From the Registrar: July 26, 2023

 Hello Gardeners, 

Parasitized bean beetle larvae: Now that the parasitic wasps have been released in the Gardens, we will begin to see them attacking the bean beetles. 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 if you find them on your beans! These are exactly what we want to see, and more wasps will hatch from them.   

Workdays: Every plot is responsible for one workday or one no-workday fee payment. I will be sending out two group emails to let everyone know what their status is. I will send one email to the principal gardeners of plots that have already fulfilled the requirement, and another email to those that have not yet fulfilled the requirement. I know that some people have tried to sign up and have missed the opportunity or the workday has been cancelled due to bad weather. The garden workers will be scheduling more workdays and I can also help you find an independent workday if none of the times work for you. Please let me know if you have any questions about this. 

Workday opportunities: There will be a few workday opportunities this weekend. Please reply if you’re interested and I’ll assign spots in the order I receive replies.

• On Saturday 7/29 there will be three workdays at Eagle Heights Gardens: 

• 8-11 AM, Weeding and chipping fruit plantings, Four volunteers needed 

• 12-3 pm, Plot clearing, Four volunteers needed  

• 4-7 pm, Weeding the buffer zone North of the 500s row, Four volunteers needed 

• On Sunday 7/30 there will be two workdays and University Houses Gardens: 

• 12-3 pm, Weeding and chipping fruit plantings, Four volunteers needed  

• 4-7 pm, Weed whacking and tool painting, Three volunteers needed 

• 
  

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/ 

From the Registrar: July 20, 2023

Hello Gardeners, 

 

Fence etiquette: There are many fences in the Gardens, and this is not a problem if they are well-maintained. Fences need to be kept weeded. They can become overgrown quickly with invasive plants like bindweed, and they need to be weeded frequently. If you have climbing plants, please make sure they stay in your plot and don’t climb over a fence or into your neighbor’s plot.   

Mexican Bean Beetles: There have been some sightings of bean beetles at Eagle Heights Gardens. The Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis) is in the same family as ladybugs, and the adults resemble an orange ladybug. The larvae are yellow and spiny: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/bean/mexican_bean_beetle.htm 

As we have in previous years, we have ordered parasitic wasps (Pediobius faveolatus) to try to keep them under control. I will distribute the wasps in the Gardens tomorrow. Please let me know if you have noticed bean beetles on your bean plants, and if you're willing to host some of the wasps in your plot. These wasps are very small and don’t sting people. 

Hoses: All hoses must be kept out of the paths so they can be mowed. Please do not leave them lying in the grass. This creates a lot of extra work for the garden workers and risks the hose being cut by a mower. Please also disconnect your hose from the spigot at Eagle Heights when you are done using it. Many people share spigots and leaving your hose attached means someone else must remove it for you to have access. If your hose is stuck and you can’t detach it, you can report it using the maintenance request form. 

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/