From the Registrar: June 3, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

There will be a garden jury at each garden this Saturday, 6/6 at 8 am. There will be two groups at EH and one at UH, each with four volunteers. The groups will meet at the sheds. Please reply to this email if you would like to volunteer for a garden jury.

• The garden juries are small groups of gardeners who walk through the gardens and report plots that appear weedy or abandoned. There are four gardeners on each jury. The weed juries also remove communal tools and carts left behind plots.

• Juries are scheduled every other week on Saturday mornings at 8 am. Garden jury is counted as workday time. Gardeners can sign up for three jury sessions or combine jury time with alternative independent workday time for their three-hour workday requirement.

Thanks, and happy gardening,

Lily

Maintenance request form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyjHBH_xBH229AVwmqTE-2L3znGrLwn3TNJfw2ri9T01MMfA/viewform

Previous emails: https://eagleheightsgardens.blogspot.com/

Gardening resources: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardens/organic-growing

From the Registrar: June 3, 2026

Hello Gardeners,


Workday opportunities: There are some upcoming workday opportunities:

• There will be a workday at Eagle Heights Gardens (EH) this Saturday, June 6th from 9-12. The group will meet at the EH garden shed at 9 am. The workday will be for weeding and mulching. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves.

• There will be a workday at University Houses Gardens (UH) this Sunday, June 7th from 8-11. The group will meet at the UH garden shed at 8 am. The workday will be for weeding and mulching. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves.

*Respond to this email if you’re interested in either of these workdays, and spots will be assigned in the order of replies.


A few reminders: 

• The water in the gardens is safe for watering plants but is not good for drinking.

• Please remember to return communal tools and carts to the shed each day after using them.

Colorado potato beetles: Potato beetles have started to appear for the season! Plants may be hosting eggs right now on the underside of the leaves. This is a good time to check your plants and destroy the eggs before they hatch. Once the eggs hatch, plants can be quickly defoliated if there are many larvae. The best method for controlling the eggs, larvae, and adult beetles in your plot is to pick them off and dump them in soapy water. Dealing with them now and throughout the season will help reduce the number in the gardens overall.

Potato beetles will eat the leaves of anything in the Solanaceae family, including tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos, but most of the damage we see is on potato plants.

The link below from the University of Minnesota Extension has some good pictures of the beetles at each stage of life. Please remember that only organic control methods are allowed.
https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/colorado-potato-beetles


Trapping voles and mice: Snap traps are now allowed in the gardens to control voles an mice. See the guidelines below regarding their use (please note the update that is highlighted).

• Traps must be placed inside a piece of PVC pipe that is 2-4 inches in diameter and at least 12 inches long to protect other wildlife like birds (and people). Covered, bird-safe mousetraps can also be purchased and are acceptable.
• Traps should be elevated off the ground to protect toads (a ramp can be added for voles/mice).
• Traps must be located in the interior of a plot, two feet from any plot borders.
• Only snap-traps are permitted. Sticky traps are NOT permitted.
• Gardeners that use snap traps assume responsibility for safely setting them up and regularly checking them. Gardeners must also safely dispose of any trapped voles or mice in the designated area by the weed pile or in an area of their plot visible to hawks and other predators.
• Traps are only permitted in garden plots. They may not be placed in common areas or anywhere in the University Apartments areas.

Thanks, and happy gardening,

Lily

Maintenance request form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyjHBH_xBH229AVwmqTE-2L3znGrLwn3TNJfw2ri9T01MMfA/viewform

Previous emails: https://eagleheightsgardens.blogspot.com/

Gardening resources: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardens/organic-growing

 

From the Registrar: May 19, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

Workday opportunities: There are three upcoming workday opportunities:

• There will be a workday at Eagle Heights Gardens (EH) this Saturday, May 23rd from 9 am-12 pm. The group will meet at the EH garden shed at 9 am. The workday will be for weeding and mulching. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves.

• There will be a workday at University Houses Gardens (UH) next Monday, May 25th from 8-11 am. The group will meet at the UH garden shed at 8 am. The workday will be for weeding and mulching. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves.

• There will be a garden jury at each garden this Saturday, 5/23 at 8 am. There will be two groups at EH and one at UH, each with four volunteers. The groups will meet at the sheds.

*Email me if you’re interested in any of these workdays, and spots will be assigned in the order of replies.

