March 2021 E-Newsletter
“I think that no matter how old or infirm I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature’s rebirth?”
– Edward Giobbi
Featured Instagram Photo of the Month: Hands Up If You Love Gardening!
Upcoming Garden Events:
date/time TBD - Board Meeting (meeting will be held via Zoom)
Mar. 27 - Tomato-Bration (more details coming soon)
Useful info:
Spring is nigh! The shortest month of the year flew by in the blink of an eye as did the shorter days. With the new season comes the return of days being longer than the night, exaggerated by the beginning of daylight saving time. While it’s always a bit regrettable going back to waking up to dark mornings – “what do you mean sunrise isn’t until after 7:00am?!” - it is nice to have the luxury of the extra hour of sunlight in the evening. It makes running to the garden after a full day of work once again plausible.
With some of the winter harvest peaking a little early, you might have a few patches of bare dirt that you’re itching to plant with warm-weather crops. You can always fill the space with carrots, radishes and beets. Or maybe plant some beneficial flowers like a sunny marigold. You could also do a round of something bigger like peas or brassicas. If you’re growing brassicas in the spring, watch for aphid infestations which can be quick to cover a head of cauliflower or a stalk of Brussels sprouts rendering them essentially inedible. Here is an article on organic aphid controls. Some of the advice is better than others. For example, evidence has shown that purchasing commercial lady bugs isn’t great. But companion planting something, like chives, which repels aphids can be a win-win. Remember that anything that you spray on your crops has the potential to affect the beneficial insects in the garden as well. By the end of the month, you can try to transplant some tomatoes (we might even know where you can get some good ones this year). Then wait until the end of April and transplant a few more just in case we get a cool, damp spring. Early summer squash sometimes do better than ones planted later in the season – then again you never know. Here is the Gardening in LA Blog for March for more ideas what to do and plant in the garden this spring.
OVF Announcements:
Tomato-Bration Is Back!
Fans of Windrose Farms organically grown tomatoes will be happy to hear that we will once again be partnering with the farm for Tomato-Bration. The sale will look a little (or a lot) different this year but it will be held on Saturday, March 27th. Stay tuned for an email with more information.
Community Service Hours:
Looking for a way to earn some community service hours until workdays are able to resume? Below are some ways that you can earn hours around the garden. You must keep track of your time and report to Katie Taylor, Beautification Coordinator.
-Pickup trash on Centinela outside the fence. There are plastic bags tucked into a corner of the recycle bin at the top of Phase 2.
-Driveway: remove weeds/palm fronds along the edge of the driveway
- Pickup palm fronds outside the Centinela fence & put in the dumpster
-Lower phase 4: rake up rubber tree leaves & put in dumpster
-Phase 4: take weed material to dumpster
- Bring gourmet horse manure to phase 4 bin. Report how many wheelbarrow loads you brought over; minimum is 6 loads.
- Lumber cage outside office: take trash to dumpster
-Black recycle boxes outside wheelbarrow shed & in community area: remove trash & take recycles to the bin
-Recycle shed area: remove weeds and mulch
-Gate 1 pathway: weed and mulch
-Gate 2 pathway: weed and mulch
-Gate 4 pathway: weed and mulch
-Gate 5 pathway: weed and mulch
-weed and mulch area under the big pine tree
-weed fence alongside the back parking lot
Contact Ed Mosman for the following tasks:
-Prune shrubs back from the sidewalk outside the Centinela fence
-2 workers needed to help Steve Ballantine chip salvaged wood
Gardener Linda Tsukamoto sent us these photos of Warren Miyashiro and his giant cabbage harvest. Congratulations Warren! We hope the cabbage tasted as good as it looks.
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!