April 2019 E-Newsletter
The earth laughs in flowers. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Featured Instagram Photo of the Month: Calendula blossoms take off in the spring weather.
Upcoming Garden Events:
Apr. 6 - Greenhouse Fundraiser - Noon - 1:00 PM
Apr. 13 - Saturday Workday - 9:00 AM - Noon
Apr. 13 - Potluck Lunch - Noon
Apr. 13 - General Meeting - 1:00 PM
Apr. 28 - Sunday Workday - 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Useful info:
- Spring! We made it! Is there a more glorious season to be at the garden? March brought us a giant butterfly migration and we are in the midst of our own mini-super bloom. Everything is green and lush, temperatures are comfortable and blue skies abound. This is a wonderful time to be a gardener. April is full of possibility. You can still plant some spring crops like lettuces, radishes, beets and spinach. You can also start planting your summer garden. If the temperatures start to drop, you might want to put a layer of wrap around your plants (either on cages or stakes) to keep them warm. You can also use a homemade cloche to create a mini-greenhouse for your heat-loving plants. Lastly, here is the usual Gardening in LA list of things to do in the garden in April.
- If you’re looking for inspiration as to what to plant, look no further than our next greenhouse fundraiser on Saturday, April 6th. From flowers to herbs to summer crops, there is something for everyone. See below for some highlights.
- If you like the idea of starting your plants from seed, now is a good time to visit the Seed Library at Santa Monica Public Library’s Fairview Branch. You can “borrow” seeds for free. At the end of the growing season, return some seeds from your harvest.
OVF Announcements:
Greenhouse Fundraiser
Join us on Saturday, April 6 at noon for one of the biggest greenhouse plant sales of the year. There are way too many great plants to mention them all – but definitely check out the OVF website for the complete list. Here are just a few of our favorites to highlight:
Blight-Resistant tomatoes:
There will be 13 different tomato varietals for sale. The greenhouse team has started cherry tomatoes, sauce tomatoes, salad/ sandwich tomatoes and even some giant beefsteaks. If you’ve had trouble with tomato blight in the past (or are new to growing tomatoes) you might want to try a legend or damsel plant. These plants are both hybrids that and blight resistant. Legend (pictured below) has the advantage of being a very-early producer (68 days).
Melons:
Our summers have been getting warmer, which means that we can now successfully grow crops that love the heat. One such crop are melons. There are two varieties of melon available at the April 6th sale. Sarah’s choice is a type of cantaloupe. It looks just like you would expect a cantaloupe to look with beige skin and orange flesh. The kajari melon on the other hand, is a stunner of a melon. These little melons have copper-colored skin with green and tan stripes. The flesh of the melon is green, sweet and slightly musky.
Zinnias:
Zinnias are a great flower to attract pollinators to your garden. They can also make for a wonderful summer bouquet. Senorita zinnias have beautiful twisted pink petals and large blossoms. The zinnia cool crayon colors are mix of purple, pink and white double flowers that make coordinating your multicolored bouquets easy.
OVF Elections
Elections for one half of the OVF Board of Directors will take place during the April General meeting on April 13th at 1 PM.There’s still time to enter your name for one of the open positions and help lead and shape the future of OVF during the next two years.
If you are interested in running for any of the positions listed below please contact Election Coordinator Nora Dvosin at elections@oceanviewfarms.net
Current Candidates:
Vice-President – Christy Wilhelmi (Incumbent)
Garden Master – Ed Mosman (Incumbent)
Membership Secretary – Carrie Manaugh (Incumbent)
Independent Project Coordinator – Marie Green (Incumbent)
Upper Phase One Phase Representative – Andrew Sacks (Incumbent)
Upper Phase Two Phase Representative – Pam Brissette (Incumbent)
Upper Phase Three Phase Representative- Ron Fine (Incumbent)
Upper Phase Four Phase Representative – Steven Reich (Incumbent)
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!