Wood chip update: As most of you are probably aware, we have run into a lot of issues getting enough wood chip deliveries to the gardens. We will begin accepting wood chips that may contain black walnut to maintain a supply for gardeners. Black walnut trees produce juglone, a chemical that can inhibit the growth of other plants. We have avoided them in the past, but this has prevented us from getting enough chips. Wood chips containing black walnut work for paths. Gardeners that want to put wood chips directly around sensitive plants could opt to age the wood chips for six months in their plots before use. I’ve made some requests and hope to get deliveries soon.

 
Standing water: Please turn containers upside down in your plot so they don’t collect rain. Standing water in plots will increase the mosquito population in the gardens by providing a place for them to lay eggs. With recent rains, there are many containers full of water throughout the gardens.

Thanks, and happy gardening,

Lily

Maintenance request form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyjHBH_xBH229AVwmqTE-2L3znGrLwn3TNJfw2ri9T01MMfA/viewform

Previous emails: https://eagleheightsgardens.blogspot.com/

Gardening resources: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardens/organic-growing

From the Registrar: May 13, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

Workday opportunity: There will be a workday at Eagle Heights Gardens (EH) this Saturday, May 16th from 9-12. The group will meet at the EH garden shed at 9 am. The workday will be for weeding and mulching. Ten volunteers are needed. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves. Email me if you’re interested, and spots will be assigned in the order of replies.

 
Plant sale this Sunday! The warm weather plant sale with Blue Moon Community Farm will be this Sunday, May 17th at Eagle Heights Gardens by the entrance from 10 am to 12 pm. This sale is for all gardeners at EH and UH gardens.

 
Here is their plant list: https://www.bluemooncommunityfarm.com/media/site/364a87f158-1773592094/blue-moon-seedlist-v2.pdf 

• Plants are $4.00 per unit (pot or 4-pack)
• Volume discount (mix and match) 6 for $22.00, 12 for $42.00, flat of 18 for $60.00
• They accept Cash, Checks, Credit Cards, and Venmo

*If you would like to purchase some row cover for your transplants, please email me.

Garden juries: The garden juries are small groups of gardeners who walk through the gardens and report plots that appear weedy or abandoned. There are four gardeners on each jury. The weed juries also remove communal tools and carts from plots.

 
This year, rather than a full-season time-commitment, garden jury meetings will be scheduled like workdays, with sign-ups sent out a few days in advance. Juries will be scheduled every other week on Saturday mornings at 8 am. Garden jury is counted as workday time. Gardeners can sign up for three jury sessions or combine jury time with alternative independent workday time for their three-hour workday requirement.

 
Cancellations: You can receive a refund if you cancel your plot assignment by the third Friday in May, which is this Friday 5/15. Cancelled plots will be reassigned to new applicants.

 

Thanks, and happy gardening,

Lily

Maintenance request form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyjHBH_xBH229AVwmqTE-2L3znGrLwn3TNJfw2ri9T01MMfA/viewform

Previous emails: https://eagleheightsgardens.blogspot.com/

Gardening resources: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardens/organic-growing

From the Registrar: May 7, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

Workday opportunities: There will be a workday at University Houses Gardens (UH) this Sunday, May 10th from 8:30-11:30. The group will meet at the UH garden shed at 8:30 am. The workday will be for weeding and mulching. Fifteen volunteers are needed. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves. Email me if you’re interested, and spots will be assigned in the order of replies.

Canada Thistle: We are hearing a lot of reports of Canada Thistle thriving in the gardens this spring. Please look around your plot for thistles and pull up any plants you see. They have not started to bloom yet, but they will soon. Once they bloom, they will go to seed and spread. Canada Thistles are very invasive here and are not only a problem for the Community Gardens, but for the neighboring Nature Preserve and Biocore Prairie. There are some photos of Canada Thistles here to help with identification: https://blogs.cornell.edu/weedid/canada-thistle/

Let me know if you are interested in being a thistle monitor for an independent workday. Thistle monitors keep the Canada Thistle at bay in the communal areas between weeding workdays. Volunteers work independently for the season to pull thistle from areas like the blackberry patches and borders for a total of three hours (this time can be divided up).

Tick reminder: Remember to check for ticks after spending time in the gardens. There have already been a number of reported ticks found this season. More information on ticks can be found here: https://wisconsin-ticks.russell.wisc.edu/wisconsin-ticks/

Thanks, and happy gardening,

Lily



Maintenance request form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyjHBH_xBH229AVwmqTE-2L3znGrLwn3TNJfw2ri9T01MMfA/viewform

Previous emails: https://eagleheightsgardens.blogspot.com/

Gardening resources: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardens/organic-growing

 

From the Registrar: April 29, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

Workday opportunities: There are two upcoming workday opportunities. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves. Please email me if you’re interested in either workday and spots will be assigned in the order of replies. 

