Jan 2022

Jan 2022 E-Newsletter

"January is the quietest month in the garden...  But just because it looks quiet doesn't mean that nothing is happening.  The soil, open to the sky, absorbs the pure rainfall while microorganisms convert tilled-under fodder into usable nutrients for the next crop of plants.  The feasting earthworms tunnel along, aerating the soil and preparing it to welcome the seeds and bare roots to come."
-  Rosalie Muller Wright, Editor of Sunset Magazine, 1/99

a bee lands on a purple cauliflower

Featured Instagram Photo of the Month: An Optimistic Bee Checks Out a Purple Cauliflower

Hello 2022!  Well, this is certainly not the start to the year that any of us dreamed of.  Who would have thought that the highest in-demand item of the holiday season would be a COVID test?  Thank goodness for our little oasis where it is easy to be outdoors and socially distanced. The December rain and cool weather were certainly a shock to the system. While, it was a bit frustrating to be stuck inside with a pandemic going on, I can’t remember the last time the soil at OVF got such a wonderful, deep soaking. 

I don’t know about with you, but with the shorter days, cloud cover and cool weather most of my plants hit the pause button.  Even after taking a little holiday hiatus from the plot, I was surprised by just how little growth there was when I returned.  This time, last year, after having an unseasonably warm November and December, I was already harvesting giant heads of purple cauliflower like the one in the above photo.  This year, after my seedlings were chomped by rodents a few times and then hit with cooler temps, my purple cauliflower have barely started setting tiny heads.  Same goes for my broccoli. Wandering around the garden, I’ve noticed other gardeners having better luck with their brassicas, which makes me glad to see and a bit envious. How is your winter garden producing? 

What’s there to do around the garden this month? Not a whole lot.  Feel free to add some compost or manure to your plot.  It will help build up some strong soil for spring planting.  If you put down a layer of newsprint followed by a layer of manure it will keep the weeds at bay and slowly break down so that it is easy to pull apart and plant in between come spring.  The decomposing newsprint and manure have the added bonus of breaking down and feeding the soil and providing a mulch to keep things moist.  Aside from amending, here are a few other things you could consider doing this month.

Upcoming Garden Events:

Jan. 8 - Saturday Workday - 9:00 AM - Noon 
Jan. 8 - Board Meeting - 9:30 AM - 6:00 AM 
Jan. 30 - Sunday Workday - 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

OVF Announcements: 

Enjoy The Winter Garden

Phase 2 gardener Karen Taylor put together this soothing video of the winter garden.  Watch and enjoy your moment of zen.  Thank you for your contribution Karen! 

 

Garden Variety Book Launch Party Date Change

If you’re excited for OVF member, gardening expert, and author Christy Wilhelmi’s deput novel “Garden Variety,” you’ll be happy to hear that the launch date has been moved up to early February.  Garden members are invited to join Christy for the book's official launch party in OVF's General Meeting Area on February 6th. You can find out more information about the event in the OVF calendar or on Facebook

Garden Variety Cover

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!