Page 6
The INDEPENDENT, June 17, 2004
Some spare time?
Can You Dig It?
By Schann Nelson
What a difference between May and
June! As if to prove that prediction is dan-
gerous, my caution last month about it get-
ting hot certainly has not held up yet. On the
other hand, the time goes by so swiftly that
it will not be long until the hot weather
arrives. Really!
Sort of by accident, due to a typical lack
of time, I’ve proved to myself the truth of the
Master Gardener’s lesson about soil tem-
perature. I’ve always tried to plant earlier
than recommended, and written about methods that I won’t use
myself again – a good reason to keep reading this column. This
year I wasn’t able to plant early, and actually followed directions.
Peas went in shortly after writing last month’s column, when the
soil was starting to warm up a little. Pole beans went in just last
week. In both cases, they are SHOOTING up out of the ground
faster then ever before. It appears that the years of profession-
al research that support what is written on seed
packets, or available from books and classes, is
actually correct, at least if you buy seed from a
reputable dealer and pay attention to the micro-
climate. I don’t have a soil thermometer, though
I did try my instant-read meat thermometer and
it seemed to work. I just sort of hold my hand in
the dirt at planting level for a few seconds. Even
80-degree soil should feel just slightly cool to the
touch.
I’m overwhelmed with stuff to write about this month. June IS
busting out all over! My front perennial beds look like flowerbeds
for the first time ever. I’ve been working on these for at least the
last three years, so it’s nice to see them filling in. Because the soil
has been worked, surface composted and mulched (at least some
extent) every year, I was able to use the lazy woman’s weeding
method. This involves not getting to the grass and weeds in the
beds until just before they go to seed. Prior to a full day of pulling
two cartloads of weeds, all of these beds looked like weed patch-
es. The weeds themselves self-mulched the soil surface because
they were so thick and everything was pretty much the same
height. After removal of unwanted interlopers and a layer of saw
dust, they look beautiful. This time of year is one of the best in my
front yard, the rose, clematis, iris, honeysuckle, some of the fox-
glove and phlox are in bloom and annuals are starting to look like
they’re going to survive.
Speaking of annuals, I somehow ended up with two of the bas-
kets sold by the Boy Scouts. While not very promising looking on
arrival, heavy pinching, continuous moisture and a little fertilizer
have done wonders for them, even the one the puppy scattered
all over the yard. That one had to be re-planted and now includes
a purple ‘wandering jew’ that has big bluish flowers. Keeping up
this effort later in the season will be harder.
As a result of the master gardener course, I finally declared
warfare on two persistent and unwanted lawn residents – butter-
cups and false dandelions. False dandelions are the hairy-leafed
ones that have multiple blooms per stem and are NOT good to
eat, even in small quantities. They are also the only thing that
grows in our unirrigated lawn late in the season when the grass is
dormant. I used Roundup because it really does GO AWAY after
it is applied, thoroughly spraying all of the dandelion crowns I
could find and as much of the solid areas of buttercup as feasible.
This took two applications, not because it didn’t work the first time
(it did), but because I simply didn’t get all of the nasty buggers. My
thoroughness has resulted in many small and large ugly areas.
This has resulted in considerable lack of harmony on the mari-
tal front, but I have hopes that the replacement plan will support
the wisdom of eliminating the competition. I plan on using a mix of
three clovers (medic, subterranean and New Zealand white), with
English daisy and yarrow added for color and texture. I might even
throw in a little grass seed. This will, hopefully, make a mowable
lawn that can be maintained mostly without chemical application.
However, having spent a large part of the season pulling grass
and weeds from the borders of beds I intend to spray the borders
annually. I just don’t have time to devote myself to grass removal.
Roundup is a glyphosate herbicide with very low toxicity.
This is a big step for me, as I have resisted herbicide use for a
long time. The ability to easily and directly remove targeted
weeds, without turning the soil and exposing more seeds, and the
confidence gained from instruction in the use of chemicals finally
convinced me to try. There are two unbreakable rules for using
any chemical intervention in the yard, garden or orchard:
1. Know the pest or disease you are trying to eliminate.
Don’t guess. Find someone, or a reference with pictures, to help
you. Use the life cycle of the pest to help eliminate it. Timing is
everything. For instance, it would do me no good whatsoever to
spray now for the anthracnose that nearly killed my crabapple. It
has to be done in the fall to break the disease life cycle.
