Vol. 6, No. 2
Welcome New Growth!
Spring is finally within our sights and we dedicate this newsletter to getting ready for a new growing season. Whether you have an existing yard or are planning for a pot of flowers on your front porch, now's the time to get ready.
For many of us, protecting ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19 continues to take up much of our brain space and time. In this issue of Thurston Home and Garden, we've included information on masks and how to get vaccinations. As we navigate our way through these challenges, protecting the public's health is the center of all that we do.
|
|
Mask Up!
Masks are one of the best protections from COVID-19 and are necessary when you're within six feet of anyone from outside of your household. We're going to need to wear masks for quite awhile yet so, let's figure out how to wear them correctly, keep them clean, and know which ones work best.
In general, masks should fit snugly on your face. They should have at least two layers of fabric and completely cover your nose and mouth. Folks with beards should get a large enough mask to cover their beard, completely. If your glasses fog up while wearing a mask, it's not tight enough over your nose. The mask should have an adjustable wire that you can gently squeeze over the bridge of your nose to improve the fit. Wash hands with soap and water before putting on or taking off masks and once on, try not to touch them.
Here are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):
- DO make sure that your mask fits snugly against the side of your face and doesn't have gaps.
- DO make sure to throw away disposable masks regularly.
- DO wash your reusable mask often with warm or hot water and detergent and dry on the highest heat setting.
- DO wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before putting on your mask and after touching or adjusting your mask.
Our Thurston County Health Officer, Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek addressed new masking guidance from the CDC in her weekly letter to the community on February 17.
"The CDC has several recommendations to improve the effectiveness of a mask. One is to wear a mask with a nose wire to prevent air leaks around the nose. Another way to prevent air leaks is to wear a mask fitter which helps the mask remain close to the face. Tying ear loops can also improve the fit. The CDC does not recommend using NIOSH approved respirators needed by health care personnel. Another option is to wear two masks with a disposable mask as the bottom layer and a cloth mask over the disposable mask. The cloth mask helps hold the disposable mask to the face and improve fit. The CDC's new guidance does not recommend doubling disposable masks together. They also do not recommend combining a KN95 mask or NIOSH approved respirator with any other mask."
Check out CDC's Guide to Masks, here.
|
|
Get the Lawn Ready for Spring!
Spring is a great time to renovate your lawn. Weeds like moss can indicate soil compaction and low levels of organic matter. Rent an aerator and plan to add compost, slow-release fertilizer and overseed the lawn with a Pacific Northwest grass seed blend this spring.
If all of that sounds too ambitious, get yourself a long-handled weed tool and carry along a bucket of compost mixed with grass seed. For every weed that you pull out by the roots, add a handful of the mix, and slowly but surely, you'll aerate and overseed the areas that need it the most.
Keep in mind that anything planted now, including grass, will need to be watered over the summer.
Get your lawn mower ready for action! Sharpen blades for the cleanest cut to prevent disease. Dull mower blades can rip and tear at grass blades, causing stress and making grass more susceptible to disease.
Wait to mow until the grass has dried out a bit this spring to protect the soil.
If you have a gas-powered mower, start the season off with fresh oil and gasoline. Properly dispose of over-wintered fuels at HazoHouse, located off of I-5 at exit 111, 2420 Hogum Bay Rd. in NE Lacey.
Choose the safest products: Always check the website, www.growsmartgrowsafe.org before heading to the store to choose the safest product. It's a great resource to add to your internet browser bookmarks or favorites.
|
|
Get the Garden Ready for Spring!
- Start making plans for this year's growing season. Be realistic about the amount of time and resources that you have to work with. It doesn't make sense to expand your growing area if you don't have more time and energy to keep up with it. Maintaining what you already have is a worthy goal!
- Make a planting plan. Group shade-loving plants together in the shade, sun-lovers in the sun. Make sure plants that need lot of water are located where water is easily accessible. Put high-needs plants where you'll see them regularly, near entries and pathways.
