April 2018 E-Newsletter
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt”
- Margaret Atwood
Featured Instagram Photo of the Month: Blue Skies and Fluffy Clouds over the Garden After the Rain.
Upcoming Garden Events:
Apr. 7 - Greenhouse Fundraiser - Noon - 1:00 PM
Apr. 14 - Saturday Workday - 9:00 AM - Noon
Apr. 14 - Potluck Lunch - Noon
Apr. 14 - General Meeting - 1:00 PM
Apr. 29 - Sunday Workday - 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Useful info:
- Is there a prettier month in the garden than April? Flowers and green abound and we generally see more blue skies than late spring, when May Gray and June Gloom can take up what seems like permanent residence. This is the time of year that gardeners yearn for. If you haven’t already done so this is your time to amend your soil and sow your seeds. More importantly, set aside some time to walk around the garden and enjoy all the beautiful blooms. Here are some other tips for the April garden.
- Aside from gorgeous flowers, a walk around the garden will reveal and army of small (and not so small) tomato transplants ready to take off when the weather heats up. If you’re growing, or planning on growing, tomatoes this season, you might find this webpage featuring the techniques from OVF tomato growers useful.
- The next greenhouse fundraiser will be this Saturday, April 7th and there are a whole lot of terrific varieties of plants for sale. The summer crops are in stock with nine varieties of tomatoes, four varieties of summer squash and two additional varieties of winter squash, seven species of pepper, several bean plants, cucumbers and more!
- Lastly, the Santa Monica Public Library’s Fairview Branch has started its very own seed library. The library will kickoff its newest program with a seed and plant swap on Saturday April 7th.
OVF Announcements:
Three Weeds
There are three weeds that every gardener at OVF is expected to recognize on sight. They are nutgrass, bindweed and false garlic. These three weeds can spread rapidly and are hard to get rid of once established. All gardeners are expected to regularly remove these weeds from their plots and paths. Nutgrass, bindweed and false garlic should be thrown in a dumpster and not placed in the compost pile. Please help us keep these weeds from spreading by keeping your plot and path weeded at all time and disposing of these weeds correctly. To read more check out this useful article on the OVF website.
Gate Locks
Please make sure to lock the garden gates behind you when entering or exiting the garden. We are constantly finding the locks on the gates being left unlocked. Our OVF rules state: “All gates, except the main driveway gate, are to be kept locked at all times except on Saturdays and Sundays during the workday hours.”
If the locks are difficult to lock, please leave a note in the Garden Masters mail box in the wheelbarrow shed located between phases 1 and 2. Also if the lock will not stay closed, try turning the lock on its side, while locking it.
Tomato-bration Was a Success!
Thanks to everyone who helped make this another successful Tomato-bration! If you missed Tomato-bration, you will have another opportunity to pick up tomatoes at the OVF Greenhouse Sale on April 7th! Find all the plants for sale here.
Board Elections
There is still time to consider serving on the OVF Board of Directors. Voting will take place at the April 14th General Meeting at 1:00 PM.
A reminder of the positions that will be up for election:
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
Keep your eyes out for an email next week with more information about the candidates and absentee voting. If you’d like to run for one of the aforementioned positions, please reach out ASAP.
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!