Polk County Social
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 20, 2017 9A
Seize some seed from your garden
As the gardening season
winds down and you pick
the season’s last vegetables
let some plants go to seed
and harvest them for plant-
ing next year.
“Saving seed can be really
fun and is a great way to
learn about plants,” said We-
ston Miller, a horticulturist
with Oregon State University
Extension Service. “If you
choose the right types of
vegetables, you can keep
them going year after year
without buying them again.”
The key to saving seed is
selecting open-pollinated or
heirloom plants, which pro-
duce offspring with the
same traits. Hybrids are bred
from two different varieties
for characteristics like dis-
ease resistance or higher
yield and won’t come “true
to type” in the next genera-
tion. Check seed packets or
catalog information so that
you know which you are
buying.
The easiest crops for sav-
ing seed are annual plants
that self-pollinate like let-
tuce, beans, peas, peppers,
eggplants and tomatoes.
Collect seed from the
healthiest plants and allow
them to dry. Harvest lettuce
seed when the seed coat
turns hard and dark in color.
Peas and beans are ready for
harvest when the pod dries
on the plant. Pepper seeds
are ready when the fruit is
fully mature and starts to
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
wrinkle.
Tomatoes are a smidgen
more complicated. Allow
the fruit to fully ripen and
scoop the seeds along with
the gel that surrounds them
and place in a jar of water.
Allow this mixture to fer-
ment for up to five days
until the seeds sink to the
bottom. Then dry seeds on a
paper towel.
Seeds from annual herbs
like cilantro (coriander),
arugula, and calendula are
also easy to save. In fact,
these annual plants will
often self-seed, so if you let
the seeds mature on the
plants and fall to the ground
new plants will start next
year.
Many broccoli family
crops (broccoli, Brussels
sprouts, cauliflower, cab-
bage, collards, kale, mustard
greens) are all part of the
same species and are polli-
nated by insects. Though it
is relatively easy to save
seeds from these biennial
crops, they tend to cross
pollinate easily and you
might end up with new (and
sometimes tasty) traits.
It is more difficult to save
seed from other crops, par-
https://flic.kr/p/e9U1Ww
Saving seeds allows you to keep plants going from year
to year.
ticularly in a garden set-
ting. For example, beets and
Swiss chard are wind polli-
nated and cross with each
other. These plants require
at least 3,200 feet of isola-
tion to prevent cross polli-
nation. Similarly, corn is
pollinated by wind, making
it difficult to isolate without
special screening.
Carrots are insect polli-
nated and cross with Queen
Anne’s lace, a common
weed. Summer and winter
squash flowers are also in-
sect pollinated and require
isolation to maintain true
varieties. The fruit grown
from cross-pollinated
squash seeds are often bitter
tasting, according to Miller.
Store seeds in tightly-
sealed glass containers in a
cool
and
dark
location. Make sure that you
label seeds with the type of
seed and the date. A small
packet of silica desiccant or
powdered milk in the jar can
help to remove moisture
and keep the seeds dry. The
refrigerator or freezer is also
a good place for storing
seeds that you collect and
also seeds that you buy. Put
small seeds in envelopes
and label them. Place the
envelopes in sealable freezer
bags.
MI TOWN
Miss Autumn has defi-
nitely arrived right on
schedule, with cooler morn-
ings, sunrises arriving a few
minutes later each morning
and the return of college
students to MI Town. Our
streets are full of U-Haul
trucks, family vans and
SUVs on their way to cam-
pus dorms, apartments and
houses where students will
settle in for another aca-
demic year. It’s always fun to
see young men and women
bring optimism and enthu-
siasm to our communities.
—
Monmouth Public Library
will host a Family Fun Night
on Friday. Singer-songwriter
Okaidja Afroso, from Ghana,
West Africa, will share music
and stories about faraway
places. The fun begins at
6:30 p.m., everyone is invit-
ed to an evening of fun and
activities, and it’s all free.
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
—
It’s been said over and
over by politicians and gov-
ernment officials that small
businesses are the backbone
of America. In MI Town,
most of us do our best to put
our money where our towns
are and purchase goods and
services without driving to
larger cities. We get to know
the owners and managers as
friends and neighbors and
wish these small businesses
the very best. With all of that
in mind, it’s good to know
that Matthew Lind, who
purchased an old gas station
and rebranded it as Mecani-
co, has received an exten-
sion on his real estate trans-
action with the city of Inde-
pendence. Ray Walter’s In-
dePit Barbecue will contin-
ue at the Mecanico location,
and it’s good that our com-
munities will support local
investment and business
ventures.
