Hello Gardeners,
Closing day extended and leaf mulch update: Closing day at the gardens will be extended a week. It will now be Sunday November 12th. We have just learned that leaf mulch deliveries can be expected to begin next week but most of the deliveries will be in mid-November. We will ensure that carts and tools are available for those that want to spread leaf mulch on their plots once it arrives.
Freeze warning: There is a freeze warning for tonight. If you still have plants that are sensitive to cold, today is the day to harvest everything and bring it indoors. The forecast after today only looks colder, and we may get some snow in the next week.
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/org
Friday, October 27, 2023
Thursday, October 19, 2023
From the Registrar: October 19, 2023
Hello Gardeners,
2024 Garden registration fees: Due to increased operating costs the registration fees for Eagle Heights and University Houses Community Gardens will be going up in 2024. The increases are more substantial for UW staff, alumni, and community members. We have increased the fees for UW apartment residents and students at a lower rate. It is our priority to support these residents and students in the gardens and provide the lowest fees to those who need them. Eagle Heights and University Houses Gardens are funded by plot registration fees. We must be able to meet operating costs, and fees have not increased since 2011.
To apply for a garden plot as a student, you must meet the same criteria that UW Apartments uses to determine residency eligibility for students. From their website:
Closing day: Closing day at the gardens will be Sunday November 5th. Most of the tools and carts will be put away for the season at this time, but we will leave a few things out for gardeners that want to continue working in their plots. Please make sure that you do not have any community tools in your plot.
Portable Toilets: The portable toilets will be picked up from the gardens next week and they will be brought back in March of next year.
Reminder about applying for 2024: Please put the renewal deadline for 2024 on your calendar now. It will be February 15th, 2024. If you want to renew your plot for 2024, you must turn in an application by this day at the latest. All gardeners must fill out an application every year. I will send more reminder emails when the applications are available and again before the renewal deadline. Late applications have to be treated as new applications, so please do not miss the deadline if you want to keep your plot.
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/org
2024 Garden registration fees: Due to increased operating costs the registration fees for Eagle Heights and University Houses Community Gardens will be going up in 2024. The increases are more substantial for UW staff, alumni, and community members. We have increased the fees for UW apartment residents and students at a lower rate. It is our priority to support these residents and students in the gardens and provide the lowest fees to those who need them. Eagle Heights and University Houses Gardens are funded by plot registration fees. We must be able to meet operating costs, and fees have not increased since 2011.
To apply for a garden plot as a student, you must meet the same criteria that UW Apartments uses to determine residency eligibility for students. From their website:
“In order to live in University Apartments, graduate students must carry a minimum of two credits per semester for an academic year. If a student is a dissertator, three credits per semester for an academic year are required. Undergraduate students (with families) must carry a minimum
of six credits per semester for an academic year”.
Students should submit a course schedule with their garden application. Applicants may appeal to the Garden Committee regarding their student status.
The no-workday fee will also increase for all groups. Please see this chart for new fee details:
Application fee per plot as follows (status of primary gardener):
Large plot
Small plot
Eagle Heights, University Houses, and Harvey Street Residents*/UW Students*
$38
$26
UW Faculty and Staff/ UW Alumni/ Community Members (everyone else)
$74
$57
No Workday Option (per plot in addition to the above fee)
$45
$45
Portable Toilets: The portable toilets will be picked up from the gardens next week and they will be brought back in March of next year.
Reminder about applying for 2024: Please put the renewal deadline for 2024 on your calendar now. It will be February 15th, 2024. If you want to renew your plot for 2024, you must turn in an application by this day at the latest. All gardeners must fill out an application every year. I will send more reminder emails when the applications are available and again before the renewal deadline. Late applications have to be treated as new applications, so please do not miss the deadline if you want to keep your plot.
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/org
Friday, October 13, 2023
From the Registrar: October 13, 2023
Hello Gardeners,
I hope that everyone has had a productive and enjoyable gardening season! It’s coming to a close, but there are still some things that can be done this year.
Putting your garden to bed: It’s time to put the gardens to bed for the season. You can start by pulling out plants and weeds and taking them to the weed pile. Spreading mulch over your plot after the plants are cleared will help protect it from erosion and add organic matter to the soil. Try to avoid stepping on the beds when you remove plants, to prevent compacting of the soil. Remove as much dirt as possible from the roots of plants before taking them to the weed pile. Not only are we not supposed to have dirt in the weed pile, but it is also not good for your garden to remove it from the plot. Also, please remember that NO PLANTS ARE ALLOWED IN THE DUMPSTERS.
