Spring is just around the corner! You may be using this time to clean out last year’s garden beds, or to collect seeds for this summer’s harvest. But many of us lack the space or flexibility around our homes to enjoy the process of growing our own vegetables. This is where container gardening comes in – many plants can actually grow well in containers placed on a porch or patio, a method that also allows you to extend the growing season. You can start your garden indoors in the spring, move the containers outside during the summer, and then shift them back indoors in the fall to protect them from frost.
So how can you get started with a container garden? Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Choosing a Container: It’s important that your containers have holes in the bottom so that water can drain out. Most vegetables will do best in containers that hold 2 to 5 gallons of soil and are at least 12 inches deep. You can use a variety of things as a container: barrels, flowerpots, milk jugs, bleach bottles, window boxes, baskets, tile pipes, cider blocks, etc.
Adding Soil: It is recommended to use commercial potting soil for container gardening, but this may be too lightweight to provide adequate support for plant roots. You can try adding soil from the ground or compost to provide bulk and weight to your potting soil.
Planting Your Seeds: Carefully clean out the container and fill it with your soil, leaving a ½ inch at the top with a slightly dampened soil. Plant your seeds and water gently, taking care not to wash out the seeds.
Keeping Your Plants Healthy & Happy: Check your seed packets to see how much sun and space your plants need, and make sure to water your containers whenever the soil feels dry. Container plants tend to dry out and lose nutrients faster than plants in the ground so it is important to keep up with watering and fertilizer. Try using a water-soluble fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks.
There are some vegetables that grow particularly well in containers. Oregon State University in partnership with their Food Hero program has collected a list of these vegetables, along with some growing tips:
Beans and peas: Plant one sprouted seed or seedling in a 5-gallon container for best results. Provide a pole or trellis for pole beans and peas.
Beets: Choose a container at least 12 inches deep.
Carrots: Choose a shorter carrot variety and plant in a container at least 12 inches deep.
Cucumbers and summer squash: For best results, choose a bush variety rather than a vine variety. A pole or trellis in the pot will help support the plant and allow air to flow around the leaves.
Herbs: Many herbs grow well in containers, including basil, chives, cilantro, mint, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme.
Peppers: All peppers like to have support, but it is especially important for varieties that produce large peppers. Use a stake or tomato cage to keep them upright
Potatoes: Containers should be at least 18 inches wide and 3 feet deep to allow the most potatoes to grow. Look for varieties of certified seed potatoes that mature in 70 to 90 days.
Radishes: Containers 4 to 6 inches deep work well for this cool-season vegetable that grows quickly.
Salad greens: These cool-weather vegetables can be grown from spring to fall but may need shade during the heat of the summer. Cut the outside leaves when young and they will grow back for another harvest.
Tomatoes: For best results, plant varieties designed for containers. They may have the word dwarf or patio in their name. Provide extra support with a stake or tomato cage.
It could end up feeling a little overwhelming to have dozens of pots on your front porch, but you might find that you enjoy having one or two vegetables in easily accessible containers. There’s a simple joy in being able to pick a few cherry tomatoes from your front porch the next time you’re putting together lunch.
March is nationally recognized as Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM). This year’s theme is “Awareness + Action”. The goals for this public health observance are to raise awareness of problem gambling, increase problem gambling screenings, and to increase the awareness of problem gambling prevention, treatment and recovery services. To learn more about this national observance visit the National Council on Problem Gambling’s website at www.ncpgambling.org.
What is problem gambling?
Problem gambling is when a person experiences negative life consequences that are directly related to their gambling.
Who can be impacted by problem gambling?
People of all ages can develop problems with gambling. According to the Oregon Health Authority, it is estimated that 180,000 Oregonians are at risk of developing a problem with gambling, and an estimated 84,000 Oregon adults and adolescents who meet the clinical diagnosis of a gambling disorder.
Can you tell me more about problem gambling among the youth population? If they are not at a legal age to gamble, how are they gambling?
