Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 21, 2017 9A
Tomato lovers: nix disease, grow the best
CORVALLIS, Ore. —
Knowing the whys and hows
of tomato diseases gives gar-
deners a leg up for success-
fully growing the most-trea-
sured of vegetables.
Brooke Edmunds, a horti-
culturist with Oregon State
University Extension Service,
troubleshoots the following
common problems that
might afflict your tomatoes
as the season goes on.
Blossom drop — It's usu-
ally caused by dry soil and
dry winds, but also may be
caused by a sudden cold
spell, heavy rain or too much
nitrogen. Usually not all
blossoms will fall off, and an-
other set of flowers will ap-
pear.
Blossom-end rot — The
end of the fruit farthest away
from the stem turns brown
or black — a condition
caused by irregular watering
practices and calcium defi-
ciency. It is most common in
western Oregon. Water
deeply and regularly. Add
lime to the soil in the fall to
increase the calcium level for
next year’s crop.
Leaf roll — A physiological
problem that is most often
the result of heavy pruning
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
or root injury. Some tomato
cultivars display leaf rolling
as a normal growth habit.
Plants may lose leaves but
will recover. Learn more in
Extension’s guide on leaf roll.
Sunscald — Green toma-
toes can get sunburned if ex-
posed. There is no cure, only
prevention by reducing fo-
liage diseases that can cause
leaf loss. Take care when
pruning to protect the devel-
oping fruit.
Early and late blight —
These are fungal diseases
caused by warm, wet weath-
er and characterized by irreg-
ular, greenish water-soaked
spots on lower leaves and
stems. The spots rapidly en-
large to form purplish black
lesions, which girdle the
stems and leaves, killing the
foliage. Avoid overhead wa-
tering, give plants plenty of
room, stake and prune to
keep air circulating and
plants dry. Remove diseased
HTTPS://FLIC.KR/P/VMWODA
Be on the lookout for tomato problems so that you can
treat them appropriately and have a successful harvest.
leaves.
Slow-ripening fruit —
Temperatures above 85 de-
grees can slow the ripening
of tomatoes, which ripen
quickest at 70 degrees to 75
degrees. Wait for cooler
weather to allow for vine-
ripening to occur. Fruit just
showing color changes can
be picked and stored at
room temperature to ripen.
For more information,
photos and control methods
for these and other tomato
maladies, consult Pacific
Northwest Plant Disease
Management Handbook. Or
call your local OSU Exten-
sion Master Gardeners.
For general information
about growing tomatoes,
check out Extension’s publi-
cations Grow Your Own
Tomatoes and Tomatillos in
English and Spanish.
MI TOWN
Our newly-minted West-
ern Oregon University grad-
uates bid farewell to MI
Town following Saturday’s
graduation ceremonies that
combined happy tears with
nostalgia, optimism and
abundant good wishes. We’d
like to add our congratula-
tions and high hopes as our
best and brightest begin an-
other exciting chapter in
their lives. Come September,
we’ll welcome new freshman
students eager to start on a
new journey of their own as
well as our returning sopho-
more, junior, senior and
graduate students. WOU is
indeed the crown jewel in MI
Town’s crown and we look
forward to so many good
programs, classes and activi-
ties our hometown universi-
ty has to offer.
—
Summer activities are in
full swing at the Independ-
ence and Monmouth Public
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
Libraries and if you’d like to
learn more about what’s
happening for kids — stop
by your nearest library dur-
ing open hours or browse
through all the program in-
formation on their web sites.
There are programs for all
ages with live music per-
formers, summer book and
prize giveaways and free
family friendly movies. If
you’re new to the area,
please take a few minutes
from your busy day and see
what activities would be best
for you and your family. It’s
also a great way to meet your
neighbors and make new
friends. Thanks to the
Friends of the Independence
and Monmouth libraries for
helping to provide funding,
so we can all share interest-
ing activities for the sum-
mer.
