District Attorney’s 
Office 503-623-9268 x1444
• Willamette Valley Hospice — 503-588-3600 
• WIMPEG Comminity Access Television — 503-837-0163
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 8A
—
TUESDAY, APRIL 18
• Polk County Coin Club — 7 p.m., Monmouth Senior Cen-
ter, 180 Warren St. S., Monmouth. 503-362-9123. 
• Overeaters Anonymous — Noon to 1 p.m., Salem Health
West  Valley,  525  SE  Washington  St.,  Dallas.  Support  group
meets  in  the  quiet  room/chapel  immediately  inside  the  emer-
gency entrance on Clay Street. Dee Ann White, 971-718-6444. 
—
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19
• 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. 
• 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.
• Day-2-Day Diabetes Support Group — 3 to 4 p.m., Salem
Health  West  Valley  (main  conference  room  inside  main  en-
trance), 525 SE Washington St., Dallas. 503-623-7323.
Music from the Redgate Winery & Fieldhouse
Fri. April 14, 6-9 PM
featuring
The Ivie Mezierie
Foss Trio
$5.00 cover
Must be 21 • Food Available
Tasting fees & glasses of wine $10.00
8175 Buena Vista Road
Independence • 503-428-7115 • www.redgatevineyard.com