—
There’s still time to pur-
chase tickets for our first
Western Oregon University
home football game of the
new season — scheduled for
Saturday at 1 p.m., when the
Wolves host the Humboldt
State University Lumber-
jacks. We’ll be there, antici-
pating the opening kickoff
and looking forward to a
great afternoon of football.
Humboldt State fans are al-
ways enthusiastic and
friendly, so this is our oppor-
tunity to share our hospitali-
ty and enthusiasm, and
enjoy a wonderful day.
—
Mark your calendars for
Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m.,
where we’ll celebrate our
friend, Mark Fancey’s retire-
ment with a reception at the
amphitheater in Main Street
Park in Monmouth. This is a
bittersweet day for many of
us who have seen all the
good and positive things
that have been accom-
plished under his leader-
ship, but we want to wish
Mark all the best in his well-
earned and deserved retire-
ment. Mark has been com-
munity development direc-
tor for the city of Monmouth
for many years and has
spent countless days and
weeks shepherding so many
projects for the benefit of all
of us. Best wishes and God-
speed to our friend as he be-
gins yet another chapter in
his life.
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
and Steve Diehl is the prin-
ciple, as well as a teacher.
The kids are having a car
wash on Saturday at the
Bridgeport Campus, so help
them out while having your
car washed.
—
Dave and Suzanne have
been spending time in Red-
mond for several weekends,
helping son Derek and his
wife Ashley prepare their 12-
acre home site for building.
They were hoping to get their
house built this fall, but dig-
ging through rock to get elec-
tricity and water in is slowing
down the process. Derek is in
his third year of teaching
agriculture and Ashley is a
rep for Ariat, who sells west-
ern clothing and boots.
—
Pedee Church is sponsor-
• 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
• Gentle House Gardens, Monmouth — 503-838-2995
• 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 (Sheriff’s Auxiliary & 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
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
PEDEE NEWS
The Pedee campus of the
Luckiamute Valley Charter
School is getting a facelift.
New siding was put on this
summer, plus a number of
other upgrades were made,
including adding insulation
and new furnaces. While the
school is waiting to get its
final coat of paint, white
with black trim, it is looking
pretty with a gold primer.
Teacher Daniel Shimek said
that this year there are close
to 60 5th-8th graders.
Christy Wilkins is the execu-
tive director of the school
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
ing a 4-H club this year for
grade schoolers, and had the
first meeting on September
10. The kids will have a wide
choice of projects to choose
from, including raising ani-
mals, learning to sew and
cook, and doing art, archery,
and photography. The group
does need help from knowl-
edgeable adults on these
subjects, so if you can help
in any way, they would ap-
preciate it. Their next meet-
ing will be at the church on
Tuesday, at 6:30 p.m. It’s
never too late to join.
Continued from page 8A
—
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27
• 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.
• Painting, Canvas and Cocktails — 7 p.m., The Boondocks,
318 N. Main St. Fall City. All supplies, paint, canvas and instruc-
tion provided. No experience necessary. $30, snack and cocktail
included. 503-787-2700. (Every Wednesday through 2015, have
to check again for January)
• Pickleball — 9 a.m. to noon, Roger Jordan Community
Park. Meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m.
to noon. Karen Freeman, 503-871-4172.
Fall 2017
Senior Living
1/8 page 4.917” x 2.5” ................$95
1/4 page 4.917” x 5.083” ..........$155
1/2 page 10” x 5.083” (H)..........$245
1/2 page 4.917” x 10.292” (V)...$245
Full page 10” x 10.292” ...........$435
Price includes FREE color!
DEADLINE to Reserve: Sept. 21
PUBLISHES: Oct. 4
LAST
!
E
C
N
CHA
Call Heidi ext. 115,
Rachel ext. 110,
or Karen ext. 118,
at 503-623-2373
Itemizer-Observer 147 SE Court St, Dallas • www.polkio.com
Celebrating 5 Years!
And
N OW TUESDAYS! 2PM - 7PM
Especially for our neighbors
and community with
user friendly hours.
to
Close
Home!
Hazelnuts, Fresh Produce, Artisans
Hadley Radio Bakery, & other vendors
Independence Riverview Park
Tuesdays 2-7pm
Saturday 9am -2pm