- Get a soil test from Thurston Conservation District.
- Get the soil ready based on the results from your soil test. Choose certified, weed-free compost to add organic matter. Purchase slow-release fertilizer for areas that need it as soon as soil temperatures warm up, usually in May.
- Figure out how to get water to your growing area. Is this the year that you invest in soaker hoses or drip irrigation? Sprinklers can waste a lot of water and watering by hand can take a lot of time.
- Purchase seeds and plants from local seed companies and nurseries.
- PULL WEEDS. Not sure what to do? Pull weeds! Too cold to plant? Pull weeds! Not ready to fertilize? PULL WEEDS!
- Cold weather plants to start in March/April:
- Broccoli, kohlrabi, kale
- Spinach
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Bare root bushes and trees
|
|
Many of us are trying to figure out how and when to get ourselves and our family members vaccinated.
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions.
Q: How do I get a COVID-19 vaccine?
A: The first step is to figure out your eligibility for the vaccine by visiting, www.findyourphasewa.org or by calling the Washington State Department of Health at 888-856-5816. Right now, vaccinations are by appointment only. Vaccines are limited and appointments are not guaranteed. The best way to find an appointment for the vaccine is to visit the Washington State Department of Health's vaccine locations website regularly until you're able to make an appointment.
Q: Is there a vaccine waiting list? Can I get on it?
A: Thurston County Public Health and Social Services is not currently able to maintain a COVID-19 vaccine waiting list.
Q: Are there any public vaccination sites?
A: Thurston County Public Health and Social Services is working with many community partners to conduct large-scale, community vaccination sites. There was the first large-scale drive through event on March 5th at the Thurston County Fairgrounds. Vaccination clinics are planned to be held at South Puget Sound Community College campus later this month. These events will be appointment only for eligible residents.
Q: Will I still have to wear a mask and social distance if I get the vaccine?
A: Yes, once you get vaccinated, you will still need to practice measures to prevent the spread of disease. These measures include:
- Wear a mask
- Stay at least six feet apart from people not in your household
- Wash your hands frequently
- Limit gatherings and keep them small
-
Stay home if you are sick
While experts continue to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines, we all need to keep using the preventative measures to fight this pandemic.
Q: How do I find the latest information for Thurston County?
|
|
Dig Deeper: Safer School Start-Ups
Many school districts are sending kids back into the classroom, at least part time, in the coming weeks. If you have kids going back into the classroom, please follow these important recommendations.
- Make sure that all students who are able to wear a mask follow the mask recommendations in the above article in our Home section.
- Make sure that there is time in your students’ days for proper hand washing.
- Students should have their own supplies, whenever possible, to avoid sharing germs through shared supplies.
- Keep kids home if they aren’t feeling well or if anyone else in the home isn’t feeling well.
- Keep friend groups small and outdoors when socializing as much as possible.
- This last year has been tough on all of us, give kids plenty of time to share their feelings and assure them that being back together in social groups will get easier over time.
More information on safer school start ups can be found here.
|
|
Join us on Zoom for the two workshops left in the Healthy Home and Garden Workshop Series.
-
The Basics of Mold: March 23, from 6:00 - 7:15 p.m. Register
-
Protect Kids from Toxics: April 14, from 6:00 - 7:15 p.m. Register
These workshops are supported in part by the Washington State Department of Ecology Local Solid Waste Financial Assistance Program.
Connect to Farmers
|
Olympia Farmers Market
Saturdays through March
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
April 1 begins spring/summer/fall hours
Thurs.- Sun.
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
700 Capitol Way N
Olympia, WA 98501
(360) 352-9096
The Farmer's Basket is a new online resource designed to connect people seeking local, farm-fresh food with the wealth of our local farmers.
|
|
Community Events
With many local events moving online because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, check these great local calendars for up-to-date information about what's coming up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
