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Those five new parcels now all have new tenants. The last one, way up in the north forty, Number B11, was rented out today. We have three available parcels at the moment, but it's looking like they aren't going to last much longer. Great news!
OPCG participated in the 2nd annual EarthFest - in celebration of Earth Day, last Saturday at Oak Park High School. We set up our booth in the morning and had a 2nd crew in the afternoon. We gave visitors the opportunity to plant their own organic sunflower to take home. We used up so many, an emergency run was made to Do-It for more seeds and biodegradeable pots, as well as a quick stop by the garden for more compost. Info fliers on the garden were available, as well as a sign-up sheet for those interested in coming up and playing in the dirt with us.
In case you haven't noticed, we have five new parcels at the garden. They are located in the northwestern area, near the fence. Take a look the next time you're there! The new parcel nearest the shed will be relocated to the northernmost corner by the picnic table. It's current position would get in the way of any truck attempting to back up and offload chips or compost. The remaining ones will need some leveling before they can be successfully used. With these new spaces, we will be whittling down our waiting list to nearly nothing. Now is the time to tell your friends things are looking up if they want to join us in the near future!
Because of the [very remote] possibility of secondary kill when using the bait stations for controlling rats at the garden, Rancho Simi Recreation and Parks is not comfortable with using them. We don't want hawks, racoons, coyotes, or any other non-targeted animal to be affected. Those gardeners who've been trapping rats have been helpful, but those little critters multiply faster than we can eliminate them. We're still looking for solutions.
Three months have passed since the last update. Aargh. Here's the latest, in a nutshell. We had our 2nd quarterly meeting in April. We have a bunch of new members... Welcome! Our waiting list is around 12 at the moment (But don't let that discourage you. There are always those who change their minds.) Parcels are planted and growing. The first annual application of grasshopper bait has been spread. Chips have been delivered and some have been spread in the "back forty" behind the fence on the creek side (in an attempt at discouraging those ever-present ground squirrels). Last, but not least, our Annual Potluck was, again, a big success. Great food, great company, and lots of good conversation was the order of the day. Once again, Phil and Audrey catered with fantastically delicious BBQued chicken and grilled French bread. Yum. Gardeners arrived with sides, salads, and desserts. Yum again. Here's proof: After we ate, some of us toured each others gardens. We shared ideas, suggestions, progress, and even some veggies and flowers with one another. Thanks to Madelyne for the e-vite, all those who came early to set up, or stayed late to clean up. And thanks to everyone for their great food. Maybe we should do some recipe-sharing as well!
Rain has slowed progress at the garden lately. Things are pretty wet, and according to those that are in the know, digging wet soil is not only no fun, but it's no good for the soil either. Hopefully next week will bring enough sun to dry things up enough so we can get back to what we all love... gardening! That being said, we're thinking ahead and have already ordered the infamous and much needed grasshopper bait for this spring. No kidding, a 2-incher has already been spotted (and squished). A little early, don't you think? This is the third consecutive year of bait application, so we may finally see some significant results... at least that's what "they" say.
HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY! In case you didn't see it on the home page, the answer to our "Name That Critter" quiz is Groundhog. The month-long quiz with several photos (below) and hints, brought only one correct answer. Roseanne guessed it! She also knew it goes by Woodchuck. Another name: Marmot. It's also known in the Applacian mountains as a whistle pig, because it can whistle when alarmed. Guess that makes four, not three names for the same animal. Congratulations, Roseanne!
Our January meeting was eventful. Normal business was conducted, and some important revisions were voted into the bylaws. All-in-all, a VERY interesting meeting.
December 09 meeting followup: The biggest highlight of our last meeting was the reading of new proposed (and conntroversial) revisions to our rules and regulations - and the discussion that followed. There was a decided lack of apathy among the members present regarding the use of painted wood. The proposed revisions will again be read at our MANDATORY January 21st meeting. Discussion and vote will follow. Pumpkin Patch 2009 At last, we have pictures of our 09 Pumpkin Patch. First: the unloading on Friday morning, the day before the event...
