8
in other words
august20
2015
Diggin’ in the Dirt: Gardening Without Water
By Chip Bubl
Oregon State University
Extension Service - Columbia County
Gardening without water
It is now illegal to water outside
your house from a faucet connected to
the city water system, except for food
producing plants. With most gardens al-
ready in, how do you triage (and plan)
for water shortages?
The following are some sugges-
tions from a UC Extension Service Mas-
ter Gardener ™ from San Jose where
they have had water restrictions for some
time. Her comments, adapted and edited
from an article in the San Jose Mercury,
are excellent:
Here are some tips:
• Don’t spare the compost. Add 3 to 4
inches of compost to your garden beds
and work it lightly into the soil. Healthy
soil produces healthy plants, which need
less water. Compost, as it stabilizes, can
hold water in the summer but also im-
prove water drainage in the winter and
spring. What a wonderful material!
• Mulch. Add 3 to 5 inches of mulch on
top of beds to help reduce water evapo-
ration. Mulch can be almost anything
including dried leaves, aged horse ma-
nure, extra compost, wood chips, straw,
or other materials. Mulch also will slow
weed germination.
• Wash dishes by hand and use the soapy
water for your plants. Bath water can
best be collected and used around woody
plants but not around vegetables where
the edible portion might come in contact
with the water. Cooking water can be
cooled and used if it doesn’t have salt in
it. Laundry wash water can be collected
and used but you have to watch out for
bleach compounds and possibly boron.
Use the purest simple soap laundry de-
tergents.
• Grow plants that you are successful
with and your family will make good
use of. In your current garden, water the
most important ones first. Water new
trees. They aren’t cheap to replace and
are vulnerable the first year.
• Plant seedlings close together on an
offset pattern, rather than in a row. This
configuration uses less water and as the
plants grow, they will shade the soil and
reduce evaporation.
• Grow high-yield vegetables, such as
greens, beans, squash, and tomatoes.
You’ll get more for your water buck
with these plants. Garlic is grown over
winter and needs no water. Neither does
rhubarb.
• Weed your vegetables. They compete
for sunlight and water. Weed early and
often.
• When given a choice, plant determi-
nate varieties. Determinate plants grow
to a certain size and produce for a spe-
cific amount of time. Indeterminate vari-
eties will continue to grow and produce
until frost. The determinate types, with
their shorter growing season, will use
less water. Probably too late for this sea-
son but something to consider for future
gardens.
• Use transplants wherever you can.
Grow your own. You will use less water
in the process.
• Try dry farming. Some plants, includ-
ing tomatoes, can be dry farmed. It
works best if they are able to be planted
out fairly early and given early heat pro-
tection with row covers or cloches to get
their top and root growth off to a good
start. For successful dry farming, you
want to create a spongy growing medi-
um that will hold water. Prepare the bed
with lots of compost. Plant your toma-
toes and water them as usual for the first
few days to get them established, then
water only once a week. Once the toma-
toes flower and set fruit, cut off all water.
The plants may not look great, but they
will produce and some say the fruit will
taste better.
• The key to a productive, healthy vege-
table garden is location, soil and planting
the right plant at the right time. If plants
require a lot of sun, be sure to plant them
where they’ll get the most. Amend your
soil to make sure it has plenty of nutri-
ents to feed the plants, and don’t try to
grow crops that aren’t in season. Getting
a soil test will help you to know what
might be lacking in your soil.
In Vernonia, we can generally
grow cool season crops, such as leafy
greens, beets, turnips and peas most of
the spring, summer and fall. Make the
most of them early (and late summer
into fall when there is good soil mois-
ture.
2015 OSU Extension Canning Classes
Come learn how to safely can
foods from your garden this season!
Participants will practice making and
canning recipes in the kitchen, and will
process a jar to take home. Space is lim-
ited, so call soon to reserve your spot!
Pre-registration is required.
Where:
Columbia Soil and Water Conservation
District Office
35285 Millard Road,
St. Helens, OR 97051
When:
Tuesday, August 25th ~ Canning
Tomatoes and Salsa
Tuesday, September 8th ~ Preserving
Fall Fruits
Tuesday, September 22nd ~ Pressure
Canning Soups
Time: 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Cost: $25 per class. Some scholarships
are available. Call the Extension office
to inquire.
Registration:
Call the OSU Extension Service:
503-397-3462
Or register online at: http://extension.or-
egonstate.edu/columbia
Food Preservation Questions? OSU
Extension Service Has Answers
Are you planning to preserve
food from your garden or purchased
from a farm this summer? If so, call or
visit the OSU Extension Service office
before you start canning, freezing, or
drying. Costly and potentially harm-
ful mistakes can be made by using out-
dated canning recipes and instructions.
You can find free publications AND
pressure gauge testing at the Columbia
County Extension office located at 505
N. Columbia River Highway in St. Hel-
ens (across from the Legacy Clinic). If
you have questions, phone the office at
503-397-3462. You can download for
free all our food preservation publica-
tions at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/
fch/food-preservation. An additional
great resource is the National Center for
Home Food Preservation at http://www.
uga.edu/nchfp/. In July, the OSU Exten-
sion Statewide Food Preservation Hot-
line (1-800-3547319) will open Monday
through Friday from 9am – 2pm start-
ing on July 13th and ending on October
16th.
Chip Bubl
Agricultural Extension Agent and
County Leader
Oregon State University Extension
Service
Columbia County
505 N. Columbia River Highway
St. Helens, OR 97051
Phone: 503-397-3462
Fax: 503-397-3467
chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu
WOEC Annual Meeting
August 22nd
The West Oregon Electric Cooperative Annual Meeting will be held
on Saturday, August 22nd, at the Cabin in Vernonia (Scout Cabin), 901
Park Drive. Registration starts at 10:00 am; meeting begins at 11:00
am. BBQ lunch will follow the meeting. Districts 1 (Elsie, Jewell,
Necanicum area), District 4 (Vernonia area), and District 6 (Scappoose,
Chapman area) are up for re-election.
Need more room?
See us for the lowest prices
GUARANTEED!
Debit/Credit now accepted
5x10 $39
10x10 $69
10x20 $99
RV Storage $149
Outside storage available
Totally fenced and gated
Padlocks Available
Authorized
U-Haul Dealer
Boxes and Supplies Available
We can make your reservation
Pick up here or anywhere
58605 Nehalem Hwy South • P.O. Box 292
Vernonia, Oregon 97064
(503) 429-7867
10-6 Tue-Sat
12-4 Sun
