February 2018 E-Newsletter
"The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size."
- Gertrude S. Wister
Featured Instagram Photo of the Month: Frank and Dean building new benches around the big pine tree.
Upcoming Garden Events:
Feb. 3 - Greenhouse Fundraiser - Noon - 1:00 PM
Feb. 10 - Saturday Workday - 9:00 AM - Noon
Feb. 10 - Potluck Lunch - Noon
Feb. 10 - General Meeting - 1:00 PM
Feb. 17 - Seed Starting Workshop - 10:00 AM - Noon
Feb. 25 - Pine Tree Chat (Learn about board elections with Frank) 11:00AM-noon
Feb. 25 - Sunday Workday - 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Useful info:
- It already feels a bit like spring in the garden and the plants seem to agree. Now is the time to plant for spring and we're here to help! Saturday is the first greenhouse fundraiser of the year. The greenhouse is stocked full of plants. Check out this the OVF site for all the fun things you can buy. Look for lots of delicious cruciferous vegetables, spinach, leeks and some wonderful herbs.
- February's Gardening in LA blog has been updated to address the lack of cooler weather and paltry rain we've experienced this winter. Check out these tips for gardening in February. Before you get too excited and start putting summer crops in the soil, remember that with our coastal influence we may still have some cooler, damp days ahead of us even if parts of the city east of us are scorching in the sun.
- The Santa Monica Public Library will be hosting a free workshop with Master Gardener Yvonne Savio on what to plant now for delicious vegetables and beautiful flowers lasting through Southern California's warm and hot seasons at their Fairview Branch Library on February 24th at 2:00 PM.
OVF Announcements:
Seed Starting Workshop
OVF gardeners and associates are invited to join us for a seed starting workshop on Saturday February 17th at 10am. During the workshop, you will get hands-on experience starting your own seeds. Soil and seeds will be supplied, as well as a spot in the greenhouse for your seedlings to grow. Space is limited, so make sure you sign-up right away if you would like to participate. Topics to be covered include:
Soil Mix
Seed types
Watering
Fertilizer
Lighting and much more
Renewals
Last warning! 2018 renewal fees must be postmarked by February 2, 2018. If you’re a procrastinator, online payments will be accepted until February 7, 2018. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, we want you to sign up for OVF E-Renewal! OVF E-Renewal saves the garden time, money and resources. You may: Sign-up For E-Renewal through your OVF My Account.
Plumbing - Hose bibs, hose valves and water keys, Oh my!
Last month we showed you how to shut-off the water to an entire row in case of a catastrophic break in the water pipes. This month we would like to show the parts of the plumbing that make up each hose assembly.
The plumbing system at each hose is made up of a stand pipe (also called a riser: the vertical pipe that rises up out of the ground.) A hose bib is attached at the top of the stand pipe. The hose bib is operated at the top by a water key. Each hose bib, also has a hose valve attached at the discharge (downward facing) end, which in turn is attached to the hose.
During normal operation, the hose bib should ALWAYS be left in the “full-open” position. The flow of the water, including turning off the water when not in use, should be only be controlled by turning the knob on the hose valve. When the flow is reduced, pressure is created which can damage the plumbing over time. By using the hose valve to control the pressure, it protects the hose bib from sustaining the damage. It is much easier to unscrew and replace a hose valve once damaged than it is to replumb the hose bib. Unless there is a leak, please make sure to leave the hose bib in the full-open position to prevent damage to the internal parts.To make sure a hose bib to the full-open position, insert a water key into the top of the hose bib and turn the water key counter-clockwise until it cannot turn anymore. At that point the water key can be removed from the hose bib and stored in a safe location, in case of an emergency. Once the hose bib is in the full-open position, the water key should not be needed on a regular basis.
Much like the ball valves that control the water to each row, turning the knob on the hose value so that it is in a straight-line with the hose bib and the hose will turn the water on full force and turning the knob on the hose valve so that it is perpendicular to the hose will turn the water off.
Please report any leaks with any of these items on the plumbing repair forms located in the wheelbarrow shed between phases one and two.
OVF Board of Director Elections
Ocean View Farms could not exist without the volunteer efforts of all of our members, particularly those that serve on the Board of Directors. The members that serve on the Board of Directors help to maintain the business of OVF, assign plots, manage the property, pay the bills, organize special events throughout the year and much, much more.
Quite simply, OVF would be the special place it is today without those that serve on the board now – or have held any of these positions in the past!
Each year approximately one half of the board positions are up for election at the April General Meeting, which will be held on April 14th this year.
The positions that are up for election this year are:
President
Treasurer
Recoding Secretary
Education Chair
Middle Phase I Phase Representative
Lower Phase I Phase Representative
Lower Phase II Phase Representative
Lower Phase III Phase Representative
Lower Phase IV Phase Representative
If you would like to consider running for any of these positions please contact either the current garden President Frank Harris or the OVF Election Coordinator Nora Dvosin
If you would like to have any questions answered or chat about serving on the board in person, Frank will hold two Pine Tree Chats again this year, on the new benches under the big pine tree in Phase I.
Sunday, February 25
Saturday, March 3
11:00 AM - Noon
Kitchen Scraps and Compost
Your fruit and vegetable kitchen scraps can help us make some mighty-fine compost. If you would like to bring your kitchen scraps in to add to our gourmet compost, please leave the scraps on the wood deck near the shredding area (not in the pile of weeds). For those bringing their scraps in a plastic bag, please leave the bag open - do not knot the bag.
A little humor for you lady bug fans:
As always: we want to hear from you! Send us an email, reach out on Facebook, or tag us on Instagram @oceanviewfarms.
That’s all for now. Happy gardening!