According to the Oregon Health Authority, there are an estimated 6,000 Oregon youth (12-17 year olds) who are at risk of developing or have already developed a problem with gambling. Common ways that youth gamble include: cards, sports, fantasy sports, games of skill, dares, video games, and lottery products. According to the Oregon Health Authority, 11th grade students who gamble have an increased risk of truancy at school, sadness, substance use, and physical violence.
What are the public health impacts of problem gambling?
Common public health impacts include: mental health, physical health, relationships, co-occurring substance use, and increased suicide ideation. To learn more about these public health impacts, check out the Oregon Health Authority’s Impacts of Gambling on Public health. This document can be found at www.oregon.gov.
Are there steps that I can take to prevent problem gambling?
Yes, problem gambling can be prevented. A person can avoid this concern by utilizing prevention strategies, such as learning the warning signs, creating responsible gambling guidelines, and having conversations about gambling.
What are warning signs? Can you give me some examples of common warning signs?
Problem gambling warning signs are physical, verbal, or behavioral signs that can help a person determine if someone they know may have a problem with gambling. Common warning signs include: gambling to escape problems, isolating oneself from family or friends, using funds that were meant for other purposes to gamble, absences from school or work, and decreased interest in other activities.
What are responsible gambling guidelines? Could you give me examples of responsible guidelines?
Responsible gambling guidelines are rules a person can follow to help them gamble in a responsible way. Responsible gambling guidelines can include: setting a time limit, setting a dollar limit, creating a healthy life balance, and choosing not to gamble while using substances like alcohol.
I don’t hear much about problem gambling in day-to-day conversations. Is this a conversation that I should start having?
Yes, it would be beneficial to start having conversations about gambling with family, colleagues, and friends. These types of conversations can help to raise awareness of this public health concern, provide others with information about the negative impacts of problem gambling, share helpful prevention strategies, and share information about local problem gambling treatment services. For helpful conversation tips visit www.opgr.org.
Are there problem gambling services available locally?
Yes, there are problem gambling services available locally. The Tillamook Family Counseling Center is Tillamook County’s problem gambling prevention and treatment location. If you are interested in learning more about local prevention services please reach out to me at Janeanek@tfcc.org. If you are interested in free and confidential problem gambling treatment call (503)842-8201. Additional problem gambling resources are available from the Oregon Problem Gambling Resource (OPGR). For more information about OPGR visit www.opgr.org or call (877)695-4648.
AUTHOR: Janeane Krongos, Prevention Specialist at the Tillamook Family Counseling Center
8 to 16 cups fresh or frozen vegetable scraps (see Notes)
herbs and spices (optional, see Notes)
water
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
Wash hands with soap and water.
Put vegetable scraps and herbs and spices, if desired, in a large saucepan or cooking pot. Add enough water to cover them.
Heat pan on high until water boils, then cover pan and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 30 minutes or until all scraps are soft. Stir a few times and add more water, if needed, to keep scraps mostly covered.
Turn off heat. Scoop out as many scraps as you can with a spoon. If you want, press on scraps to remove more liquid. Throw away or compost them.
Fill a large container or clean sink with ice and some water to make an ice bath. Put pan into ice bath for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes to release heat. If you were unable to remove all scrap pieces, pour broth through a strainer into another large pot.
Stir in salt to dissolve. Use broth for soups or stews, or in place of water for cooking grains or beans.
If not using broth right away, store in refrigerator or freezer. To freeze, pour into recipe-sized freezer-safe containers and label with date.
Broth can be stored safely in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. For best quality, use frozen broth within 2 to 3 months.
Notes
Label a freezer container with “Broth Scraps” and the date. For the next several days or weeks, after preparing vegetables for any use, save scraps in the container until you have enough for making broth. Also wash and save any vegetables that have passed their peak freshness but are still safe to eat.
Vegetable scraps to save include ends, peels, stems, leaves and pieces of vegetables and herbs such as carrot, celery, garlic, leek, mushroom, onion, tomato, parsley and thyme.