Leaf mulch: We are expecting deliveries of new leaf mulch any day now. UW Housing and the Village of Shorewood will be bringing some to both garden sites. I do not believe that we will be able to get any horse manure this year.
Water: The water in the gardens will be shut off by the UW plumbers sometime in the next week and will not be turned on again until the spring.
Garlic planting: Mid to late October is the best time to plant garlic in Wisconsin. It's possible to plant it in the spring, but it won’t do as well. If you plant it in the fall, it can begin to grow right away in the spring and take advantage of a longer growing season. Garlic should be planted late enough in the fall that it won’t grow shoots. You can get garlic cloves for planting at a garden store or a Farmers' Market. It’s better not to plant garlic from the grocery store unless you can be certain it hasn’t been treated in any way. There is some helpful information on planting garlic in the garden manual on our website:
http://www.eagleheightsgardens.org/tips/garden_manual_v_1.12.pdf (page 80)
Workday cleaning up an individual plot: If you still need to do a workday and would like to help put a garden to bed, please consider this opportunity on Saturday 10/28 from Noon-3pm. Two volunteers are 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/
I hope that everyone has had a productive and enjoyable gardening season! It’s coming to a close, but there are still some things that can be done this year.
Putting your garden to bed: It’s time to put the gardens to bed for the season. You can start by pulling out plants and weeds and taking them to the weed pile. Spreading mulch over your plot after the plants are cleared will help protect it from erosion and add organic matter to the soil. Try to avoid stepping on the beds when you remove plants, to prevent compacting of the soil. Remove as much dirt as possible from the roots of plants before taking them to the weed pile. Not only are we not supposed to have dirt in the weed pile, but it is also not good for your garden to remove it from the plot. Also, please remember that NO PLANTS ARE ALLOWED IN THE DUMPSTERS.
Leaf mulch: We are expecting deliveries of new leaf mulch any day now. UW Housing and the Village of Shorewood will be bringing some to both garden sites. I do not believe that we will be able to get any horse manure this year.
Water: The water in the gardens will be shut off by the UW plumbers sometime in the next week and will not be turned on again until the spring.
Garlic planting: Mid to late October is the best time to plant garlic in Wisconsin. It's possible to plant it in the spring, but it won’t do as well. If you plant it in the fall, it can begin to grow right away in the spring and take advantage of a longer growing season. Garlic should be planted late enough in the fall that it won’t grow shoots. You can get garlic cloves for planting at a garden store or a Farmers' Market. It’s better not to plant garlic from the grocery store unless you can be certain it hasn’t been treated in any way. There is some helpful information on planting garlic in the garden manual on our website:
http://www.eagleheightsgardens.org/tips/garden_manual_v_1.12.pdf (page 80)
Workday cleaning up an individual plot: If you still need to do a workday and would like to help put a garden to bed, please consider this opportunity on Saturday 10/28 from Noon-3pm. Two volunteers are 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: September 26, 2023
Hello Gardeners,
Gardening in 2024: Every year, all gardeners must reapply for their garden plots if they want to keep them for another season. If you’re interested in gardening again in 2024, please make a note that the deadline to apply for renewal will be February 15th. Applications will be available beginning December 15th. I will send out a reminder email when applications come out, and again before the February 15th deadline. Any un-renewed plots will be assigned to new gardeners after Feb 15th, and by that date there will already be a long list of new applicants. If you know now that you do not plan to renew your plot, please let me know.
Please remember that only assigned gardeners from 2023 will be eligible to renew a plot for 2024. If there is someone gardening in your plot with you now that would like to renew the plot for next year you must make sure they are listed as the secondary gardener BEFORE December 15th. If I receive a renewal application from someone that was not previously assigned to the plot, I cannot renew it for them.
Additionally, for gardeners applying to renew plots in 2024, a workday for this year must either be done, or the no-workday fee paid to be in good standing for renewal.
Workday opportunities:
Gardening in 2024: Every year, all gardeners must reapply for their garden plots if they want to keep them for another season. If you’re interested in gardening again in 2024, please make a note that the deadline to apply for renewal will be February 15th. Applications will be available beginning December 15th. I will send out a reminder email when applications come out, and again before the February 15th deadline. Any un-renewed plots will be assigned to new gardeners after Feb 15th, and by that date there will already be a long list of new applicants. If you know now that you do not plan to renew your plot, please let me know.
Please remember that only assigned gardeners from 2023 will be eligible to renew a plot for 2024. If there is someone gardening in your plot with you now that would like to renew the plot for next year you must make sure they are listed as the secondary gardener BEFORE December 15th. If I receive a renewal application from someone that was not previously assigned to the plot, I cannot renew it for them.
