From the Gardens Registrar: Upcoming Events, New Web Site, and What Does the Registrar Do?

Hello Gardeners,

Don’t forget – this Saturday, April 1, we will hold our annual Seed Fair at the Eagle Heights Community Center, from 9am – 11am.  In addition to free seeds, we will have a garden question and answer session, we’ll sell row covers, and we’ll offer garden orientations for new gardeners.

On Saturday, April 8, Gary Kuzynski, a long-time Eagle Heights gardener, will bring a batch of his actively aerated compost tea (AACT) , which will be available free at the Eagle Heights garden shed, along with directions for making your own. This tea is very beneficial for your garden soil. The event will be 9am – Noon. 

We now have a beautiful new improved website. The address is the same: http://eagleheightsgardens.org/   It’s a work in progress, but it looks much better than the old one, and we hope that once it’s all set up, it will be much easier to find information on it. 

Frequently Asked Questions Nobody Asks: What does the Registrar Do? (A multiple-choice quiz.)

       As little as possible

            Renews garden plots for returning gardeners and assigns plots to new gardeners

            Answers questions from gardeners, explains the rules, and handles disputes between gardeners

           Sends out a weekly email with garden news, reminders about the rules, information on                  plants and gardening, bad jokes, and links to questionable recipes

           All of the above

Yes, the correct answer is E. The Eagle Heights Gardens have only three employees, all very part-time: two garden workers, and the registrar. Besides plot assignments, my job is to help the gardeners by answering their questions. I’m not a master gardener (far from it), but I can answer basic gardening questions, and find web sites with more detailed information. Also, I handle disputes – if you’re having a problem with a garden neighbor, please don’t chop down their sunflowers  - contact me and I will work things out between you. 

But we employees don’t run the gardens. The gardens are actually run by the Garden Committee. All Eagle Heights/University Houses gardeners can be members of the Garden Committee, and are encouraged to do so. The Committee meets monthly, on the second Wednesday of every month, at 7pm at the Community Center. (These dates are posted on the Home Page of our beautiful new web site. (see above.))  The Committee in turn selects two co-chairs, who set the meeting agendas, run the meetings, and share decision-making with the committee. 

I hope to see everyone at the Seed Fair this Saturday.

Happy gardening,

Kathryn

From the Gardens Registrar: Opening Day on Saturday, March 25 and Seed Fair on Saturday, April 1

Hello Gardeners,

Despite the cold weather and snow this week, spring really is approaching soon. Opening Day for the gardens will be Saturday, March 25. On that day, the garden carts and tools will come out from winter storage and you’ll be able to start working in your plot (provided, of course, that the snow is gone and it’s not pouring rain.). However, water will not be turned on in the gardens until the weather is much warmer and the pipes won’t freeze. 

On Saturday, April 1, we will hold our annual Seed Fair in the gym at the Eagle Heights Community Center, from 9am – 11am. Each principal gardener with an assigned plot is entitled to 15 free packets of seeds. We will also be selling row cover (with instructions for using it), which protects young plants from pests.

When you come to the Seed Fair, you will start by checking in, and you’ll be asked for the name of the principal gardener for your plot. Then, you’ll receive a string of tickets that can be traded for seed packets of your choice.

We will also have a garden question and answer session at the Seed Fair, especially for new gardeners.

In addition, we will also hold garden orientations at the gardens themselves – at Eagle Heights Gardens, there will be orientations at Noon on April 1, and Noon on Sunday, April 2. At University Houses Gardens, there will also be an orientation at Noon on April 1 and again at Noon on Sunday, April 2.

We strongly recommend that all new gardeners attend an orientation. If you are not able to attend one on the Seed Fair weekend, please contact me, and let me know when you could attend – we will schedule more on weekdays, to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to learn what they need to know to be successful Eagle Heights gardeners.

If you are not able to attend the Seed Fair, you are still entitled to 15 free packets of seeds – again, contact me, and I can leave seeds for you to pick up at the Community Center.

Although some people start working in their gardens as soon as the frost has gone out of the ground, April is really the earliest that anything can be planted in southern Wisconsin. This is a link to a very good planting guide from our website: http://www.eagleheightsgardens.org/tips/vegetable_planting_guide.pdf

See you at the Seed Fair,

Kathryn Padorr

Eagle Heights Gardens Registrar