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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 2009)
Page 6 The INDEPENDENT, September 17, 2009 Can You Dig It? By Schann Nelson OSU Master Gardener Whoa Nelly, did your garden take off like mine? Went away for Labor Day and wow! For the first year in quite a few the veggie garden thrives – largely due to helpful people do- ing most of the digging, etc. Biggest success to date: FOUR cucumber plants (var. Homemade Pickles, purchased in 4” pots at Jim’s) climbing a 4-foot section of galvanized rigid fence panel. So far I have four jars of bread & butter pickles, and about 10 jars of dill chunks. We won’t have to buy pick- les for anything this year! I’ve irritated the bejesus out of my esteemed editor by spending too much time trying to get photos of a variety of landscape plants that all suffer from the same pests and diseases. After years of trying to figure this out I’m trying a new tactic: identify the pest/disease and then treat everything that has evidence of the prob- lem (unless specifically NOT recommended on the label). This has been far more effective than trying to follow recommendations on product bottles. Don’t get me wrong: I follow label directions as to dilution and safety, but not necessarily for tim- ing. After all, we have three seasons of weather in any given season! I decided to start by spraying Neem oil, an organic product that is supposed to be a fungicide, miticide and insecticide. The powdery mildew was affected right away and my two sprays over the summer have nearly eliminated the junk, partic- ularly on the hops. I credit the cucumber harvest partly to two applications of Neem and a little fertilizer. Whatever the weird yellow plague that has caused my cukes to be wimpy, it was nicely controlled, and early signs of blight on tomatoes stopped in their tracks. Though black spot and other fungal diseases are better controlled, it’s clear that I’d better continue my insect pest control program, particularly for spider mites and white flies. Neem is fairly expensive and, while it says on the label you can use it up to the day of harvest, it tastes YUCKY. A few huckleberries got some unintended overspray and the next time I Sing, play or listen at local church The Vernonia Assembly of God Church will be hosting two days of activities, September 19-20. Starting Saturday, Septem- ber 19, at 6:30 p.m. and Sun- day at 11:00 a.m. and again at 6:00 p.m. There will be a Sing Along, Play Along or Just Lis- ten. Bring your instrument along or to sign up to sing or play, call 503-429-0373. Also scheduled are an ice cream so- cial, a spaghetti dinner, and special guests, country gospel singers Bob and Peggy Tucker. The church is located at 662 Jefferson in Vernonia. For more information about the events, call 503-429-0373. State seeks input on beach program The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) is seeking public feedback on its beach water quality-monitoring program. The program currently has a short, Web-based survey for in- formation about beach use and the public’s perceptions of the monitoring program. We want to “continually identify the beaches that the public uses most for recre- ation,” said Jennifer Ketterman, DHS Beach Monitoring Pro- gram Coordinator. “We want to hear about how we’re doing and ways we can improve what we do.” Ketterman said that the pro- gram monitors beaches that are used most for water recre- ation and which have had rela- tively higher bacteria levels. “With limited funding for monitoring, the ongoing infor- mation from this survey will al- low the program to prioritize beach monitoring from a public health perspective,” said Ket- terman. The survey is available at http://survey.emp.state.or.us/cg i-bin/qwebcorporate.dll? E24E78. To view the results from the survey and for more informa- tion, please visit the program’s Web site: http://egov.oregon. gov/DHS/ph/beaches/ The program is funded by a federal Environmental Protec- tion Agency grant and assisted by state Parks & Rec, and DEQ. walked by to pick a snack it tasted like it had been dipped in tea tree oil. However, since I still see more scab on the apples and plenty of other unwel- come guests, I hope to spray a light summer weight oil BEFORE the apples and pears are ripe. A light coating of mineral oil will help seal leaf surfaces to prevent infections and maybe kill a few bug eggs. It’s surprisingly easy to get around a huge portion of the yard with a simple hose-end sprayer that I can just dump concentrate in and set the dial it to the proper concentration. I’m going to try hard, however, to get some more serious fungicide such as a copper spray (organic) after the fruit is harvested, before the leaves fall and again when most have fallen off. Notice that I have not exactly said when these sprays will happen – such spraying is highly de- pendent on weather. I’ve also experimented this year with foliar fertilizing. Both corn and tomatoes loved getting a spray of weak fertilizer – the increase of intensity in green was as- tonishing. Make sure that you have watered adequately before you add any other sprays. While foliar products are very unlikely to cause damage when used as rec- ommended, I want my plants to be well hydrated before I do anything else with or to them. I highly recommend careful, direct application of a RoundUp type herbicide to late dandelions in the lawn, especially effective on a sunny day. A week later you can scratch up the area with a rake, spread some grass seed and when the rains it will grow. Because you are not disturbing the soil much, applying Roundup with a brush also works well on those pesky intruders, like curly dock, in perennial beds. Those huge, wide weed leaves busily send your herbicide right along with all the late season preparation for winter to their deep roots. Be gone foul weed! Other stuff: • Reseed lawns until mid-October • Apply parasitic nematodes to soil beneath rhododen- drons and azaleas. • Plant bulbs for spring – or plant for winter forcing in- doors. • Plant or transplant woody ornamentals and perennials. • Clean up houseplants, check and treat for in- sects before bringing plants indoors. • Consider planting a garden cover crop. Working hard at hardly working! Enjoy the warm days left – watch the fall colors develop as nights are getting cooler. Church Directory N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST F IRST B APTIST C HURCH Gary Taylor, Pastor Grant & North Streets, Vernonia 503 429-5378 Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Nursery available Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m. 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, Minister 410 North Street, Vernonia 503 429-6522 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m. (meets in Youth & Family Center) Home Group Meeting throughout the week at various locations 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. V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH Carl Pense, Pastor 850 Madison Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-1103 Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Children’s Sunday School C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS Marc Farmer, 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.