Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 27, 2016 9A
Soil tests unveil the mysteries beneath
Soil defines the success
of a garden, but for many
it’s a mystery.
Cracking the case doesn’t
have to be complicated,
said James Cassidy, instruc-
tor of soil science at Oregon
State University. The geeks
of the gardening world can
delve deep into the makeup
of soil, but if that’s not your
thing, Cassidy has one
piece of advice: add organic
matter. Whether you’ve got
soil composed mostly of
clay, sand or something in
between, it can be im-
proved by the addition of
compost.
“If your soil is sandy and
drains too quick, add or-
ganic matter. If it has a lot
of clay and drains too slow-
ly, add organic matter,” he
said. “Eventually, it will
solve the problem.”
Most importantly, Cas-
sidy added, compost feeds
the billions of essential
micro-organisms that live
in the soil and make nutri-
ents available to plants in a
complex system known as
the soil food web. In the
process, they improve the
structure of the soil, open-
ing up pathways for air and
water.
“Those billions of organ-
isms need to eat the same as
we do,” he noted. “If you
feed all the microbes and
creepy crawlies, you can see
the soil change.”
You’ll notice the transfor-
K YM
P OKORNY
Your
Garden
mation by the healthy look,
feel and smell of your soil
and by the way plants re-
spond. For a more precise
way to keep track, tests
taken every couple of years
will give you a record so you
can see specifically over
time how organic material
changes the soil. The test re-
sults also provide informa-
tion about how to fertilize to
make nutrients available to
plants in the short term.
“You take a sample, send
it to the lab, pay around $25
and get an assessment of
your soil,” he said. “It’s the
best money you’ll ever
spend.”
Soil tests reveal the nutri-
ents and micro-nutrients
present in your soil. A stan-
dard analysis measures or-
ganic matter, phosphorus,
potassium, calcium, mag-
nesium, sodium and pH.
Most often nitrogen is not
included in the test because
typically it leaches out of
the soil during winter rains.
After testing your soil sam-
ple, the lab sends you the
results along with lime and
fertilizer recommendations.
Knowing the nutrient levels
of your soil helps you avoid
Photo by Chris LaBelle
A beautiful, productive garden depends on healthy soil,
and a test can help you get it that way.
over- or under-fertilizing,
saving you money and
keeping excess fertilizer out
of waterways, Cassidy said.
If you have questions
about your analysis or need
help interpreting the results,
consult an OSU Extension
master gardener or the pub-
lication “Fertilizing Your
Garden: Vegetables, Fruits,
and Ornamentals.”
To collect a soil sample,
choose an area of the gar-
den where you grow similar
plants, Cassidy said. For ex-
ample, collect samples in a
vegetable garden, lawn or
ornamental shade or sun
bed. In each area, dig five or
six small spadesful of soil.
Take these sub-samples in a
nonsymmetrical “W” pat-
tern rather than a straight
row. Push aside any leaves
or mulch and dig down 6 to
8 inches. Place all the sub-
samples in a clean contain-
er and mix together. Be sure
to use clean tools. Refer to
“A Guide to Collecting Soil
Samples for Farms and Gar-
dens” for more information.
When you’re ready to
send the soil in, check with
the lab for instructions on
how to package and mail
your sample. OSU Exten-
sion provides a list of labo-
ratories serving Oregon.
MI TOWN
We’ll bid a fond farewell
to the wintry month of Janu-
ary in just a few more days.
It will be good to welcome
February, which will bring
us more daylight, better
weather and St. Valentine
celebrations. Groundhog
Day is right around the cor-
ner and we’ll see what the
weather prognosticators
have to say about the possi-
bilities of six more weeks of
winter.
—
In the Willamette Valley,
we know that we’ll have
more of the usual rain, along
with occasional frosty
mornings for the next six
weeks, and then some. Even
though we’re beginning to
see the first hints of spring-
time with tiny buds on the
trees and the slightest bit of
what will become daffodils
peeking out from the wet
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
and occasionally frozen
ground, it’s still a long time
before we can relegate those
heavy coats and wool hats to
the back of the closet.
—
For those of us who don’t
have reservations on the
next flight to a warm weath-
er paradise or a cruise in the
Greek Isles, MI Town has
some good alternatives —
and you don’t have to have a
passport or melt down the
credit card to enjoy local
and community events. Our
university and high school
teams are in the midst of an-
other busy sports season,
and community support is
always appreciated.
Whether your choice is bas-
ketball, wrestling or volley-
ball, it’s fun to get together
with friends and neighbors
and forget about these dark
winter days.
—
Sometimes it’s fun to
dress up and have a special
celebration to chase away
the raindrops. The Pentacle
Theatre and Salem Sympho-
ny are excellent places to go
for evening or matinee per-
formances.
—
The Monmouth Senior
Center has something good
happening every weekday.
Whether you are new to MI
Town or have lived here for
many years, it’s a great place
to meet others and discover
so many good things about
our community. There are
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 8A
—
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3 (cont.)
• American Red Cross blood drive — 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Werner University Center, 345 N. Monmouth Ave., Monmouth.
Redcrossblood.org.
• Helping Hands Emergency Food Bank — 10 a.m. to noon,
Monmouth Christian Church, 959 Church St. W., Monmouth.
For eligible community members; available every Wednesday.
541-404-6517.
• Scrabble with Betty — 1 p.m., Independence Public Li-
brary, 175 Monmouth St., Independence. Scrabble games irst
Wednesday of every month. Free; refreshments and prizes
available. 503-551-7687 or 503-838-1811.
• Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank
— 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutof Road, Building E,
Dallas. Weekly distribution for eligible community members.
503-831-5634.
• Yarning for Others — 3 to 5 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal
Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. Knitters and crocheters
gather to make clothing and accessories for those in need on
the irst Wednesday of every month. 503-689-7222.
• Brew and BS: The Old Testament — 7 p.m., St. Thomas
Episcopal Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. A lecture series
on the Old Testament. Bring brew of choice – cofee, tea, chai,
beer, wine, cider. 435-503-4304.
Look What’s Coming Up!
Plan on picking up your
Itemizer-Observer in February
—good stuff and no fluff!
February
February
3rd
3 & 10
The Big Game!
Sweetheart
of a Deal
We’ll be publishing all the
local spots to catch
the game on
February 7th!
Our full color Valentine’s
Day page to make
shopping for
your loved
one easy!
February
February
17th
field trips for occasional get-
aways, the monthly Com-
munity Breakfast (Feb. 6),
classes (from art to yoga —
and just about everything in
between), monthly potlucks
and birthday celebrations,
as well as the soup and pie
luncheons and the Victorian
Tea. The monthly newsletter
can be accessed via the city
of Monmouth’s website
(www.ci.monmouth.or.us).
For more information,
please call Sue Teal at 503-
838-5678 or stop by the cen-
ter, at 180 Warren St. Busi-
ness hours are from 9 a.m.
until 4 p.m., weekdays.
—
Let’s all be hopeful that
better weather days are
ahead — and that if the
groundhog does indeed see
his shadow, we’ll have lots of
things to keep us busy and
happy in MI-Town.
24th
Money Talks ! Babies of 2015
Want to get the most for
your money? Then you’ll
want to read
this section!
The cutest babies ever
born live here in
Polk County!
We’ll show you!
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