From the Registrar: October 14, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

 
Frost warning: The weather forecast is showing a potential frost or freeze on Friday night this week. Here is some information on the frost-tolerance of some of the more commonly grown crops in the gardens:

Plants that cannot survive a frost include: Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash (winter or summer), beans, and cucumbers.

Plants that can survive a frost include: Cabbage, kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, peas, lettuce, beets, carrots, chard, onions, spinach, and radishes. *While these are frost-tolerant, they will not survive prolonged freezing temperatures. *

A frost is possible with a temperature under 36° F. A freeze can happen under 32° F, and a hard freeze under 28° F. If you hope to prolong the growing season of any of your plants, row cover can provide some protection from colder temperatures.

Water shut-off: I have placed a work order with the UW plumbers to shut down the Garden water systems to prevent any damage in case of a freeze. Once a work order is placed, we do not have a choice about when it will be done. The Gardens are a lower priority than other plumbing on campus, so our requests are completed within a window when they are available to help. This means that the water could be off as soon as tomorrow. If you are still watering any crops, you may want to carry water in.
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: October 14, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

 
October Garden Committee meeting: This month’s committee meeting will be today at 7 pm. The Gardens are run by a volunteer committee, and all gardeners are welcome to participate. The committee meets via Zoom on the second Wednesday of each month at 7 pm. Join via this link: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/92582024098?pwd=Uy9iQXZMK1dzNmZJRFY2c09xakdTdz09

Putting your garden to bed: It’s time to begin putting the gardens to bed for the season. You can start by pulling out plants and weeds and taking them to the weed pile. Spreading mulch over your plot will help protect it from erosion and add organic matter to the soil. Try to avoid stepping on the beds when you remove plants, so you don't compact the soil. Remove as much dirt as possible from the roots of plants before taking them to the weed pile.

Garlic planting: Mid to late October is the best time to plant garlic in Wisconsin. It’s possible to plant it in the spring, but it won’t do as well. If you plant it in the fall, it can begin to grow right away in the spring and take advantage of a longer growing season. You can find garlic cloves for planting at a garden store or a Farmers' Market. It’s better not to plant garlic from the grocery store unless you can be certain it hasn’t been treated in any way. There is some helpful information on planting garlic in the garden manual on our website:

http://www.eagleheightsgardens.org/tips/garden_manual_v_1.12.pdf (page 80)

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: October 9, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

Workday opportunity: There will be a workday at Eagle Heights Gardens this Saturday, October 10th from 10 am-1 pm. The workday will be for general weeding and mulching. Volunteers should bring gloves. Please reply to this email if you’d like to sign up.

Build a leaf pile in your plot: Please consider creating a small leaf mulch pile in a corner of your plot! We are having a difficult time using up our leaf piles in the gardens and they need to be moved soon. The leaves are a great resource, and maintaining a small pile in your plot means mulch is always at hand. The leaves will also break down over time and enrich the soil in your plot.

Please do not enter other gardeners’ plots: Please remember not to enter any plots or harvest produce from any plots besides your own. Let me know if you have any questions about plots or borders.

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: September 29, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

 
Please use leaf mulch! We need to use up the remaining leaf mulch at both gardens before the new leaves are delivered in early November. The free leaf mulch is a great resource. Mulch helps the soil retain moisture and regulate temperature. Mulch suppresses weed growth, which means less time spent on weeding, and more efficient gardening. It also helps prevent erosion and improves soil health over time as it degrades and adds organic matter to the soil.

 
Offer from a gardener to harvest and donate unwanted produce: A gardener has offered to harvest unwanted produce and donate it to a local food pantry. Produce for donation would ONLY be harvested from the plots of gardeners who confirm that they want this to be done. If you are unable to or don't want to harvest produce remaining in your plot, and you would like it to be donated, please email me to confirm.

 
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: September 25, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

 
Lakeshore Nature Preserve Bioblitz: The Lakeshore Nature Preserve will be holding a Bioblitz tomorrow to catalog plants growing in the Gardens and Preserve. Please see the message below requesting gardener participation:

Hello Gardeners!