Vegetable scraps to limit or avoid:
Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and leafy greens can add a bitter flavor if too many are used.
Beets will add a dark color and bitter flavor.
Potato, sweet potato and winter squash flesh can make the broth too thick.
Scraps that are moldy, slimy or otherwise unsafe to eat should never be used.
Optional herbs and spices:
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 or 2 teaspoons peppercorns or a dried chile
4 to 8 cloves unpeeled garlic
1 leek or unpeeled onion, cut in large pieces (if not included as scraps)
The calendar doesn’t say spring, but gardeners are ready to go. Turning vegetable seeds into plants helps satisfy the urge to put hands in the soil. And the seed catalogs are showing up in mailboxes.
It’s best to seed cool-season crops such as lettuce, cabbage, kale and broccoli in flats in late February to early March in western Oregon. Warm-season crops such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant should be sown in late March to early April.
Back up your seed-starting date from the dates when you want to transplant, for most crops that would be just after the last frost date in your area. In Tillamook County that is generally Mother’s Day, but there are various “micro-climates” in the county. For example, closer to the beach there is less likely chance of frost after the end of April, but up the river valleys, there could be a hard frost in mid-May. Check with the OSU Extension Office in Tillamook for more information about seed starting.
Germination starts when the seed takes up water, a process called imbibition.
During this fragile time in the life of a plant, it’s critical that seeds receive appropriate amounts of water, oxygen and light. At this point, starting seeds becomes a balancing act.
Seeds need enough water for imbibition, but if they get too much it can suffocate the developing seed or lead to root rot. If the soil temperatures are too cool, the seed won’t germinate and cold soil temperatures could also lead to damping-off, a disease caused by soil fungi.
To successfully start seeds, first select and clean the right container, such as plastic flats or repurposed yogurt containers with adequate drainage. Sterilize the containers if they have been in contact with soil in a bleach solution of one part bleach to nine parts water. It is possible to grow seedlings in biodegradable pots fashioned out of newspaper or eggshell cartons, but the material takes a long time to break down in the soil after transplanting and the plant starts might not become well-established.
Next, find a seed starting mix at your local nursery or garden supply store. These mixes are not actually soil, but rather a sterile growing medium used to support growth, generally consisting of organic materials such as peat moss or coconut fiber and perlite. The seeding material will retain water for seed germination and seedling growth and also drain well. Place the flats on a seedling heat mat, which can be purchased at nurseries and garden supply stores. The mat will heat the seeding material to promote quick germination.
It’s important to have enough light. Use high-input grow lights or standard shop lights with fluorescent bulbs. Position the lights about 2 inches above the flat and move the shop lights up as the seedlings start to grow.
To tell if the seeds are getting enough water, the growing medium should always feel damp to the touch just under the surface. Using a spray bottle is the most efficient way to water.
As they get larger some plants like tomatoes and melons should be “stepped up” from flats into a 4-inch pot and then potentially into a gallon-size pot prior to transplanting.
Local garden coach, Master Gardener Karen Matthews, has been teaching seed-starting workshops at Alder Creek Farm for more than a decade. For a comprehensive video about her tried and true methods for seed starting, see the video below for tips and how-tos: https://youtu.be/kYB-ocGihBc
The OSU Extension guide also offers additional advice on starting seeds and a calendar of dates for planting various vegetables. Explore more resources from OSU Extension here.
Source: Kym Pokorny, OSU Communications
AUTHOR: Laura Swanson, Tillamook County Pioneer Editor
seasoning (such as salt, pepper, seasoning salt, onion powder or garlic powder)
Directions
Wash hands with soap and water.
Season the chicken. In a lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the chicken for one minute on each side until lightly browned.
Cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid.
Turn off the heat. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Do not remove the lid.
The chicken is safely cooked when the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees F. Check in the thickest part with a food thermometer. If not done, cover and return to low heat for 3 to 5 minutes and check for doneness.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
Do not rinse raw chicken; cooking will kill bacteria.
Wash hands and all surfaces and utensils after touching raw chicken.
