Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm information, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a local of Siskiyou County and lives close to Callahan. Call her at 530-467-3515
Sure do just like the rain – just desire it remains cold within the better elevations and doesn’t rain the snow off. I see that temperatures are predicted to be fairly warm, specially at night. That deep cold polar vortex overlooked us, so our wintry weather hasn’t been too harsh this yr.
A week or so ago, I stopped by using the Etna Hardware save. Ron Mayfield had stored a few butter crunch organic lettuce seeds for me from a enterprise that didn’t need the seeds applications back. That become a pleasant surprise. Thanks Ron. And it’s miles a reminder that right now’s an excellent time to scatter a few seeds in a 2×3 foot spot in the garden and let nature take its course. If I positioned a couple clean plastic tubs over the location, it would assist them germinate sooner. It wouldn’t take lengthy or very a lot attempt to do that undertaking. So, between storms this week, I want to get those seeds scratched within the floor.
I asked Ron if he was doing any gardening and, yes, he’s – and it sounds quite successful. Last 12 months, I wrote about Ron the use of plastic milk gallon jugs to grow lettuces this time of year. It worked so nicely that he has approximately forty jugs outside in his garden region and maximum of them have to six-inch lettuces or bok choy growing in them and want to be transplanted! For some cause, the chard did now not germinate thoroughly.
This yr, Ron waited till after the equinox to plant, so the flowers would be recommended via the regular days of growing daylight. He takes rinsed-out plastic milk jugs and cuts them in half leaving a hinge of plastic uncut. The four-inch backside is filled with soil and tiny seeds are scattered on top. He then duct-tapes the jugs closed. Ron makes sure there’s sufficient moisture internal and leaves the lid off. The jugs are set out of doors within the garden region and included with clean plastic creating a dome by means of sealing the edges with soil, rocks, boards or bricks. This makes a quite excellent inexperienced residence or terrarium with little or no cost.
January changed into pretty heat and he checked the jugs nearly each day to make sure there has been enough moisture. It turned into always wet and warm underneath the plastic, he said. A week or so in the past, the red-leafed lettuce became several inches-tall and Ron decided to reap a few by reducing it off simply above the soil line as it will develop returned. Ron shyly (but with a smile) mentioned that he and spouse, Susan, enjoyed salads and 4 sandwiches with the sparkling lettuce. Pretty high-quality!
Because night temps might be warm this week, Ron will take the clear plastic off and let the rain certainly upload moisture to the jugs. He plans on transplanting immediately into the garden, in which he could make a dome with the clean plastic. Ron is so a success with this approach that he said he looks like a “mad scientist” trying unique types and types of seeds. Go, Ron move! You are encouraging the relaxation of us to present it a try. And after all, we’re starting into March, so we can be thinking about planting matters that live on night frosts, like cabbage and broccoli.
Weekly news
There has been pretty the discussion this week, after Siskiyou Daily News Editor Skye Kinkade announced the Daily will begin publishing as a weekly. Some humans appeared quite sad and others understood. So, I decided I might soar into the fray.
In her reaction to Anne Marsh, Skye hit the nail on the pinnacle. In my commentary (I have not talked to Skye), this is a decision made above the SDN degree, so Skye has to deal with it. We are fortunate the company workplace didn’t decide to simply shut SDN down. So, it may have been worse.
Many parents are blaming generation for the risk to hardcopy newspapers; and it has modified the way maximum people achieve our news and facts. But, I am going to point to our terrible financial system and poke the green enviro agenda, due to the fact our neighborhood mother and dad corporations actually have a tough time staying in enterprise. Yes, subscriptions assist the newspaper, however advertising is the existence-blood. Over the years, I actually have watched marketing decrease – substantially, due to the fact groups have taken the hit and are no longer right here.
When timber became a sturdy financial system inside the Nineteen Eighties and Nineties, we had plenty of stores in our towns and on the county seat of Yreka. Then the enviros started complaining and suing. “Too many trees had been being reduce,” according to the few outspoken ones. And, unluckily, many humans jumped on that bandwagon, inclusive of the courts. Now there are only a few trees being thinned from our Klamath National Forest and it’s far much greater difficult to reap trees on personal property than it was once.
And, now, we are also dealing with devastating wildfire, due to the fact the forests are too thick. Just doesn’t make experience.
I had a query about the quantity of trees that develop each yr. Our Siskiyou Co. Dist. Five Supervisor, Ray Haupt, is a retired district forest ranger. So, I requested him how lots growth is envisioned in the Klamath National Forest and what sort of changed into harvested at the peak of wood harvests within the 1980s. They don’t count number the growth in timber. It is in million board toes of timber shortened to mmbf. So for a picture of industrial-type bushes that could be harvested, KNF increases approximately 600 mmbf a 12 months. The maximum that turned into ever harvested in 12 months turned into less than 250 mmbf – much less than 1/2 of the increase. And after all the proceedings and the corrupt NorthWest Forest Plan, a whole lot less is harvested now. No surprise the forests are too thick. We were in no way near over-harvesting. Never! Such a travesty.
POW
Ray Haupt can be at the Scott Valley Protect Our Water meeting this Thurs, Feb. 28 to discuss sparkling info on forests and fire, groundwater, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and The Nature Conservancy. Believe it or now not, there is more exact news concerning saving the Klamath dams. Erin Ryan from Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s office, can also be talking. After a three-month wreck, POW might be meeting month-to-month once more at the Fort Jones Community Center at 7 p.M. Desserts are welcome to assist all of us digest all of the political ramifications.
