Hello Gardeners,
DATCP survey: A plant pathogen survey will be conducted by DATCP at the Eagle Heights Garden location. The survey will involve taking samples from randomly selected plots. If you DO NOT want your plot to potentially be included in the survey, please let me know that you would like to opt out as soon as possible. All plots that do not opt out will be in the pool for random selection. Please read the survey description below:
“The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection is conducting a vegetable crops pest survey for two plant pathogens: potato spindle tuber viroid and tomato brown rugose fruit virus. In late June or early July, two DATCP Plant Pest and Disease Specialists will visit the Eagle Heights community garden to survey and collect plant leaf samples. We will visit the garden plots once for survey and sample collection. DATCP staff will enter and collect samples from ten randomly chosen plots. These are plots where the gardener has given their permission to participate in the survey and contain either potato or tomato plants. We will collect a small amount of leaf tissue (1-2 inches) from each potato and tomato plant in that plot. We will take care to reduce the sample impact on the plants in each garden plot. After sample collection, they will be tested at DATCP's Plant Industry Bureau Laboratory for potato spindle tuber viroid and tomato brown rugose fruit virus. We will share the survey results with the Eagle Heights garden committee and the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. During our visit, we will bring fact sheets on the target plant diseases and be glad to answer questions. Funding for this multi-pest, early detection survey comes from the USDA Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey program.”
Rain Garden plant donations: Thanks to EH gardeners Doug and Jim, and the help of a work crew last Saturday, the new rain garden installation at the end of the 100s row is looking fantastic. There have been some nice plant donations, but they are still looking for a number of plants to fill the area. If you have plants from this list that you could donate, please let me know:
Jacob's Ladder
Wild Geranium
Spiderwort
Culver's Root
Swamp milkweed
Turtlehead
Mountain mint
Sedges
Purple coneflower
Black-eyed Susans
Brown-eyed Susans
Butterfly weed
Colorado potato beetles: The potato beetles have started to come out for the season. You may have seen some adults on your potato plants, but many plants are just hosting eggs right now on the undersides of the leaves. This is a great time to check your plants and destroy the eggs before they hatch. Once the eggs hatch, plants can be quickly defoliated if there are many larvae.
Potato beetles will eat anything in the Solanaceae family, including tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos, but most of the damage we see is on potato plants. The best method for controlling them in your plot is to pick them off and dump them in soapy water.
The link below from the University of Minnesota Extension has some good pictures of the beetles at each stage of life. Please remember that only organic control methods are allowed in Eagle Heights and the A and B rows of University Houses. The gardens sometimes spray Spinosad to control them, but it is too early to consider that.
Gardens seeking additional garden worker: The Garden Committee is looking to hire another garden worker. This is a part-time position doing caretaking in the Gardens and leading volunteer workdays. If you are interested, or know anyone who is, please contact the Garden Committee Co-Chairs: Jessica Pritchard (jessica.pritchard@gmail.com) and Ninja Geiger (ninja.geiger@gmail.com)
Thanks, and happy gardening,
Lily
Maintenance request form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyjHBH_xBH229AVwmqTE-2L3znGrLwn3TNJfw2ri9T01MMfA/viewform
Previous emails: https://eagleheightsgardens.blogspot.com/
Gardening resources: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardens/organic-growing/
