From the Gardens Registrar: Last Workday for the Season; Closing Day; Dates to Remember

Hello Gardeners,

FINAL WORKDAY – We will hold our last workday for the season on Sunday, November 18, from 1pm – 4pm, at Eagle Heights. The task will be removing plastic debris and collecting stray tools from plots, plus preparing the shed for shutting down. It will probably be chilly, but working will warm you up. (Last year, we were able to go later in the season with workdays, but it’s turned cold early this year, and the cold is predicted to continue, so it’s time to give it up for the year.) Here’s the link to sign up: https://doodle.com/poll/2tfa3gmu68e9kbq9

CLOSING DAY – Our Closing Day this year will be Sunday, December 2. On that day, we will round up all the tools at both plots, do an inventory, and put most of the tools and carts in the sheds. However, we always leave a few carts and tools out through the winter. We would appreciate help from a few gardeners – no, it does not qualify as a workday. Times at Eagle Heights will be 10am – Noon, and at University Houses, 12:30 – 1:30.

GARDEN CALENDAR – DATES TO KEEP IN MIND:

December 1         Deadline for paying the no-workday fee if you did not do a workday. 

(Please note – gardeners who received plots this fall are not required to do a workday.)

If you are paying the no-workday fee, please write a check for $32, payable to Division of University Housing, and drop it off at the Community Center, or mail it to Eagle Heights Gardens c/o Community Center, 611 Eagle Heights, Madison, WI 53705. If you use the drop box, please use a green envelope, or write “gardens” on the envelope, so it doesn’t get mixed up with rent payments.

December 2           Closing Day for both gardens

December 15         First day to apply for a garden for 2019. The new applications will be available on our website (http://eagleheightsgardens.org), and can also be picked up in paper form, in English and in Chinese, at the Community Center.

February 15           Deadline for returning gardeners to apply to renew the gardens they had in 2018. (New gardeners may apply for gardens at any time.)

March 23              Opening Day for 2019 (approximate date) – tools and carts will come back out of the sheds for the season.

March 30              Seed Fair at the Community Center – each garden plot will be allowed 15 free packets of seeds. Row cover will also be for sale.

This will be my last weekly message for this season. However, I will send an email out next month to remind people when the 2019 applications come out. And please email me if you have any questions about anything. I’ll still be around.

THANK YOU! – Thank you to everybody who had a garden plot this year. Thank you especially to everybody who did a workday - volunteers did a lot of great work this year. Thank you also to our garden workers, Will and Michaiah, to members of the Garden Committee and our Co-Chairs, the weed jurors, and the gardeners who take care of the Arbor Garden and other common areas. 2018 was a difficult year for many gardeners – the heavy rains flooded many plots, particularly in the 500s and 600s, and at University Houses, but even plots on the hill were damaged. The weeds grew really fast, the mosquitoes went crazy, and the voles proliferated. I sincerely hope that 2019 will be a better year for everybody.

Have a good winter.

Kathryn