Hello Gardeners,
ARE YOU GIVING UP YOUR
GARDEN PLOT? – If you know that you
will not be gardening with us again next year, please let me know this fall. It
really speeds up the application process when I can start out with a list of
plots I know are going to be empty for the coming year. If you haven’t made up
your mind yet, that’s okay – just be sure to make your decision by February 15,
which will be the deadline for renewing for 2020.
CLEAN UP BEFORE YOU LEAVE – If you aren’t returning to your plot next year,
please clean it up before you go – pull out dead vegetables and weeds, take
them to the weed pile, and put some leaf mulch down on the plot. (If you’re at
the garden that has some.) Please leave your plot looking the way you would
like to see it if you were going to start gardening in it in the spring. Often,
when people are assigned to weedy plots, they are never able to get them in
good shape, and get so frustrated that they give up long before the end of the
season. And then the plot may just get worse and worse. Break this cycle.
WORKDAYS
AND WORKDAY FEES –
We will probably still have a few more workdays before the end of the season,
depending on the weather. So if you want to work one, you have a few more
chances. But don’t put it off. If you don’t want to or aren’t able to attend a
workday, you have to pay the $32 workday fee instead. This must be in the form
of a check, made payable to UW Division of Housing. The deadline for paying
this is December 1. I cannot renew garden plots for people who have not either
done a workday or paid the fee. If you are not sure whether or not you did a
workday this year, or paid for the workday with your 2019 plot fees, please
email me, and I’ll be happy to check for you.
HOW LOW CAN YOUR VEGETABLES
GO? – I mean, temperature-wise. The
cabbage family members, lettuce, root crops, and chard can probably survive
temperatures as low as 26 degrees. Brussels sprouts and spinach can survive 20
degrees. Kale can even handle temperatures as low as 10 degrees. Many of these
vegetables actually are sweeter and better-tasting after frost.
IT’S GARLIC PLANTING TIME
AT EAGLE HEIGHTS! – Isn’t there a song
about this? Maybe not. Garlic is best planted in the fall, not the spring, and
should go in about 4 – 6 weeks before the ground freezes. You should start by loosening the soil, then
plant the individual garlic cloves 3 – 4” deep, with the pointy ends facing up.
You should then cover the bed with a thick layer of leaves or straw – this will
give the garlic a chance to grow roots before the ground freezes. Here’s one of
many websites on the topic: https://www.growveg.com/guides/growing-garlic-from-planting-to-harvest/
If you’re not planting garlic saved from your own
harvest, you can buy garlic to plant at garden centers (such as Jung’s), or
farmers’ markets. You can even plant garlic from the grocery store – buy
organic if you have a choice – some grocery store garlic may be treated with a
chemical to prevent it from sprouting.
SWEET POTATO HARVESTS – I haven’t had many replies from sweet potato
growers, but it sounds so far as though the people who did the best with these
were growing them in containers. Most people who responded weren’t terribly
successful. I’d still like to hear from gardeners who tried growing these.
WORKDAY
SUNDAY OCTOBER 20 AT UNIVERSITY HOUSES
– We will have a workday at U Houses Gardens on Sunday, from 9am – Noon. Please
meet at the garden shed. The U Houses Gardens are at the end of Haight Road,
next to Bernie’s Place Childcare Center, which is at 39 University Houses. The
task will be collecting and storing the hoses and hose reels, plus some path
work. Here’s the link to sign up: https://doodle.com/poll/xiy92cx2u5knm2bn
Happy gardening,
Kathryn
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