From the Gardens Registrar: Garden Juries; Cutworms; Toads; Thistles; Potato Beetles; Workday

Hello Gardeners,

GARDEN JURIES – Garden Juries have started, and will continue to take place throughout the summer, at both Eagle Heights and at University Houses. The jurors are volunteers from among our fellow-gardeners, and they will be walking through the gardens looking at plots. They are looking particularly for plots that are unworked and may have been abandoned, and for plots with tall weeds, particularly noxious weeds such as thistles. The purpose in doing this is to try to fix problems as soon as possible. Gardens that have been abandoned can be reassigned to new gardeners on the waiting list, rather than just sitting there getting weedier and weedier. Gardeners who have tall weeds in their plots may need to be pushed to clear them before they get really out of hand.  Also, gardeners who are overwhelmed can get help in caring for their plots, if they just let the Registrar know.

The point to all of this is not to kick people out of the gardens. We just want to make sure that garden plots are being cared for, which benefits everybody in our garden community. If your garden gets a plot notice, please contact me right away. 

CUTWORMS – A number of gardeners have reported finding their vegetable seedlings cut off neatly at or near the level of the soil. We have a great many animals living and feeding in the gardens, and I don’t know what specifically attacked a particular vegetable. But I think cutworms may be one of the predators. Cutworms are the caterpillars of a number of moths, and they’re active in the spring. Here’s some information from the University of Minnesota Extension – organic gardeners should ignore the pesticide information at the bottom of the article: http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/cutworms-in-home-gardens/

TOADS – Fortunately, toads love to eat cutworms. The toads in our gardens are American Toads, and they eat worms, insects of all sorts, spiders, grubs, centipedes, all sorts of invertebrates. If you have a toad in your garden plot, you are very lucky. Here’s some basic information on toads: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/Herps.asp?mode=detail&spec=AAABB01020

THISTLES – Unfortunately, toads do not eat thistles. The thistles are terrible in our gardens this year. If you have thistles, please dig them up now, and prepare to keep digging them up until you’re really rid of them. They won’t go away by themselves, alas.

POTATO BEETLES – We are getting early reports of potato beetles on potato plants. If you spot any on your plants, please let me know. We’ll keep track of where they are in the gardens, and there’s an organic spray we can apply if we get a serious infestation.

WORKDAY –This weekend’s workday will be Sunday afternoon, 2pm – 5pm, at Eagle Heights. The task will be (wait for it) battling thistle in the tree rows, by chopping it down with hoes – should be comparatively easy, with no bending or pulling. Here’s the link to sign up:  http://doodle.com/poll/upu923iubtn9985m

Happy gardening,

Kathryn