2. Read and follow directions. Exactly and to the let-
ter. Every word on the label is there for a reason and you
need to do exactly what the label says.
I don’t want to give the impression that I
use a lot of chemicals because I don’t. But
I have come to understand that efforts to
control insects and diseases have been
around for a long time. The ancients used oils and
mineral powders, including mercury and lead that
we now know to be very toxic. Sometimes you have
to bring out the big guns and use what works best.
There are many alternatives to consider before
using a toxic chemical, even is it is identified as organic.
Foremost, you can just tolerate the problem – it may not be that
big a deal. You can also buy resistant varieties, use a mechanical
control (such as hand-picking), improve overall plant health, use
Continued on page 18
Do you have a spare three
hours a month? If so, your help
is needed as a volunteer at the
Vernonia Pioneer Museum.
People are needed to keep
the museum open Fridays,
Saturdays and Sundays from
1:00 to 4:00 p.m. It’s a great
opportunity to learn from visi-
tors who come in, meet new
people, and learn about the
town you live in.
Prior knowledge of Vernonia
is not required to volunteer.
Those interested may call Enid
Parrow at 503-429-8134.
Anyone interested in more
involvement may also become
a member of the Pioneer
Museum Association. For more
information, call Donna Webb
at 503-429-5201.
Olson-Haverland vows
Jeff Olson of Sioux City,
Iowa and Candy Olson of
Vernonia have announced the
engagement of their daughter,
Kristin Olson, to Robert Haver-
land. Haverland is the son of
Richard and Joyce Haverland
of Vernonia.
The couple plan to wed July
10 of this year.
Church Directory
V ERNONIA C OMMUNITY C HURCH
F IRST B APTIST C HURCH
Grant Williams, Pastor
957 State Avenue
Vernonia, 503 429-6790
Sunday Breakfast 9:00 a.m.
Morning Worship 9:45 a.m.
*B.L.A.S.T. w/Nursery 10:00 a.m.
*Bible Learning and Scripture Training
Wednesday
Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.
John Cahill, Pastor
359 “A” Street
Vernonia, 503 429-1161
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Evening Worship
Saturday, 6:00 p.m.
G RACE R EFORMED B APTIST C HURCH
D.J. Dickey, Pastor
Grant & North Streets
Vernonia, 503 429-1919
Sunday Services: Adult Prayer &
Children’s Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:15 a.m.
Evening Worship 5:00 p.m.
Evening Service will change to
3:00 p.m. on Sept. 7,2003
Wednesday Service:
All Family Bible Study, 7:00 p.m.
A SSEMBLY OF G OD
Darwin Harvey, Pastor
662 Jefferson
Vernonia, 503 429-4615
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Evening Worship 6:00 p.m.
Bible Study, Wednesday 7:00 p.m.
Youth & Kids , Thursday 7:00 p.m.
S T . A UGUSTINE (C ANTERBURY )
E PISCOPAL C HURCH
375 North St. (Vernonia Grange Hall)
Vernonia, 503 795-2173
Sunday Services 10:00 a.m.
V ERNONIA C HRISTIAN C HURCH
Gary Taylor, Pastor
500 California Ave
Vernonia, 503 429-5378
Sunday School 10:00 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Nursery available
Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m.
Sam Hough, Evangelist
410 North Street
Vernonia, 503 429-6522
Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Every Wednesday:
Ladies' Bible Study 9:30 a.m.
Ladies’ Worship 10:00 a.m.
Children’s Choir 3:00 p.m.
Family Bible Study 6:30 p.m.
S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH
V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH
Pastoral Associate Juanita Dennis
960 Missouri Avenue
Vernonia, 503 429-8841
Mass Schedule
Sunday 12:00 Noon
Religious Education
Sunday 10:30 a.m.
850 Madison Avenue
Vernonia, 503 429-1103
Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.
Children’s Sunday School
S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST
Jeff Cheney, Branch President
1350 E. Knott Street
Vernonia, 503 429-7151
Sacrament Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m.
Sunday School & Primary 11:20 a.m.
Relief Society, Priesthood and
Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m.
N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH
Kevin Reiner, Pastor, 543-2254
2nd Ave. and Nehalem St.
Vernonia, 503 429-8301
Sabbath School 9:15 a.m.
Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m.
Prayer Meeting, Wed. 7:00 p.m.
C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST
OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS