From the Gardens Registrar: Weed Disposal; Root Balls; Jumping Worms; Tomatoes; Garlic Workshop; Two Workdays!

Hello Gardeners,

WEED DISPOSAL – The area where the weeds and leaves used to be has to be kept clear, in preparation for the big concrete pad construction coming later this fall. So don’t throw your weeds in the old place -  please place your weeds at the east end of that area, just across the road from the wood chip pile. Most people have made the switch, but it only takes a few people throwing their weeds in the wrong place, and then everybody else starts doing it.

ROOT BALLS - Also, our weed pile has to be just weeds, and no soil. When the Village of Shorewood picks up our weeds, they take them to an organic compost site. When there’s a lot of dirt in the pile, it gets rejected, and has to be taken somewhere else. (This just happened.) This is even more important now, because of the jumping worms. (see below.) So when you’re getting rid of big plants with big root balls, don’t dig them up – just cut them down, leaving the roots in the soil in your plot. This is less work for you, and it will mean less soil in the weed pile. The roots will deteriorate and rot before you plant next spring.

JUMPING WORMS – We definitely have jumping worms in our gardens, and they spread very easily. In fact, it’s practically impossible to stop them. So be very careful if you dig up plants in your plot and move them to your home garden – that’s a good way to spread worms. And of course, be careful if you’re sharing plants with friends in the gardens. These worms are very destructive to soil, due to their feeding habits and their large numbers. Unfortunately, they do survive our winters, and they have no real predators – apparently, they taste yucky, even to toads. Here’s an article on research done at the UW: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160908171315.htm

TOO MANY TOMATOES? – If you’re over-run with tomatoes, take a look at these recipes and ideas, and try some out. However, please do not throw your tomatoes at other people (a suggestion at the end of the list, for the truly desperate): http://whoonew.com/2013/08/things-to-do-with-tomatoes/

 

GARLIC WORKSHOP - On Saturday, September 23, Gary, the Eagle Heights Garlic Czar, will offer his yearly talk about how and when to plant fall garlic. The title will be, “Why It Is Best to Plant Garlic After October 5 This Year.” This will take place at 10am near the Eagle Heights Shed.

TWO UPCOMING WORKDAYS –  FRIDAY AND SATURDAY – We will have a workday this Friday afternoon, September 22, from 4pm – 7pm at University Houses Gardens, which is at the end of Haight Road. The task will be continuing path maintenance. Here’s the link to sign up for the Friday afternoon at University Houses: https://doodle.com/poll/b6n9z4nkzyxqwpdc

We will also have a workday on Saturday, September 23, 8am – 11am, at Eagle Heights. The task will be clearing weeds and debris from the tree line. Here’s the link to sign up for the Saturday morning at Eagle Heights:  https://beta.doodle.com/poll/4nzcd33dnhxeixaf

Remember, gloves, a hat, and a water bottle are always useful. If you have trouble signing up for a workday, you are welcome to just show up. For most tasks, we don’t really have a limit on participation. Just be sure to put your name and plot number on the workday sheet so you get credit for participating.

Happy Gardening and Happy Autumn Equinox on Friday,

Kathryn