And then: On Saturday our garden had been transformed into a perfect place for picking out pumpkins. Check out the giant one we raffled off!
PUMPKIN PATCH:
July meeting followup: After a brief business meeting, our speaker (see below) gave a fantastic presentation. Steve Witherly, Ph.D. showered us with so much useful information it was mind-boggling! A couple of days prior to his visit, he sent a pdf for us all. If you missed receiving it via our email, you can download the pdf document, Organic Gardening, from Washington State University Extension. It's 32 pages on organic soil management, plant disease control, and insect management. Really good stuff. Steve's credits are too many to list here, and Vegetable Horticulture is only one of them. His Ph.D. and main interest is Human Nutrition, and he has written a fascinating book, Why Humans Like Junk Food: The Inside Story on Why You Like Your Favorite Foods, the Cuisine Secrets of Top Chefs, and How to Improve Your Own Cooking Without a Recipe. It's available for download on this page of his website. A huge thanks to Kate Frankson, who introduced us to Steve. We thoroughly enjoyed his presentation. It's great to listen to someone who loves to speak, has a wealth of information and is passionate about organic gardening!
Be prepared to learn some new tips and techniques from an expert. THE PUBLIC IS WELCOME! Let's fill the room for Dr. Witherly, a fellow Oak Park resident. SEE YOU THERE!
Sunday's Pot Luck brought many of us together for a virtual food-fest! Fellow gardener Philip catered our event with BBQ'd chicken, tri-tip, and garlic bread of superb quality. Our thanks go to both Phil and his wife for their hard work and fabulous food! He's available to cater your next event too. Contact Phil at DURANGO BBQ, pantoja@dataconscious.com. Delicious salads, pastas, side dishes and desserts were contributed in abundance by the attendees, and boy, if anybody left hungry, it was their own fault. :) Below left: Main dishes at the far end, then salads,
and sides. Below right: Desserts. Phil and Audrey of Durango BBQ supplied
the main dishes. Delicious! Thanks to Madelyne (on right in left-hand picture)
who did a great job organizing and coordinating our "2nd Annual Consecutive
Potluck." Gardeners toured each others parcels and
shared produce as well.
Our April 16th meeting with Larry Pender of Jubilee HoneyBee Company (see below) was a great success. Those of us who attended were entertained and informed. We also learned how much we didn't know about bees before, how we can attract these essential insects to our garden, and the many benefits of honey. All-in-all, everyone went away amazed, and with a far greater respect for honey bees than ever before.
THE PUBLIC IS WELCOME. Be prepared to score on some delicious honey, made by his very own bees. Featured flavors are: Avocado, Mixed Sage, Orange Blossom, and Wildflower.
Our Thursday, Feb 19th speaker, Richard Blaisdell, was fun, interesting, and VERY informative. He brought cuttings of a squirrel-rabbit-gopher-repellant plant for all who attended. He also had some great suggestions for insect treatments we hadn't thought of, and gave new organic recipes for insect sprays good for aphids, whiteflies, and a number of other "bad bugs." Companion planting, attracting beneficial insects, and border barrier plantings were also discussed. Everyone got their questions answered, and we all went home saturated with great information and filled with oreo cookies! On another subject, here are a few photos from our rainy January work day...
A big thank you to all who showed up on our work day last Saturday... in the RAIN! What a great job everyone did. For those of you who didn't participate, Roseanne will be contacting you assign you a specific job to complete your service this month. Regarding our February 19th meeting. Madelyne has scheduled Richard Blaisdell, from Sperling Nursery to give us (and anyone else who would like to come) a Presentation on GARDEN PESTS. He'll identify them, let us know what they eat, where they hide, and how we can safely deal with them. Bring a friend! The public is always welcome. Click the image to download a flier to use as a reminder, or give to someone who has to deal with those nasty little chewers!
