March 2018 E-Newsletter
Spring is nature’s way of saying, "Let’s party!" ~Robin Williams
Featured Instagram Photo of the Month: Spotted Around the Garden - A Giant Purple Cauliflower.
Upcoming Garden Events:
Mar. 3 - Spring Garden Planning with Q&A - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Mar. 10 - Saturday Workday - 9:00 AM – Noon
Mar. 17 - Board Meeting - 9:30 AM
Mar. 24 - Tomato-bration™ - 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Mar. 25 - Tomato-bration™ - 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Mar. 25 - Sunday Workday - 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Useful info:
- Only a few more weeks until spring! Finally, we’ve had a taste of winter weather with scattered rain and even hail in some parts of the city. There’s more rain in the forecast before the weekend. Maybe even enough that you'll be able to skip watering your plot this week (fingers crossed). Despite the cooler weather, the days are getting longer, faster and the plants have definitely taken notice. This includes the weeds. Stay on top of the weeds this month and you’ll be rewarded with a lot less work in your future. Here’s a link to the Gardening in LA blog for March in case you’re looking for inspiration on garden tasks for the month.
- Speaking of spring, Tomato-bration™ is just around the corner. More information on that below – but in the meantime, get ready for tomatoes by watching this video by Ocean View Farm’s very own Gardenerd, Christy Wilhelmi on her favorite way to transplant tomatoes. Do you have a favorite method that’s different than Christy’s? Write us to be featured in next month’s e-news.
- Christy will be on hand this Saturday to talk about spring garden planning. This workshop is especially geared for us small-space gardeners. See the bottom of this email for more information about the event.
- A big thanks to greenhouse keeper Nina Rumely for running our seed starting workshop last month. If you weren’t able to make the workshop, you can learn some tips on starting seeds from Nina in this 2016 video shot in the OVF greenhouse.
- It’s little league season once again, so watch where you park (windshield’s have been broken by foul balls in the past) and check behind you for running children when pulling in and out of parking spots.
- If you’re interested in private gardens, you might want to check out the Open Days Program. Open Days is a national garden-sharing program that opens the gate to private gardens for one day only. Volunteers are needed to run the program. No OVF service hours are given but you do get free access to all of the participating gardens around the country from March to November. Check out the Open Days Program website to learn more.
OVF Announcements:
Tomato-brationTM
Join us for the 14th annual Tomato-bration, March 24 & 25 from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM! Windrose Farms’ Barbara Spencer will once again be on hand with over 90 organic tomato varieties and herbs for sale. Barbara will give a presentation on growing tomatoes and host at Q & A session at 10:00 AM each day. This event is free and open to the public. If you would like to volunteer for the event (community service hours are awarded) please contact Education Chair Andy Morris.
Help Wanted
We are looking for gardeners who can help with the following (service hours willl be awarded):
- Someone who can assist with the maintenance of the OVF Donates garden located across from gate 5 between phases 2 and 3.
- Legal counsel specializing in non-profit or insurance liability
- Structural or mechanical engineer
Please contact Frank if you are interested in helping with any of these positions.
Independent Projects
Are you interested in taking on an Independent Project around the garden? Now is the time to sign up! Gardener members who have maintained a plot in good standing for one year or more are elligable to sign up for an Independent Project. Interested parties should review the information on the OVF website and then contact IP Monitor Marie Green to be placed on the waiting list.
Rembering Paul Zelman
The garden has lost one of its long-time members. Paul Zelman, husband of Melody Girard, passed away on February 11th after a short battle with cancer. Paul was remembered during a lovely memorial service at the garden last month. While Paul is no longer with us, you can still enjoy many of his photographs of the garden which are featured prominently on OVF's website and Facebook page.
OVF Board of Director Elections
Just a reminder that board elections are 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 be holding one more Pine Tree Chat under the big pine tree in Phase I this Saturday, March 3, 11:00 AM - Noon (weather dependent - check the OVF homepage for updates).
Spring Garden Planning Workshop
Join Gardenerd.com’s Christy Wilhelmi for a spring garden planning workshop this Saturday March 3rd from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Learn how to plan out an efficient, abundant garden this spring. Topics covered will include crop rotation, plant family groupings, and interplanting. Bring something to take notes with and your burning questions. This workshop is free and open to the public, so feel free to share with friends and family. As of March 1, this event is still planned as scheduled, but you may want to bring something to sit on as the benches and chair will be damp. We will be watching the weather reports closely, check the OVF homepage for event updates or cancelation due to rain.
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!