From the Gardens Registrar: Eagle Heights Drive Re-Paving; Parasitic Wasps At Last; Organic Gardening; What to Plant in August; Seed-Saving Workshop; Workday

Hello Gardeners,

EAGLE HEIGHTS DRIVE RE-PAVING – The street re-paving project is going well. The south lane of the street is being paved today. If the weather cooperates and they can stay on schedule, the last of the work will be finished next week, and the street will be re-opened on Friday, August 11. I know this project has been a great nuisance to EH gardeners, (and worse for EH residents), so we are all looking forward to its completion, and to having a nice new Eagle Heights Drive to drive and park on.

PARASITIC WASPS – There were many delays in bringing parasitic wasps to our gardens to save our bean plants from bean beetles. But the wasps finally arrived this week, and have been placed in a handful of plots at both gardens. The wasps will hatch out in about a week, and we should soon be seeing fewer bean beetles. Unfortunately, these wasps will not help us with the Japanese Beetles, which are really out of control. Which brings us to…

ORGANIC GARDENING – Gardening organically is more than just gardening without chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. It is a completely different relationship with your garden. We’re not just trying to make our plants grow – we’re trying to understand, work with, and assist the natural system that our garden is part of. I talk a lot in my email messages about insect pests and diseases. Sometimes the gardens staff even has a spray or a treatment for a particular insect, particularly when there are large numbers of them. But insects and diseases are part of the natural world. There’s only so much we can control. The best way to protect our plants is to take good care of our soil, and to tend our plots carefully. Plants growing in healthy soil and not overwhelmed by weeds will be healthier and stronger and less likely to be affected by insect pests and diseases. But sometimes, despite all our efforts, our plants will still get sick, stop producing, and die. Every year, there are some wins and some losses in a garden. The failures make the successes all the more sweet.

WHAT TO PLANT IN AUGUST – This time of year, spring and early summer plants have gone to seed or dried up. So clear them away, and plant some fall crops. The best options are buying plants for cabbages and their relatives, and planting seeds for greens, herbs, and root crops, such as beets and carrots. Here are two very informative websites on when, how, and what to plant in August:

http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/wi/newsletter-stories/plan_the_fall_vegetable_garden/

http://wimastergardener.org/article/refresh-your-vegetable-garden-for-a-fall-crop/

SEED-SAVING WORKSHOP - Lakeview Library is hosting a seed saving workshop on Tuesday, August 8, at 6:30pm. The library is located at 2845 North Sherman Avenue on Madison's north side (in the same shopping center as Willy Street Coop north). There’s no fee or registration for this program. A certified Master Gardener Volunteer from the Dane Co. UW-Extension will focus this presentation on saving vegetable seeds, as well as flowers.

WORKDAY – This weekend’s workday will be Saturday, August 5, at University Houses Gardens, from 8am – 11am. The task will be path and weed pile maintenance. Here’s the link to sign up:  http://doodle.com/poll/mdi535e9c76ptp8v  As always, a hat, gloves, and a water bottle are highly useful.

Happy gardening,

Kathryn