From the Registrar: July 16, 2025

Hello Gardeners,  

Workday opportunity: There will be a workday this Friday, 7/18 at Eagle Heights Gardens from 9 am –12 pm. The group will meet at the EH garden shed at 9 am. Six volunteers are needed. The workday will be for weeding fruit plantings and digging out stumps. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves. Please email me if you’re interested and I will assign the spots in the order I receive replies.   

Possible drone flight Friday: The research drone flight over the Biocore Prairie has been rescheduled for this Friday if weather allows.  

Garlic harvesting: If you have not already harvested your garlic, this is a good time to do that. Most garlic varieties are ready by now. If garlic is left too long in the ground the cloves can separate from the bulbs, and they will not store well. If the ground is very wet, which it has been with all the rain, the bulbs can rot.   

Freezing beans: Green bean plants can be very productive, and you may find you’re harvesting more than you can eat. In this case, green beans can be frozen for later use. For the best result and to preserve quality and flavor, blanch them before freezing. This is a useful guide to freezing vegetables from PennState Extension: https://extension.psu.edu/freezing-vegetables    

Jumping worms: The term jumping worm refers to a number of species of earthworms in the genus Amynthas. These worms are invasive here and rapidly break down organic material. This makes the soil crumbly, and some plants can have difficulty growing in these conditions. In particular, they are a problem for native plants and forests. See this DNR article for more information:  https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives/fact/jumpingWorm 

Several years ago, jumping worms were discovered in our leaf mulch piles. At this point, they have spread throughout most of the gardens. Even if you have not seen any in your plot, it’s best not to transplant any plants out of the gardens to avoid introducing them elsewhere.  

If you find them, treating the soil with heat by covering it with plastic is most effective. If you find a portion of your garden is badly infested, this may be a good method to try. You can also put any you find in a plastic bag and throw them away.

Although jumping worms are a problem, don’t let them discourage you from gardening! Fortunately we have not had many reports from gardeners about issues at this point. There is research being done, and hopefully we will learn of more solutions soon. For now, the most important thing to do is to try to avoid spreading them out of 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: July 9, 2025

Hello Gardeners,  

Workday opportunity: There will be a workday this Sunday, 7/13 at Eagle Heights Gardens from 8-11 am. The group will meet at the EH garden shed at 8 am. Six volunteers are needed. The workday will be for weeding common areas. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves. Please email me if you’re interested and I will assign the spots in the order I receive replies.   

Theft: Unfortunately, we occasionally have reports of theft in the gardens. Often, vegetables or equipment are taken. Some gardeners have had whole plants dug up and removed from their plots. Please remember not to enter any plots besides your own, even if you think a plot might be abandoned. Contact me with any questions about plots or borders.  

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 and keep an eye on each other’s plots.  

Pollinators: Keeping an organic garden provides a place without pesticides for pollinators to live. 

• This is an excellent resource from the UW about supporting pollinators in your garden: https://pollinators.wisc.edu/ 
• This site also has good information on pollinators: https://www.pollinator.org/pollinators. 

However, some insects are not beneficial and can cause a lot of damage to crops. Here is another one to look out for: 

Squash bugs: Adult squash bugs look quite a lot like stink bugs but are narrower. The nymphs are gray with black legs. You might find them gathering together on the underside of squash plant leaves. They especially like squash (winter and summer), but will eat anything in the cucurbit family, so they might attack cucumbers and melons as well. It’s a good idea to start trying to get rid of them as soon as you see signs. Picking off the bugs and eggs and dumping them in soapy water is the best method. Some people have success with neem oil. Squash bug: https://extension.umn.edu/fruit-and-vegetable-insects/squash-bugs 

 

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: June 29, 2025

Hello Gardeners, 

 

Workday opportunity: There will be a workday this Wednesday, 7/2 at Eagle Heights Gardens from 9 am -12 pm. Two volunteers are needed. The group will meet at the EH garden shed at 9 am. The workday will be for weed whacking. Please email me if you’re interested and I will assign the spots in the order I receive replies.  