—
The schedule is out for the
Music in the Park Series at
Main Street Park Amphithe-
ater in Monmouth. The
Shinkle Family Band will en-
tertain us beginning at 6:30
p.m. on July 5. We’ll pack our
picnic baskets or have the
opportunity to buy food and
beverages right in the park,
and enjoy a concert featuring
folk and country music with
our families, friends and
neighbors. Several local busi-
nesses have provided fund-
ing for these free summer-
time events, so please sup-
port your community mer-
chants and organizations.
—
The June birthday celebra-
tion at Monmouth Senior
Center is scheduled for June
30 at 1 p.m., and all area sen-
iors are welcome to share
cake and ice cream, games
and other fun activities. The
center is located at 180 War-
ren St. S., in Monmouth.
—
If you didn’t have the op-
portunity to read Larry Dal-
ton’s letter to the editor in
last week’s I-O, please take a
moment to find the paper or
check the webpage
(www.polkio.com). No mat-
ter what our political or reli-
gious views may be, nothing
is accomplished by demean-
ing others whose ideas are
different. Let’s take the time
to be kinder to one another.
—
Want to meet a NASA sci-
entist? Stop by the Mon-
mouth Library at 3 p.m.
today, and discover what’s
going on with the space pro-
gram. Kids of all ages will
enjoy this event.
PEDEE NEWS
Portia Perkins and hus-
band Jack hosted Portia’s sis-
ter Paula Taylor and hus-
band Chuck, of Davenport,
Iowa, for a week at the first of
the month. Portia showed
them the Oregon sights, in-
cluding Woodburn Mall,
which Paula loved, and the
Evergreen Aviation and
Space Museum in McMin-
nville, which Chuck loved as
he is a WWII buff. A few days
after they arrived, Portia’s
nephew and wife Jason and
Sheryl Taylor, son Jordan,
and daughter Jasmine flew
into Portland to join the
group on a trip to Pacific
City, where they rented a
house and enjoyed beach
life, walking the beach and
watching the very tame wild
life. They climbed the Cape
Kiwanda sand dunes one
day, and of course, stopped
at the Lincoln City Mall to
shop, then checked out
Newport Beach and Tillam-
ook, and went on to the Port-
land Zoo, and OMSI.
—
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
This was the first trip to
Portia and Jack’s home for
Chuck, Sheryl and Jasmine.
Portia feeds a ton of birds
daily so they got to see the
huge flock of pigeons, her
crows and ravens and the
scrub and Stellar jays. She
feeds the pigeons and jays
right outside her front
room/dining room windows
and Jack built a 6-foot high
platform that is further away
for the crows and ravens. It
was the perfect time of day
with the sun hitting the win-
dows so that the birds were
unable to see everyone
watching them and taking
pictures.
—
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
The open house for Au-
drey Cameron’s retirement
from 25 years of teaching at
the Weekday School of the
Bible in Dallas was especially
nice, with many old and new
friends, plus family, coming
to honor her. Several Pedee
people and former Pedee
people were there, including
Joan Kaiser, whom I hadn’t
seen in several years. She still
lives in a grand old house in
Monmouth.
—
In lieu of a traditional Va-
cation Bible School (VBS)
this year, Pedee Church will
be having several opportuni-
ties for kids and families to
gather for activities through-
out the summer. Their first
activity will be a “Lawn
Camp” in Daniel and Heidi
Russell’s back yard Friday,
from 4 p.m. until the next
morning at 10 a.m. They will
be cooking over a fire and
sleeping in tents or under the
stars. Then the next week
everyone will meet at our
house on Friday afternoon
from 1:30-4:30 for a scav-
enger hunt in the woods,
plus play lawn games. Then
each succeeding week an-
other family will host the
group for more fun activi-
ties. This is for anyone who
would like to come out, so
call Heidi at 503-838-2129 if
you’d like to participate. If
you can’t come, please send
your kids for a fun time.
We’d love to get to know
you!
