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The INDEPENDENT, January 15, 2009
Can You Dig It?
By Schann Nelson
OSU Master Gardener
time, summer irrigation is also improved as water runs off the path and into the bed.
It’s counterintuitive but DON’T add sand! Truly sandy soil drains well because
the particle size is relatively (as compared to clay) large and uniform. Adding sand
to mineralic clay makes something closely resembling concrete – not a good grow-
ing environment! Adding all the organic matter you can get your hands and shovel
on, especially for that brand new garden, is a better short-term solution. Checking
and adjusting soil pH closer to a neutral seven will increase the survival of benefi-
cial soil organisms, breaking down organic matter into useable nutrients. Gypsum
breaks up clay only in alkaline soil, which we don’t have here (unless you make it
that way by accident or on purpose).
The temptation to add sand comes when years of added organic matter (Straw
mulch!) eventually breaks down into constituent atoms, i.e. clay. You need to add
material with significantly larger, non-uniform particle size. Small crushed rock (1/4
minus is the technical term) is the proven standby around here and will work won-
ders to improve drainage. Unfortunately, you pretty much have to buy the stuff
(problem 1) by the truckload (problem 2). The good news is that even a small yard
can easily accommodate a whole truckload of rock. It would be a great thing to
share with the neighbors! Adding rock can transform a garden bed, elevating the
surface 6 – 12 inches above the paths. Beds this height drain winter rainfall readi-
ly and warm up sooner in spring. A bucket of small rock incorporated into the soil
when planting trees and shrubs will vastly increase your chances of success.
One more winter thought: Sometimes storm-damaged trees can be helped.
Trees that have blown over can be braced and tied into a more normal position if
you act while the ground is soft. It may be worth the trouble to save a prized spec-
imen. Shrubs and bushes that look completely dead now may show signs of growth
in spring.
I swear the inside plants start to grow immediately after the equinox, increasing
the need for water. Windows with a good southern exposure can get HOT even
when it’s still cold outside. Remember soil needs air and water.
My method is to water infrequently but thoroughly! Every few weeks I water
every plant in the house. Ideally, every plant gets a shower and grooming a couple
of times over the winter. I like to make sure the soil is good and dry and plants are
showing signs of thirst. I start my mission of water relief and just keep at it until
every plant in the house has absorbed all of the water it wants from its saucer, tray
or bowl. I make sure that water is not running just around the edges of a pot but is
absorbed by roots and transported to leaves. This takes several minutes per plant
with the watering can, but I try to persist until all the plants have had a good drink.
Hanging baskets and the orchids get a thorough soaking in a bowl. I watch for wa-
ter disappearing from catch basins and the smell of earth filling the house.
Hope you got some good photos of the underlying structure of your yard when it
was all covered up. Dream about the perfect vertical accent plant, or maybe a
hedge to create a garden room, or a comfy retreat in a beautiful pergola!
Oh, my goodness! What adventures we have had! At least
we were on the southern edge of the target of Mother Kali’s
warm, rain-laden winds storming across the Pacific. More
than enough snow for me! I do not remember that much
snow, EVERYWHERE, for that long! There certainly were
heavy snows and cold. The first year we lived here, the tem-
perature dropped to 16 degrees the week after Halloween
and stayed below freezing for six-weeks! In a poorly insulat-
ed “cabin” (an enormously kind description), I had ample op-
portunity to develop my skill at heating with wood. Then there
was the year that the snow shoveled off the roof of the chicken coop became an
extension of a sled run. Higher, longer, WAY faster and too scary to watch them ca-
reening down the hill and across the, hopefully frozen enough, pond.
The big piles of snow and/or the extreme cold usually lasted for only a few days,
or a week or even (gasp!) ten days. Practically nobody remembers a truly White
Christmas that extended across much of the Willamette Valley. The few who re-
member Vernonia’s last snow-covered Christmas were accustomed to candle,
lantern and woodstove, since much of the area did not get electricity until 1945.
Such astounding snow! Light and fluffy blankets transforming the landscape, a
stark and glittering palette. Great snow for snowballs and sled runs and on the
ground long enough to build really COOL forts and snowpeople, even igloos!
WOW! Then, the darn stuff hung around for another week making it COLD, hard to
drive, getting icier and icier and harder and harder to walk.
