Earth Day is about creating a sustainable future for the next generation by producing food, water, and energy organically working with nature. Plant a Food Garden where you live! Find the joy of daily small delights, delicious food and mystical insights into nature.
On Thousand Oaks Arbor/Earth Day, the Organic Garden Club was able to share the many benefits of growing an organic food garden, not only do you get food, but you can find health, peace, and happiness.
We’ve got a bug for that! Organic Garden Club members toured the various rooms at Rincon Vitova Insectaries that grow insects to protect crops and animals from insect pests and learned so much from owners Jan Dietrick and Ron Whitehurst, long time Organic Garden Club members. Beneficial insects, which are 97% of insects, are nature’s way for pest control, rather than chemical poisons. Ron is one of State leaders on the Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap to rid the state of pesticides. We then celebrated Ron’s birthday talking about organic regenerative techniques to grow food and distribute produce for the health of the planet at Nature’s Grill .
Organic Garden Club members enjoyed transplanting veggies in the new greenhouse at the Ventura County Senior Nutrition Garden that grows organic produce for the Senior Meals Program and local food banks. Christopher Fiorello, manager at this lovely 2 acre garden in Oxnard, also showed Organic Garden Club members how to prune Dragonfruit that surrounds this wonderful organic food garden and chicken coop and which weeds to pull in the pollinator native plant area. Several Organic Garden Club members arranged to come back for more volunteer gardening as they found gardening there so peaceful and restorative.
The Organic Garden Club had a wonderful Pollinator Garden Workshop with the Newbury Park High Monarch Butterfly Club and Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop given by Bill Brandt.
Organic Garden Club members were inspired and delighted with an enlightening experience at Gottlieb Native Garden in April, 2022. Susan Gottlieb graciously hosted us explaining the over 200 native plants in her Garden! Scott Logan gave us insights into the 500 species of wildlife that inhabit and visit because of the native plants in the landscape. The bird and bee houses, the amazing moth, the fabulous hummingbird dining areas, and the many water features at the Gottlieb Native Garden can inspire us to do more in our own backyards!Organic Garden Club members enjoyed a lovely afternoon in Michael Wittman’s Garden for our 2021 Holiday Potluck with lots of laughter, wonderful organic food, and delightful conversations! Organic Garden Club members had a wonderful time at the 2021 Ventura County Farm Day! Here we are tasting different honey varieties where Blue Ridge Honey is bottled in Ventura, visiting VCAAA Senior Nutrition Organic Garden, and on a tour wagon at Driscoll’s Berry Farm, where we were given blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries!
Twelve Organic Garden Club members attended the 2021 California Garden Clubs Channel Island District Luncheon held at the picnic area next to the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden.
Organic Garden Club of Ventura County Volunteer Gardening
Organic Garden Club members joined the Hands on Earth Garden Beautification Students at Newbury Park High School to plant seeds and starter plants.
Organic Garden Club Table at the Thousand Oaks Earth Day where members grew veggies from seed to inspire the community to grow food in their backyard.
The Organic Garden Club participated in the 2020 Conejo Creek Park Halloween Trick or Treat Drive Thru! Lori was a ladybug and Steve was a peanut butter spider sandwich! They gave candy and seed packets to 158 cars!
Organic Garden Club Workshops
At the Bokashi Workshop, we poured ingredients into the tubs, enjoyed getting our hands in the bokashi mix, added biochar, and finally scooped it into air sealed buckets to ferment 21 days!
Our Succulent Workshop was so much fun! Everyone made a centerpiece to take home and helped make 30 vases for the California Garden Clubs District Luncheon!
Organic Garden Club members had a wonderful day at Past President Bill Brandt’s Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop! He gave us information packed demonstrations and we pruned Sheila’s fruit trees.
The Organic Garden Club Wreath Making Workshop was a big success! We had a wonderful time and everyone made spectacular wreaths!
Club Members Visit Ventura County Farms
Organic Garden Club members had a wonderful time picking yummy organic blueberries at our November speaker, Scott Bahler’s One Acre Farm in Santa Rosa.
Organic Garden Club members visited Plant Good Seed Farm in Ojai where Quin Shakra showed us how he grows plants to collect rare heirloom seeds.
Organic Garden Club members had a fabulous tour of certified organic Buon Gusto Olive Farm in a gorgeous corner of Ventura where they get ocean breezes, surrounded by majestic mountains.
Organic Garden Club members visit Petty Farm, where Farmer Chris Sayers, who uses cover crops in the orchard to improve and protect the soil, gave us tips on growing citrus and figs.
Organic Garden Club Members Home Garden Tours
Organic Garden Club Annual Summer Potluck in Jeff Bass’ Permaculture Garden
Every year, Board Member, Lori Cameron hosts Organic Garden Club members to her fruit and vegetable garden to plant seeds for Arbor/Earth Day,!
Tour Community and Botanical Gardensand Parks
Long time Organic Garden Club member, Lillian Trevisan, lead a hike to the waterfall in Wildwood Park, Thousand Oaks.
Organic Garden Club members toured Las Flores Community Garden and were inspired by all the flowers, fruits, and veggies growing so abundantly!
Homemade International Organic Cooking
Spring Picnic Potluck at Jill’s home with organic fruits and veggies from Organic Garden Club members’ backyards and the Farmer’s Market!