August 2021 E-Newsletter
"When gardeners garden, it is not just plants that grow, but the gardeners themselves."
- Ken Druse
Featured Instagram Photo of the Month: A Stink Bug with Some Aesthetic Nibbling
Upcoming Garden Events:
Aug. 14 - Saturday Workday - 9:00 AM - Noon Save to Calendar
Aug. 14 - Picnic Lunch (BYO) - Noon - 1:00 PM Save to Calendar
Aug. 14 - General Meeting - 1:00 PM Save to Calendar
How does your garden grow this August? Despite almost entirely planting indeterminant tomato plants, I still only managed one crop of tomatoes before my plants were spent. The tomatoes this year were plentiful enough, though small in size and a little underwhelming in flavor. My one tromboncino squash plant is growing strong. On my last visit, I found that it had put out a new vine which had traveled through the fence and was trying to take over the parking lot, while another new vine had begun to sneak into my neighbor’s plot. It’s amazing how quickly squash vines can grow and get into trouble! I harvested my first millionaire eggplant this week from a plant purchased at the greenhouse sale. My second eggplant, which I started from seed, is looking a little stunted and I’m not sure if it will produce. Two teddy bear sunflowers gave up already. I thought I’d have sunflowers for the table through the summer but it was not to be. At least the marigolds are still going strong to give the garden some color. After reading Dean Cleverdon’s exceptional and prophetic article about the impending gopher invasion at OVF, I started seeing the first mounds in my plot in the late July. Using the expensive, but effective GopherHawk, I was able to trap the gopher on my first try. I really, really do not like killing things – but after it tunneled under five tomato plants in a matter of days, I was not sad to see the giant gopher go. Maybe that’s why my tomatoes only produced one harvest?
It’s always interesting to compare notes with other gardeners and hear about their successes and failures with the season. It also amazes me how the different microclimates around the phases make for very different harvests all year long. Please share how your plot(s) have faired this summer. August is a time to water, harvest and plan. What will you grow this fall? I’ve already started pulling plants and top dressing with manure to try to make up for some of the heavy feeders of the summer. I’m planning on starting fall seedlings sometime this month. I always fear that I will transplant the fall crops too soon and an October heatwave will destroy them all. However, the longer I wait to transplant, the slower the seedlings grow so it’s always a double -edged sword. Here’s Gardening in LA’s advice about what to do in August.
-OVF E-News Editor, Tara Crow
OVF Announcements:
August General Meeting Update
We hope you will be able to join us for the August general meeting. The meeting will be held on Saturday 8/14 at 1pm. Even though there will be no potluck lunch beforehand, tables, chairs and the shade cloth will be set up if you would like to bring your own lunch and socialize at noon.
Community Service Hours
Just a reminder that half of your community service hours need to be completed by Sept. 1st. Associates are allowed to work half of the community hours required, members need to work the other half. Members or associates can get hours by working on a work day, gate closing, acting as a work day supervisor or time keeper. You can also contact Katie Taylor for beautification work.
Video Producers Wanted
Want to earn volunteer hours making gardening videos? We would love to find members who could write, shoot, edit and publish short videos on everything from OVF history to seeding carrots. Phone videos are totally fine, no experience necessary. Please reach out to Andy Morris (Ph 1 Middle) if interested.
A Few Thanks
Thank you very much to Scott Feidman and Erin Jones (Ph 3 Lower) for organizing the OVF tools. They took it upon themselves to take a detailed inventory of the entire toolshed, tossing some tools (which will be replaced) and organizing the rest.
Thank you to Laurel Heirloom Tomatoes for donating over 400 seedlings (retail value $6 each!) at the June General Meeting. Follow Laurel’s newsletter and check out the in-person seedling sales for some more great information and opportunities before the end of tomato season. (Photos by Dean Cleverdon).
Powdery Mildew
Chances are, if you garden at OVF, you’ve encountered powdery mildew. Here is an article from Colorado State University with everything that you wanted to know about powdery mildew and more.
Why do some years seem to be worse for powdery mildew than others? The article gives this answer: “The severity of the disease depends on many factors: variety of the host plant, age and condition of the plant, and weather conditions during the growing season. Powdery mildews are severe in warm, dry climates. This is because the fungus does not need the presence of water on the leaf surface for infection to occur. However, the relative humidity of the air does need to be high for spore germination. Therefore, the disease is common in crowded plantings where air circulation is poor and in damp, shaded areas. Incidence of infection increases as relative humidity rises to 90 percent, but it does not occur when leaf surfaces are wet (e.g., in a rain shower). Young, succulent growth usually is more susceptible than older plant tissues.”
So there you have it! When you can’t control the weather: sun and air circulation are your friends! Don’t over crowd plants, remove affected and dead leaves and avoid overhead watering to reduce humidity.
Board Meeting Minutes
Here’s a link to the board meeting minutes from July. Always feel free to reach out with questions here.
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!