Additionally, for gardeners applying to renew plots in 2024, a workday for this year must either be done, or the no-workday fee paid to be in good standing for renewal.
Workday opportunities:
- Tomorrow, Wednesday 9/27 there will be two workdays:
- 10am-1pm, University Houses, weed whacking, two volunteers needed
- 2pm-5pm, Eagle Heights, weeding, five volunteers needed
- On Thursday 9/28 there will be a workday at University Houses:
- 12pm-3pm, weed whacking, two volunteers needed
- On Friday 9/29 there will be a workday at University Houses:
- 12pm-3pm, weed whacking, two 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/
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: September 14, 2023
Hello Gardeners,
Tomato tasting: Thank you to everyone who participated in the tomato tasting! Over 32 varieties of tomatoes were brought by gardeners and sampled by gardeners. It was a lot of fun and many people left with new ideas of varieties to grow next season. We hope to have the event again next year. Here is a list of the tomatoes that were sampled with a few comments from the tasting (I have tried to make a note of all varieties, and a few crowd favorites are in bold):
Black Krim, Amish Paste, Brandywine, Centiflor, San Marzano (a classic), Celebrity, Sungold, Harry’s Heritage, Grape, Solar Flare (people found this less acidic), German Johnson, Japanese Black Trifele (flavor is great but the large core can be annoying), Juliet, Momotaro (great flavor and texture), Rose de Bern, Currant, Super Sauce Hybrid, Chocolate (great flavor “almost has a bit of chocolate flavor” “almost like a mole sauce”), Garden Treasure (“surprisingly good for a UFlorida hybrid. beautiful color, good flavor”), Black Velvet, Big Boy, Better Boy, Brandysweet, Green Zebra, Latch, Blush, Indigo Cherry, Mariano Hybrid, Sunrise Bumblebee, Cherry, Opalko, and a few mystery varieties.
Weedy borders: There are quite a few plots that look very well-tended on the interior but have tall weeds going to seed on the edges. Please remember to keep your garden cleared all the way to the border, and don’t allow weeds to go to seed and spread. If you’re unsure about your borders, please let me know.
Workday opportunities: There are a few workday opportunities next week. Please reply if you’re interested and I’ll assign spots in the order I receive replies.
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/
Tomato tasting: Thank you to everyone who participated in the tomato tasting! Over 32 varieties of tomatoes were brought by gardeners and sampled by gardeners. It was a lot of fun and many people left with new ideas of varieties to grow next season. We hope to have the event again next year. Here is a list of the tomatoes that were sampled with a few comments from the tasting (I have tried to make a note of all varieties, and a few crowd favorites are in bold):
Black Krim, Amish Paste, Brandywine, Centiflor, San Marzano (a classic), Celebrity, Sungold, Harry’s Heritage, Grape, Solar Flare (people found this less acidic), German Johnson, Japanese Black Trifele (flavor is great but the large core can be annoying), Juliet, Momotaro (great flavor and texture), Rose de Bern, Currant, Super Sauce Hybrid, Chocolate (great flavor “almost has a bit of chocolate flavor” “almost like a mole sauce”), Garden Treasure (“surprisingly good for a UFlorida hybrid. beautiful color, good flavor”), Black Velvet, Big Boy, Better Boy, Brandysweet, Green Zebra, Latch, Blush, Indigo Cherry, Mariano Hybrid, Sunrise Bumblebee, Cherry, Opalko, and a few mystery varieties.
Weedy borders: There are quite a few plots that look very well-tended on the interior but have tall weeds going to seed on the edges. Please remember to keep your garden cleared all the way to the border, and don’t allow weeds to go to seed and spread. If you’re unsure about your borders, please let me know.
Workday opportunities: There are a few workday opportunities next week. Please reply if you’re interested and I’ll assign spots in the order I receive replies.
- On Monday 9/19 from 2pm-5pm there will be a weed whacking workday at University Houses, two volunteers needed
- On Tuesday 9/20 from 9am-12pm there will be a weeding workday and Eagle Heights, five volunteers needed
- On Tuesday 9/20 from 1pm-4pm there will be a stump-digging workday at Eagle Heights, five volunteers needed
- On Wednesday 9/21 from 9am-12pm there will be a stump-digging workday at Eagle Heights, five volunteers needed
- On Wednesday 9/21 from 1pm-4pm there will be a weed-whacking workday at Eagle Heights, two volunteers needed
- On Thursday 9/22 from 2pm-5pm there will be a weed whacking workday at University Houses, two volunteers needed
- On Friday 9/23 from 9am-12pm there will be a border-clearing workday at Eagle Heights, five volunteers needed
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/
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