—
The women’s Bible study
is taking a break for the
summer and will get going
again in September. They’re
all too busy planting and
weeding, and then canning
and freezing.
—
Many people will be
coming to Oregon and par-
ticularly our area for the
eclipse on Aug. 21. If you do
something special for that
week, please let me know.
My phone number is 503-
838-3512 and my email is
kovasha@gmail.com.
• AARP Foundation Tax-Aide – 503-930-7636
• After DARC — 503-623-9501
• American Cancer Society Road to Recovery
— 1-800-227-2345
• Arc of Polk County — 541-223-3261
• Ash Creek Arts Center – 971-599-3301
• Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of
Polk County Inc. — 503-623-8473
• 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
• Ella Curran Food Bank — 503-838-1276
• 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
• Girl Scouts of Southwest Washington and Oregon
— 1-800-338-5248
• 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
• 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
• 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 Community Access Television — 503-837-0163
Music from the Redgate Winery & Fieldhouse
Friday, June 23
6-9 PM
Orvil Ivie Duo
$5.00 cover
_________________
Tasting fees $10 • Glass of wine $5
Must be 21. Food Available.
8175 Buena Vista Road
Independence • 503-428-7115
www.redgatevineyard.com
Matinees are all shows
before 6pm. New pricing for
matinees are: Adult $8.00
Children $7.00 • Senior $7.25
Pricing does not reflect
3D showings.
FRIDAY - TUESDAY • JUNE 23 - 27
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS (Digital) (PG)
IT COMES AT NIGHT (Digital) (R)
47 METERS DOWN (Digital) (PG13)
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT (Digital) (PG13)
CARS 3 (Digital) (G)
WONDER WOMAN (Digital) (PG13)
ROUGH NIGHT(Digital) (R)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES (Digital) (PG13)
THE MUMMY (Digital) (PG13)
(12:25 2:40 4:55) 7:10
(12:25 2:45 5:10)
(12:15 3:30)
(11:30 2:05 4:40)
(12:45 3:50)
(11:50 2:15 4:40)
9:25
7:25 9:45
6:45 10:00
7:15 9:50
7:00 10:05
7:05 9:30
(1:20 4:15) 7:10 10:10
(11:35 2:10 4:45) 7:20 9:55
WEDNESDAY • JUNE 28
47 METERS DOWN (Digital) (PG13)
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT (Digital) (PG13)
BABY DRIVER (Digital) (R)
CARS 3 (Digital) (G)
WONDER WOMAN (Digital) (PG13)
ROUGH NIGHT(Digital) (R)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES (Digital) (PG13)
THE MUMMY (Digital) (PG13)
(12:25 2:45 5:10)
(12:15 3:30)
(1:45 4:25)
(11:30 2:05 4:40)
(12:45 3:50)
(11:50 2:15 4:40)
7:25 9:40
6:45 10:00
7:05 9:45
7:15 9:50
7:00 10:05
7:05 9:30
(1:20 4:15) 7:10 10:10
(11:35 2:10 4:45) 7:20 9:55
THURSDAY • JUNE 29
47 METERS DOWN (Digital) (PG13)
THE HOUSE (Digital) (R)
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT (Digital) (PG13)
BABY DRIVER (Digital) (R)
CARS 3 (Digital) (G)
THE MUMMY (Digital) (PG13)
DESPICABLE ME 3 (Digital) (PG)
ROUGH NIGHT(Digital) (R)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES (Digital) (PG13)
WONDER WOMAN (Digital) (PG13)
9:40
7:15
(12:15 3:30) 6:45 10:00
(1:45 4:25) 7:05 9:45
(11:30 2:05 4:40) 7:15 9:50
(11:35 2:10)
6:00 8:15
(11:50 2:15 4:40) 7:05 9:30
(12:25 2:45 5:10)
(1:20 4:15) 7:10 10:10
(12:45 3:50) 7:00 10:05
The Polk County Itemizer-Observer
in print and online at
www.polkio.com