From the Registrar August 10, 2022

Hello Gardeners, 

Eagle Heights tree island: A volunteer crew cleaned up the Tree Island at the end of the 600s row. If you’re not familiar with it, this is a spot that we share with other garden groups and there are some nice benches in the shade. If you’re looking for a place to rest or have lunch, this space is now very welcoming thanks to the group that did a workday there! Please note that the other tree island, labeled “North Tree Island” on the map, and at the end of the 700s, belongs to the Preserve, and is not open to gardeners: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/EHG-UHG-Plots-2021.pdf 

No food waste in FHKing compost or weed piles: I have been asked to inform all gardeners that no food waste can be accepted in the gardens. The FHKing gardens by Eagle Heights are run by a group of UW students, and they maintain their compost pile according to strict guidelines. The weed piles at both Eagle Heights and University Houses are only intended for weeds and other garden waste.  

Workshop ideas: If you have a skill or interest that you think would make a good garden workshop, please let me know. The committee will review all suggestions, and we hope to have some interesting classes and opportunities for gardeners to share their knowledge and ideas.  

 
Thanks, and happy gardening,  

Lily 

 

 

 

From the Registrar: Aug 2, 2022

 Hello Gardeners,   

 

Parasitized bean beetle larvae: Rather than the live, yellow larvae of the Mexican bean beetles, the larvae parasitized by the wasps are brown. Please don’t crush the parasitized larvae! These are exactly what we want to see, and more wasps will hatch from them.  

 

Theft: I’m sorry to have to include this in the update again, but there continue to be reports of theft in the gardens. Please remember not to take plants, tools, fences, or anything else from another plot. More often though, it is not fellow gardeners taking these things, but people passing through. Our gardens are a popular walking place, and this does leave them more open to theft. It’s helpful to get to know your neighbors.  

 

Too many beans? Bean plants can be very prolific, and you may find yourself with more green beans than you can eat. However, green beans can be frozen and used later. While it’s possible to freeze them raw, the result when you cook with them later may not be very good. It’s better to blanch them first to retain quality and flavor. This is a useful guide to freezing vegetables from PennState Extension: https://extension.psu.edu/freezing-vegetables   

 

Weed your fences: Please remember to keep fences weeded. There are a lot of trees growing along fences and becoming quite large. Trees are easy to remove when they’re small, but quite difficult once they become established. 

 

 
Thanks, and happy gardening,  

Lily