From the Registrar: May 29, 2024

 Hello Gardeners, 

 

Workday opportunities: There are two upcoming workday opportunities. Please reply if you’re interested and I’ll assign spots in the order I receive replies.  

 

• On Friday 5/31 there will be a workday at University Houses from 12-3 pm. Four volunteers are needed.  
• On Saturday 6/1 there will be a workday at Eagle Heights from 9 am-12 pm. Six volunteers are needed.  

 

The workdays will involve weed whacking, brush removal, and weeding. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves. The groups will meet at the sheds at each site. 

 

Thistles: Please look around your plot for Canada Thistle and pull up any plants you see. They have not started to bloom yet, but they will soon. Once they bloom, they will go to seed and spread. Canada Thistles are very invasive here, and are not only a problem for the Community Gardens, but for the neighboring Nature Preserve and Biocore Prairie. Only organic methods are permitted at Eagle Heights and in the A and B rows at University Houses. This means no chemical herbicides are allowed there for control. There are some photos of Canada Thistles here to help with identification: 

https://blogs.cornell.edu/weedid/canada-thistle/ 

For the last couple of years, we have had a few people act as “thistle monitors” to keep the Canada Thistle at bay in the communal areas between weeding workdays. Let me know if you’re interested in doing this for your workday. Volunteers work independently to pull thistle from areas like the blackberry patch and borders. 

Standing water: Please turn containers upside down in your plot so they don’t collect rain. Standing water in plots will increase the mosquito population in the gardens by providing a place for them to lay eggs. With all the recent rain, there are many containers full of water throughout the gardens. 

 

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: May 22, 2024

 Hello Gardeners, 

Workday opportunity: There will be a workday at Eagle Heights Garden this Friday 5/24, from 9am-12pm. The workday will be weeding and mulching fruit plantings. Six volunteers are needed. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves for thistles. The group will meet at the EH garden shed at 9 am. Email me if you’re interested, and I will assign spots in the order of replies. 

 

Continuing weed pile issues: Last weekend, multiple cart loads of soil were dumped at the Eagle Heights weed pile and wooden poles and sticks were added to the pile. The pile is also now extending out into the path and surrounding area. The weed pile at EH should stay behind the concrete barriers. The blue stick barrels have been moved further to the side where the sticks should go to make it clearer that they are separate. 

 

Signs have been posted at both gardens about the weed pile rules. I included a couple of photos below this message. Please only dump weeds in the weed piles, and only dump them in the designated areas.  

 

Row cover still available: If you missed the row cover sales but you would still like to buy some, please let me know. We have plenty of row cover! The pieces are approximately 7 ft x 20 ft and they are $5 each, cash only. Row cover is very useful for protecting seedlings.  

 

Parking at University Houses Gardens: Apartment Facilities has let us know that they will be using the parking lot at UH during business hours for a short period while they have parking lots resurfaced. The start date was not certain, but it will only last 7-10 days.  

Message from Kristen at Blue Moon Community Farm:  

“Thanks so much from Blue Moon Community Farm for visiting our Plant Sale at the garden!  We ran out of a few items more quickly than we thought, and so if you are still looking for some items, consider visiting our stand at the Westside Community Market (505 S. Rosa Rd.) Saturdays 7am-12:30!  Mention that you are an Eagle Heights gardener and you will receive the special pricing that we offered at the garden.  If you are looking for particular plants, feel free to send an inquiry to kristen@bluemooncommunityfarm.com” 

Thanks, and happy gardening,     

Lily     

 

 

Soil dumped in and around the EH weed pile 

 

Sticks added to EH weed pile 

 

 

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/