The amount of snow at your address can vary a lot depending mostly on eleva-
tion, but also affected by wind, sun exposure and latitude. The weather I described
above is on the floor of the Nehalem River Valley, just up-river from Vernonia. We
had 18 inches on the ground for almost two weeks. Anywhere higher than our 700-
foot elevation had a lot more snow. Reports of two to three feet within five miles of
town were not uncommon. I assume the higher mountains surrounding us had cor-
respondingly more snow. The fear of flooding was not unfounded. Had we received
the rain that pounded Washington, flooding would have been severe. I am glad that
we, as a community, have been able to use our experience and provide an efficient
and integrated response to the threat. Unfortunately, I believe that regional weath-
er is going to continue to get more extreme.
So far, winter has done quite a bit of damage, even without strong winds and
heavy ice. Snow broke a lot of limbs in trees, and a surprising number of them are
still hanging in the canopy. Watch for falling branches! Obviously, debris that is cre-
ating a hazard should be removed as soon as possible. Fences have to be inspect-
ed and cleared of debris or they won’t be fences for very long. BUT don’t be in a
big hurry to dig out perennials and shrubs that appear severely damaged. I’m quite
hopeful about the perennial survival rate because that lovely soft
snow blanket provided good insulation. The biggest danger to
perennials in the ground is adequate drainage. Most of the peren-
nials we treasure do not like having their roots sitting in cold wa-
N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH
ter for any length of time.
Gary Taylor, Pastor
While organic matter is the “secret ingredient” in any produc-
Grant & North Streets, Vernonia
tive soil, good friable soil is about 25% AIR and 25% water. If all
503 429-5378
of the space between soil particles is filled with water, roots and
Sunday School 10:00 a.m.
soil, organisms die and rot. The native soil is a thin (2 – 6 inches)
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
layer of “active” soil on top of a deeper layer of mineral-rich clay.
Nursery available
Clay has a very small particle size, giving it that slippery feel when
Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m.
wet. Clay soils really hold on to water, once saturated. Freezing
V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH
causes existing soil structure to deteriorate and snow can com-
pact the ground underneath, especially if walked or driven on.
Carl Pense, Pastor
Thus, after the snow melts, the ground can become a soggy, slip-
850 Madison Avenue, Vernonia
pery mess where little will grow. The trick is to get the excess wa-
503 429-1103
Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.
ter to drain away and allow air (25%) back into the soil.
Children’s Sunday School
Raised beds create at least a small elevation difference that
will increase over time if you stay off. Don’t walk where you want
C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST
stuff to grow! Even a brand new garden plot freshly rototilled will
OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS
have healthier soil if you shovel through some ‘paths’. By throw-
ing the dirt up into beds three to five feet wide (so you can reach
Marc Farmer, Branch President
1350 E. Knott Street, Vernonia
the middle from the path) you can establish pathways before you
503 429-7151
begin to amend and improve your soil. Not only does this make
Sacrament
Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m.
more efficient use of soil amendments, but the compacted soil in
Sunday
School
& Primary 11:20 a.m.
the pathways is less likely to sprout weeds. Using boards or
Relief Society, Priesthood and
something similar can quickly create a space to fill with great dirt
Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m.
from somewhere else, but you work with whatever you have. Over
Church Directory
S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST
F IRST B APTIST C HURCH
Gary S. Walter, Pastor
2nd Ave. and Nehalem St., Vernonia
503 429-8301
Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m.
Sabbath School 9:30 a.m.
359 “A” Street, Vernonia
503 429-4027
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Sunday Worship Service 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.
A SSEMBLY OF G OD
S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH
Wayne and Maureene Marr
662 Jefferson Ave., Vernonia,
503 429-0373
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m
Rev. Luan Tran, Administrator
960 Missouri Avenue, Vernonia
503 429-8841
Mass Sunday 12:00 Noon
Religious Educ. Sunday 10:30 a.m.
V ERNONIA C HRISTIAN C HURCH
V ERNONIA C OMMUNITY C HURCH
Sam Hough, Evangelist
410 North Street, Vernonia
503 429-6522
Sunday School 9:45 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 7:00 p.m.
Grant Williams, Pastor
957 State Avenue, Vernonia
503 429-6790
Sunday Breakfast 9:00 a.m.
Morning Worship 9:45 a.m.
Children and Nursery 10:00 a.m.
Youth Group 6:00 p.m.
Preschool Mon. & Wed. 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday Prayer 6:00 p.m.
Tues. & Fri. Adult Volleyball 7:00 p.m.