From the Gardens Registrar: Horse Manure at Eagle Heights; Thefts; Japanese Beetles; Damselflies; NO WORKDAY THIS WEEKEND

Hello Gardeners,

HORSE MANURE – Thanks to the tireless efforts of several of our keenest gardeners, (plus the equally tireless efforts of a large group of horses), we now have a good supply of aged horse manure at Eagle Heights. The pile is next to the leaf pile. Follow your nose. (It smells good, actually.) Fresh manure can burn plants and can contain weed seeds, but composted manure is safe to use, and is a very nutritious garden fertilizer. So help yourself, and work it into your soil to feed your plants. We will also figure out a way to provide some to U Houses Gardens.

THEFTS – As always, we continue to experience thefts – both of produce and of plants. There is no way to prevent people who are not gardeners from coming in to our gardens and taking what they want. But, just as a reminder, no gardener should ever be in another gardener’s plot without that person’s permission. For any reason. Do not assume that any garden is abandoned, just because vegetables or fruits are sitting unpicked. (Email the registrar if you have a question about a garden plot.) Do not help yourself to anything in another person’s garden, such as their hose or other equipment. Also, one of our gardeners mentioned to me that someone went into their garden and rolled back their row cover, so now the vegetables they were protecting have insect damage. This may have been meant well, but the gardener did not appreciate it.

JAPANESE BEETLES – At last, the moment we gardeners have all been waiting for. The Japanese Beetles have arrived. These are beautiful and voracious insects which eat virtually everything in their paths, but which are particularly fond of raspberries, roses, grapes, and beans. They’ve been a garden pest in the United States for more than a century, and there are more and more all the time, though their populations do fluctuate some from year to year. Again, if you want to get rid of them, hand-picking them off of your plants is the best strategy. Oh, by the way, onions and their relatives repel Japanese Beetles. Also, the beetles are attracted to geraniums, but when they eat the leaves, the chemicals in the leaves make them dizzy. They fall off the plants, and often are eaten by something, or squashed by a gardener, before they get a chance to revive. Here’s some basic information on Japanese Beetles, from the University of Minnesota: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/japanese-beetles

DAMSELFLIES – There are beautiful damselflies all over the gardens these days. These are small, slender, winged insects that are relatives of dragonflies. They are predators, so they’re not interested in flowers, but in small insects such as aphids, mosquitoes, and gnats. I am seeing them particularly hovering about the many dill flowers throughout the gardens. Some of them are practically transparent, but once you start noticing them, you’ll be surprised at how many there are. Dill flowers attract a number of beneficial insects, such as ladybugs. So even if you’re overrun with dill, it’s still good to have them.

NO WORKDAY THIS WEEKEND – Take it easy in this heat.

Happy gardening,

Kathryn