January 2017 E-Newsletter
Spotted around the garden:
Featured Instagram Photo of the Month: Green House Plants
Happy New Year OVF! Have you made any New Year’s resolutions yet? Maybe this is the year you make your plot the very best that it can be? Let us know your gardening goals for 2017. Remember, gardening is a great workout for both your mind and body!
Upcoming Garden Events:
Jan. 7 - Tree Pruning Class led by Tree People - 9:00 AM – Noon
Jan. 7 - Greenhouse Mini-Fundraiser - 12:30 PM
Jan. 10 - Board Meeting - 7:00 PM (Moved from Jan. 21)
Jan. 14 - Saturday Workday - 9:00 AM – Noon
Jan. 29 - Sunday Workday - 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Useful info:
- Here are some general tips for gardening in January. January is a great time to do maintenance on your plot. Weed, your path and add a layer of mulch. If your garden is looking a little sparse, the OVF greenhouse is stocked full of plants ready for the January 7th sale.
- Looking to keep the aphids away? A study at Auburn University showed that giving your plants a shower with an insecticidal soap wash with an added 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper or few dashes of Tabasco sauce once a week protected a cabbage crop better than standard chemical insecticides. Use one tablespoon of insecticide soap per gallon of water in a hose-end sprayer or siphon to wash everything in your garden. For best results, do this early in the day so that the leaves will have plenty of time to dry before nightfall.
- This is your last chance to sign up for E-Renewal of your plot. E-Renewals will be sent out January 10th. Renewing your plot online saves time and money. Please sign up today if you haven’t already.
OVF Announcements:
Green House Mini-Fundraiser and Tree Pruning Workshop
January 7th is a great day to be at the garden. Start your day at 9:00AM as Tree People presents a workshop on how to trim fruit trees. Then, stick around for our Greenhouse Mini-Fundraiser at 12:30pm. Single pots are $2 and six packs are $3. There are too many seedlings for sale to include here but you can check out a full list of plants on the website. Remember to register for the tree-pruning workshop sooner rather than later to secure a spot. The workshop is available to the general public so you are welcome to invite a friend.
Community Service Hours – So Much More Than Weekend Workdays
Just as there is more than one way to trellis a bean plant, there is more than one way to get your community service hours in 2017. If you had a hard time completing your hours last year or you just want to try something new, check out this helpful page with the different garden workgroups available to join. Garden workgroups are a great way to learn new skills and make friends. Right now there are volunteer slots for a garden graphic designer and garden compost helpers that urgently need filling.
OVF Board of Director Elections
Board of Director Elections will take place on April 8, 2017. The following positions will be up for election: Garden Master, Vice-president, Membership Secretary, Independent Project Monitor, and all the Upper Phase Representatives. If you are interested in running for one of these positions and would like to learn more, you are invited to join Frank at a “Pine Tree Chat” (under the large pine tree in phase I) either Saturday, January 21st or Sunday, January 29th from 11:00A until noon.
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!