Dear Gardeners,
The harvest is really on now and even the tomatoes are starting to come in. There are many wonderful vegetables to eat now and I hope you are enjoying your meals after the hard work. The rains have come at good times this year but now it is getting a little drier. Be sure to mulch to conserve water and keep the roots at even moisture. Still time to plant fall crops in any open spaces.
This Sunday, August 2, we will have a workday at University Houses from 8 am to 11am to work on paths and common areas. Please reply if you would like to work this opportunity and I will get you more information. We will have workdays quite late into the fall but please remember that you need to meet your workday obligation by Dec. 1 (by working or paying the "no workday option" fee.
An event you might be interested in is coming up. There is a national and international movement to protect open-pollinated and heirloom varieties of vegetables and other food crops. Here in Madison, there will be a conference , a three day event sponsored by the Department of Horticulture. They invite farmers, gardeners, and curious eaters to Organic Seed School on August 9
Register by August 6! There is a fee, but there are meals involved. More information at
http://www.soseeds.org/
This is a great local opportunity to learn about seed programs and the importance of evaluating varieties for organic and home production.
The cranes have been sighted with an offspring so keep your eyes open in the gardens. The "colt" is so cute at this age. The parents might be extra protective so please move slowly around them.
Finally, I hope that some of you will consider serving the gardens as co-chairs. (Send a statement of interest by August 8). More information is available on our website under the email archive in the left column. We really appreciate the work it takes and how many volunteers contribute to making the gardens function.
Happy eating!
Gretel, Garden Registrar