February 2021 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: Winter Skies Over OVF
Upcoming Garden Events:
Feb 4 - Feb 7 Greenhouse Sale (see below for times and for more details)
Useful info:
- Cold weather! Rain! I don’t know about you, but I was so ready for some rain. As much as I’ve enjoyed having garden-grown tomatoes in January, I don’t feel like I can ever really relax until the hills get a good soaking and I know that I won’t have to worry about smoke-filled skies for at least a few months. What February weather will bring, only time will tell. We usually get a heatwave around Presidents’ Day and then a bit more cold until spring settles in. February is one of those in-between months in the garden. Your winter crops might be wrapping up but it’s not quite time to plant for spring. The greenhouse crew has you covered if you are looking for some in-between season crops. See our update below. Or you could take the time to amend your soil and get it ready for summer. If you’re extra ambitious, you can start some summer crops indoors this month for transplanting later on. As always, here is what the Gardening in LA blog has to say about the February garden.
- A few gardeners have asked for more information about growing strawberries at OVF. OVF gardener and Gardennerd founder Christy Wilhelmi has a new book coming out called Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden in which she dedicates several pages to growing strawberries. Christy was nice enough to share an excerpt from her soon-to-be-published book with us for all of you who want to know more about growing this tasty fruit.
OVF Announcements:
A Message from the OVF Board President
At the January Board meeting, it was decided to maintain the 12 hours per plot for 2021 with the requirement that half the hours be earned by June 31. We all are hopeful that gatherings will soon be allowed so that OVF can resume workdays and work groups. If necessary, the Board can revisit the hours requirement at the March meeting.
Once workdays resume, they will be on a reservation system and limited to a certain number of participants with gloves and masks required and maintaining 6 ft physical distancing. Speaking of masks, please keep them up over your nose as the new more contagious variants lurk mainly in the nose and throat.
The Board approved extending COVID Sabbatical program for those members who are hesitant to come to the garden. Please talk to your phase rep if you are interested.
(For more information about getting a COVID vaccine you can visit the LA County Public Health Site).
Before you know it, April elections will be here. OVF will continue with online voting as was done last year. It will be a week-long election. Many members have said they wanted fresh faces/new blood on the board. Now is your chance to step up. Please contact me with your questions about the duties and responsibilities of the positions.
Nina Rumely
OVF Board Elections
The following positions will be up for election at the next elections in April.
- Garden Master
- Vice-president
- Membership Secretary
- Independent Project Monitor
- All four Upper Phase Representatives
Greenhouse Fundraiser
The OVF Greenhouse is having its Almost Spring Seedling Sale over 4 days: Feb 4-7 (see below for hours). Come to the greenhouse door and tell the volunteer what you want to buy. CASH ONLY
2/4 10:00-12:00, 2/5 1:00-3:00, 2/6 10:00-1:00 2/7 12:00-3:00
This is a transition period between cool season and warm season plants. It’s too cool to plant heat-loving summer plants like cucumbers, squash, peppers and most tomatoes. However, the greenhouse does have a limited number of an extra early, cold tolerant tomato – glacier - for adventurous gardeners who can’t wait till consistent warm weather. Glacier has 2-3 ounce red tomatoes with a sweet-tart flavor. It is a determinate tomato which means it will only grow to about 4 ft.
The full list of available seedlings is on the OVF website.
Independent Projects – Don’t Forget to Share!
Remember, that if you have an Independent Project with a fruit tree on it, OVF regulations state that half of the harvest needs to be distributed to other garden members or to the OVF donates program.
Keep it Organic
OVF rules state that only organic fertilizers, soil amendments and pest controls can be used in the garden. Please make sure to read labels carefully before purchasing items and bringing them to the garden. Some good organic brands are Whitney Farms, Garden and Bloom, and Dr Earth.
And Now For A Little Fun – A Musical Valentine From a Secret Admirer to the Compost Crew
Having all identifying features obscured with the aid of sunglasses and a mask, I've admired your work for quite some time now...
Pre-pandemic, my admiration began to take root when nearly every gardener with amazing plants would share their secret of amending their soil with your gourmet goods.
Even if I don't always see you (though I sometimes do, from a creepy, er, safe distance of 6 or more feet away), I see you, gourmet compost crew, continually making that area well stocked and loved, even through this pandemic.
I've admired your new tool hanging post and see that y'all have been putting in way more than the "Tuesdays at 7" time to keep our plots happily fertilized. I see Warren out there every random morning I stop by, working on making sure the wood chipper is in tip top shape or some other manure related activity there, as well as a number other folks I don't yet know by name.
I guess I'm just here to say I get warm fuzzy feelings every time I pass by the piles of manure—freshly shredded, dried, or dumped—and am filled with so much gratitude, it makes me want to sing. :)
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Your (not so) Secret Admirer in Upper Phase 1
Make sure you click here to listen to this amazing piece of songwriting extolling the virtues of our gourmet compost.
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!