• There will be a workday at University Houses Gardens (UH) this Sunday, May 3rd from 8:30-11:30. The group will meet at the UH garden shed at 8:30 am. The workday will be for weeding and mulching. Ten volunteers are needed.
• There will be a workday at the Peace Garden at Eagle’s Wing on Thursday, May 7th from 2:30 to 5:30 pm. Volunteers will meet at the Community Center. The workday will be for weeding, mulching, and moving topsoil. Eight volunteers are needed.

Row cover: If you’re planting transplants, they might benefit from some row cover. Row cover helps protect against transplant shock by shielding new plants from direct sun. Additionally, cool-weather plants may be frost-tolerant, but might not survive prolonged freezing temperatures, and row cover can give a little protection from this. (A frost is possible with a temperature under 36° F. A freeze can happen under 32° F, and a hard freeze under 28° F). It’s still possible to have colder weather before Spring is over. Row cover also protects small plants from pests like flea beetles. https://eagleheightsgardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/row_cover_handout.pdf

We have row cover available ($5 for a 20 x 7 foot piece). Please email me if you’d like any.

Hoses and tools in paths: Mowing of the paths has just begun, so please remember to keep all your belongings in your plot. Hoses left in the path may be mowed. At Eagle Heights your hose needs to be in your plot and disconnected from the spigot, and at University Houses it needs to be returned to the reel or post. Plants that are growing outside plot borders could also be mowed.

Communal tools: Please remember to return all communal tools to the sheds when you are done using them for the day so other gardeners can use them. Also, if they are left in the mulch piles, they can be buried, and this causes the wooden handles to rot.
Thanks, and happy gardening,

Lily

Maintenance request form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyjHBH_xBH229AVwmqTE-2L3znGrLwn3TNJfw2ri9T01MMfA/viewform

Previous emails: https://eagleheightsgardens.blogspot.com/

Gardening resources: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardens/organic-growing

From the Registrar: April 21, 2026

Hello Gardeners,


Plant sale this Sunday! The cool weather plant sale with Blue Moon Community Farm will be this Sunday, April 26th at Eagle Heights Gardens by the entrance from 10 am to 12 pm. This sale is for all gardeners at EH and UH gardens.


Here is their plant list: https://www.bluemooncommunityfarm.com/media/site/364a87f158-1773592094/blue-moon-seedlist-v2.pdf

• Plants are $4.00 per unit (pot or 4-pack)
• Volume discount (mix and match) 6 for $22.00, 12 for $42.00, flat of 18 for $60.00
• They accept Cash, Checks, Credit Cards, and Venmo

Row cover will be available during the plant sale. The pieces are approximately 7 ft x 20 ft and they are $5 each, cash only.

Water: The water was turned on today at Eagle Heights Gardens. The UW plumbers have run into a problem with turning on the water at University Houses Gardens but are trying to resolve it as quickly as possible. Our water systems are heavily used and exposed to the elements, so leaks are fairly common. Repairs are made as quickly as possible to try to limit outages. Please report any water leaks or issues with our online maintenance reporting form (see below).

*The water in the Gardens is safe for watering plants but is not considered potable.*


Maintenance reporting form: Use this form throughout the season to report maintenance issues. Using this form (rather than emailing the registrar) sends the information directly to all employees promptly. The link to this form is also on our website, and I will include it with email updates: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyjHBH_xBH229AVwmqTE-2L3znGrLwn3TNJfw2ri9T01MMfA/viewform

Use the maintenance reporting form for things like:

• Water issues: Leaks, dripping faucets, non-functioning water, etc.
• Reporting trees that need removal
• Trees fallen on plots
• Broken things in common areas

*Please note that this form is only for maintenance requests.*


Flooding in UH weed pile area: Campus Facilities and Landscape Architecture are aware of the flooding in the weed/wood chip piles at UH gardens. This is storm water runoff, and we hope to have this addressed soon to make the area more accessible for gardeners and prevent standing water.


Thanks, and happy gardening,

Lily



Maintenance request form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyjHBH_xBH229AVwmqTE-2L3znGrLwn3TNJfw2ri9T01MMfA/viewform

Previous emails: https://eagleheightsgardens.blogspot.com/

Gardening resources: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardens/organic-growing