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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2011)
Page 6 The INDEPENDENT, April 21, 2011 Can You Dig It? your garden are obnoxious, there are also many culti- vated varieties that are beautiful, scented, hardy, etc. They are easy to grow in pots for summer color – these One of the advantages of beauties are usually not winter hardy. However, there having raised garden beds is are cultivars of hardy geraniums that work wonders in that they work up so easy in shady, damp spots along with ferns, hostas, delphini- the spring. With my wide metal um and columbine. rake I can work up a bed for I thought I’d give a brief opinion of ‘Green Comet’ planting very quickly. First, I Broccoli. These particular cultivars form a single large rake what’s left of the winter’s head early in the season, but, don’t expect side shoot mulch off to the sides of the production – you’re farther ahead to just jerk it out of bed. This old stuff ends up hav- the ground, put it into the compost, and plant some- ing a variety of uses. With the thing else. Unlike other broccoli varieties this one does rake I can work the surface of the bed to an even NOT continue significant side shoot production. Defi- seedbed of friable soil to a depth of 4 –6 inches. Tak- nitely a spring variety, you ing OSU Extension Agent Chip Bubl’s advice to pre- are not going to pick broc- warm the soil, I’ve raked out two seedbeds and cov- coli flowerettes off this for ered them with recycled clear shower curtains (using most of the winter, but you that mulch to hold the plastic down all the way around). will have open space in The soil warms up a LOT! The peas are sprouting al- your garden, basically ready. I want to get a little mulch and more slug bait on ready to plant, after you them before they break through the surface. It would harvest the broc. A person be way to easy to scorch the daylights out of the little could even harvest it and things! plant another crop of win- I was perhaps a bit hard on geraniums in my last ter broccoli in the same column. While it’s true that many of the wilder gerani- space, though I would ums that grow in driveways, roadsides, and thrive in think you would have to be vigilant about cabbage moths. I plant tiny ‘Walla Walla’ onion plants all around the edges of the broccoli bed – it seems to confuse the cabbage the offer to join the board of di- wishes to attend. moths, though certainly not enough to Oregonians and Vernonians eliminate the problem. rectors for the state event, so I are well known in Wyoming, will remain happily involved.” Economics of vegetable gardening: I The winner of the Oregon with three Oregonians among bought one six-pack of broccoli, one of bee receives some financial as- the top 16 in 2010. Vernonians spinach and two of onions. After making sistance if they choose to at- have won the National Senior sure that they were completely soaked, I tend the AARP National Senior Spelling Bee, too, with Audeen gently teased apart each individual plant, Spelling Bee held, since 1996, Wagner in 2000 and Carol Planting the spinach at about 4-inches in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Ander- Sawyer in 2003. Other Orego- apart and the broc about 6-inches apart sen hasn’t decided whether she nians won in 2002 and 2007, with the onions around the edges of the will go to the national event in while Finzel twice placed a very broccoli. I covered the whole thing with a June. The national bee is open honorable third in 2003 and to anyone 50 and older who 2004. By Schann Nelson Columbia County Master Gardener Spelling is fun for senior winner layer of wood ash (completely without calculation as to what pH effect it might have) because the slugs, at least, would not like coming across this barrier. Every- thing we plant has to be covered completely with frost blanket since one (very large) cat has decided that these beds are prepared solely for her benefit. YUCK!! We have sprouted potatoes we can’t eat and will plant, though this is a move sure to produce less than perfect potatoes. My hope is that by eating them early and not trying to store them, we will minimize the neg- ative effects and increase the edible potions. I’m still working on completing winter pruning of fruit trees and I have lots of other pruning I’d like to do, but it requires a younger, more athletic approach. There’s still time to move and/or shape perennials and shrubs. We have an apple tree that’s been heeled into the gar- den for about three years now and it absolutely has to move this year! This is a tree I had grafted onto full size root stock to reproduce a fallen giant from the farm. It’s in fine health but doesn’t get enough sun, and it blocks what sun there is from the kiwi I want to grow at the edge of the garden. What a project! Hope lots of you enjoyed the recent sun. Remem- ber, with weeds destroyed and bare earth mulched to eliminate sprouting, plus slugs and wasps and other bugs dealt with early so they don’t have families for you to deal with later, you’ll find your garden more en- joyable…and someday the lawn will dry out enough to mow! Church Directory V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH F IRST B APTIST C HURCH P IONEER B APTIST F ELLOWSHIP Carl Pense, Pastor 850 Madison Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-1103 Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Children’s Sunday School Pastor John D. Murray 359 “A” Street, Vernonia 503 860-3860 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship Service 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m. John Cahill, Pastor 939 Bridge Street, Vernonia 503-429-1161 www.pbfalive.com Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Thursday Prayer 7:00 p.m. S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST Larry Gibson, Pastor 2nd Ave. and Nehalem St., Vernonia 503 429-8301 Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m. Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. A SSEMBLY OF G OD Wayne and Maureene Marr 662 Jefferson Ave., Vernonia, 503 429-0373 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH 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 OMMUNITY C HURCH Ralph Young, Pastor 957 State Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-6790 Sunday Bible Classes 9:00 a.m. Family Praise & Worship 10:30 a.m. Wednesday Prayer 6:30 p.m. Thursday Laadies Study 7:00 p.m. Nursery 10:15 a.m. Vernonia Community Preschool N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE 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. V ERNONIA C HRISTIAN C HURCH C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS 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) Various Home Group Meetings 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.