 

Creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides): This is an extremely invasive plant with a purple flower that is currently blooming. While it does have a nice flower, it will quickly take over. If you see this flower in your garden, please remove it right away and don’t allow it to flower or go to seed:  

https://extension.umn.edu/weeds/creeping-bellflower

 

Thanks, and happy gardening,    

Lily 

From the Registrar: June 25, 2025

Hello Gardeners,  

Some weed and pest reminders:  

• Some varieties of invasive weeds are beginning to flower. It’s important to remove the flowers (and ideally the plants) before they produce seeds that can spread. Please look in your plot for Canada Thistle and Bindweed plants and remove them now:  
• Canada thistle has a light purple flower: https://blogs.cornell.edu/weedid/canada-thistle/ 
• Bindweed has a small flower like a morning glory that’s white to light pink: https://authenticwisconsin.com/field_bindweed.html 

 

• Potato beetles are beginning to spread in the gardens. Please remember to check your plants and remove insects, larvae, and eggs to prevent them from spreading into neighboring plots.  

 

Don’t enter any plots but your own: Remember that you can only enter another gardener’s plot with their permission. Please also make sure that kids don’t play in or run through other gardeners’ plots.  

No harming animals: The large vole population in the Gardens is a constant problem for gardeners each year. Harming or disturbing animals is prohibited inside the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. For this reason, traps and poison are not allowed. Poisoning rodents is also very dangerous for other animals in the area that might eat them. Sound/Ultrasonic repellers for rodents are also not allowed in the Gardens.  

Recommended ways to deal with voles include:  

• Removing hiding places like weeds, brush, and containers. Keeping the ground exposed between your plants will leave the voles susceptible to predators like hawks. 
• Preventing access with fencing, wire mesh, or using raised pots.  
  
  

Drone flight delayed: The research drone flight that was scheduled for Monday over the BioCore Prairie was cancelled due to bad weather. It will be rescheduled, and I will pass that information on if I receive it in advance. 

 

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: June 20, 2025

Hello Gardeners,  

Row cover available: We have row cover available again for purchase. Please let me know if you’d like some. Pieces are approximately 7 ft x 20 ft and they are $5 each, cash only. http://eagleheightsgardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/row_cover_handout.pdf     

 

Drone flight scheduled: There will be an approved drone flight over the Eagle Heights Garden area on Monday, June 23rd between 10 am and 1 pm. Normally drones are not permitted in the Preserve, but permission is sometimes granted for research purposes. They will be mapping areas in the Biocore Prairie to the North and east of the gardens.  

 

Mulch alternatives: We have run out of leaf mulch very early at both garden sites this year. Unfortunately, we did not receive the amount of leaves that we needed last fall. We expect to receive what we need this fall, but in the meantime, we don’t have all the resources we usually have to keep weeds down. Some alternative mulches to consider are: 

• Paper bags and cardboard- These can work quite well to prevent weed growth when laid out over the soil. 
• Straw- Organic straw can sometimes be difficult to find and is not always sold in stores. There are farmers in the area that sell this though, and they sometimes advertise online.  
• Grass clippings- This can work well if there are not too many weeds in the grass that will spread to your garden. If used, grass clippings should not be spread too thickly while they are green. 
  
  

We will continue to receive deliveries of wood chips at both gardens throughout the season when they are available to us. 

UH plots available: Due to some recent cancellations, we now have some open plots at University Houses gardens. If you know of anyone that is interested in having a plot this season, please let them know. They can contact me with any questions, and applications are available here: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardeners/plot-applications/ 

 

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: June 10, 2025

Hello Gardeners,  

Workday opportunity: There will be a workday this Friday, 6/13 at University Houses Gardens from 9 am -12 pm. Four volunteers are needed. The group will meet at the UH garden shed at 9 am. The workday will be for weeding plots. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and bring gloves. Please email me if you’re interested and I will assign the spots in the order I receive replies.  

Hoses in path: Please do not leave hoses lying in the path. The garden workers need be able to get through to mow. Stopping to disconnect and move hoses at Eagle Heights and return them to the reels/stands at University Houses takes a lot of extra time. Hoses can be difficult to see in the grass and are easily cut by the mower.  

  

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/