Lakeshore Nature Preserve is hosting a bioblitz this weekend (on the 26th)! The Community Gardens are an important part of the diversity of the Preserve and we would love to get data on what you are growing in your garden! If you have the time, we would love for you to either (a) send us a list of what you are growing this year and/or (b) take photos of the plants in your garden (both planted and weeds) and upload them to iNaturalist. If you can send us a list of what you are growing before October 12th, that would be great! We're hoping to compile all of the data during the week of October 12th, so knowing what you are growing would be very helpful. You can find more information about the bioblitz at our website, where you can sign up for an update about the results and also see the schedule of fun, free activities that we have scheduled for Saturday! If you have any questions, please reach out to our team at our email address (lakeshorepreservebioblitz@gmail.com).

Thank you and hope to see you in the gardens on Saturday!

Lakeshore Nature Preserve Bioblitz Organizing Team

lakeshorepreservebioblitz@gmail.com

https://lakeshorepreserve.wisc.edu/bioblitz/

Clippers found at EHG: A gardener found a pair of hedge clippers in the parking area of EH Gardens. If you think these could be yours, please send me an email and I will help get them back to you.

 
Thanks, and happy gardening,
Lily

From the Registrar: September 16, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

 
Workday opportunity: There will be a workday at EH next Monday, September 21st from 10 am -2 pm. Six to eight volunteers are needed. The group will meet at the EH garden shed at 10 am. The workday will be for digging a trench for a new water line in the 900s/1000s row. Volunteers should bring gloves. Please email me if you'd like to sign up for this workday.

Gardening in 2027: Every year, all gardeners must reapply for their garden plots to return the following season. 

• 2027 applications will open on December 15th 2026. Returning and new gardeners may turn in applications beginning that day. For new gardeners, applications are processed in the order received.

• For 2026 gardeners, the deadline to apply for renewal will be February 15th 2027. Returning gardeners in good standing have priority to return to the same plot or request to move plots.

• Renewal applications received on or after 2/16 are not guaranteed. I will try to help if I can, but after Feb 15th any plots that have not been renewed may be reassigned to new gardeners.

• If you already know that you do not plan to renew your plot, please let me know.

Only assigned gardeners from 2026 are eligible to renew a plot for 2027. If there is someone gardening in your plot with you this year and they’d like to keep the plot next year, you must make sure they are listed as the secondary gardener BEFORE December 15th 2026. Renewal applications in the name of someone not previously listed must be processed as new applications.

 
Please let me know if you have any questions about applying for next season.

Winter squash: Winter squash is ready when it turns the right color for the variety, the vines die back, and the stem is hard. Some gardeners harvest earlier to prevent pests from eating the squash, or theft, which can both be problems in our gardens. If you can wait a bit longer it will help the squash store well. Here is some information on harvesting and storing winter squash:
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/vegetables/winter-squash/winter-squash-eating-guide.html

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: September 9, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

 
September Garden Committee meeting: This month’s committee meeting will be today, Wednesday, September 9th at 7 pm. The Gardens are run by a volunteer committee, and all gardeners are welcome to participate. The committee meets via Zoom on the second Wednesday of each month at 7 pm. Join via this link: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/92582024098?pwd=Uy9iQXZMK1dzNmZJRFY2c09xakdTdz09 

Garden jury: There will be a garden jury at each garden this Saturday, 9/12 at 8 am. There will be two groups at EH and one at UH. Each group should have four volunteers. The groups will meet at the sheds. There will be two more weekend juries this season, including this Saturday. Please consider volunteering! Reply to this email if you would like to sign up for a garden jury.

The garden jury is a jury of peers that assesses plot conditions. Gardeners can sign up for three jury sessions or combine jury time with alternative independent workday time for their three-hour workday requirement.

Workday opportunities: There are two workday opportunities on Saturday. Both workdays will be for weeding and mulching. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves:

• There will be a workday at Eagle Heights Gardens (EH) this Saturday, September 12th from 8 to 11 am. The group will meet at the shed at 8 am.

• There will be a workday at Eagle Heights Gardens (EH) this Saturday, September 12th from 9 am to 12 pm. The group will meet at the UH garden shed at 9 am.

Please reply to this email to sign up for either of these workdays.

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