The January meeting was a big success. Almost everyone was in attendance, or notified a board member as required. New paperwork was filled out, and our roster will be updated. Amendments/revisions were read and unanimously passed. They have already been updated here, under INFORMATION. A new passcode will be created this month. New login instructions will be emailed to everyone. Elections found us continuing with the same board of directors as 2008. Most of our other positions will also be held over from last year. Pot Luck and Pumpkin Patch committees will be determined later. Names of all of the above are in the January minutes you will receive before the next meeting. That's about it for now. Happy winter gardening!
We don't have pix from the Pumpkin Unloading Party on Friday morning. If anyone has them, please send them to Vicki's email, or click CONTACT US at the bottom of any page. Check out some of the photos we did take, on a
special
P-Patch
Press Page.
Here's the Pumpkin Patch Flier, in case anyone wants to print some for themselves, and distribute them wherever they might be advantageous. Click on the image to download the .pdf file. (No longer available.)
In case you didn't catch the "Growing Gardens" spot on our local So-Cal News, you can see it at their website HERE. It's short, but very positive - not only about Oak Park Community Garden, but about growing your own food in general.
Our 15 Minutes
(make that 80 seconds) of Fame!
Richard and Steve dug out in front of the shed and bolted on the last section of hardware cloth to foil any critters who want to make their homes under there. We had a very respectable turnout and much was accomplished! Pathways and perimiter were cleared of weeds, empty or neglected parcels were weeded and tidied up, and new members worked to get their parcels up and going. Countless bags were filled with garden debris and piled next to the fence for pickup.
Grasshopper bait was spread around the perimeter of the garden and up and down all pathways. It's late in the season, so we may not get 100% effectiveness this year. It will be interesting to see if their numbers diminish over the next couple of weeks. Don't forget to click the CALENDAR and check for upcoming events.
Thanks to those pictured on last month's GBU page. The Ugly parcel is looking significantly better - not to mention, it's no longer spreading weeds to neighboring parcels. Way to go! REMINDER: Each gardener is responsible for disposing of weeds in the proper recepticals. Our August meeting is scheduled at the regular time and place... third Thursday of the month, August 24th, 7:00pm at Mae Boyar Park. See you there.
It's official. At our June meeting on the 19th, the attending members voted on the new logo selections. (see below, May 15th). The one you see at the top of this and every web page won by a handy percentage. Our letterheads, etc. will be revised to show our new look. Also at our meeting it was decided that the July meeting be cancelled due to the number of members who will be out of town. We will meet again on August 21st. See you all there!
Our Potluck was a big success. We had a good turnout and tons of delicious food — one table full of Wood Ranch BBQ chicken & rolls, salads, side dishes, veggies, and more; another table full of a great variety of delicious desserts. We even had entertainment in the form of a water-rocket show! We were having so much fun that by the time we remembered to take pictures, most of the food was gone - and some of the people too... but here are a few snapshots. A huge THANK YOU to Madelyne and Timmie for doing such a great job with the planning, invitations, coordination and setup.
Our June meeting will include voting on our new logo. Here are the ones that made the "finals". Which one do you like? Be sure to come to the June meeting and vote for your favorite.
WORKDAY,
MARCH 29th
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Our October General Meeting is Thursday
the 15th, 7pm at Mae Boyar Park. The public is always welcome. We'll
be finalizing the last minute details on our annual PUMPKIN PATCH.
Mark
your calendar, because you'll want to come to our July 16th meeting for
sure! Our special speaker is right up our alley! We are pleased to have
horticulturist/nutritionist, Steven Witherly, PhD give a presentation
on ORGANIC GARDENING and Garden Secrets. How perfect for us is that? 
You
don't want to miss the April 16th meeting. Larry Pender, of Jubilee
HoneyBee Company in Camarillo, has agreed to speak on HONEYBEES. He'll
clue us in on why we need bees in our gardens,
how to attract them, and what's been the cause of their disappearance
the past few years.
Our Pumpkin Patch and Lemonade Stand went off
beautifully. Thanks to the committee, and all who participated in
the planning, setup, sale, and cleanup. Great job everybody! 
Fall planting is showing up everywhere in the
garden. With the weather still warm, there's still time to get some
seeds/plants into the ground for a late winter/early spring harvest.
Community
Workday
