From the Registrar: August 1, 2025

Hello Gardeners,  

Workday opportunity: There will be a workday next Wednesday, 8/6 at Eagle Heights Gardens from 9 am –12 pm. The group will meet at the EH garden shed at 9 am. Ten volunteers are needed. The workday will be for weeding and weed whacking 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.   

No unattended use of water permitted: Please remember that you must be present while watering your garden. This means no sprinklers left running if you are not at your plot. Leaving a sprinkler running prevents other gardeners in the community from using the spigot. It’s also more efficient to water in person. Much of the water that comes out of a sprinkler evaporates, especially if it’s running during the hot part of the day. Overhead watering is also more likely to spread plant diseases. The most effective way to water your garden is to soak it close to the ground.   

Weeds: It has been difficult to keep up with the weeds this season. Please take the time now to remove taller and/or flowering weeds from your plot, including the sides and back. The paths and edges between plots have become overgrown in many places.  

There are a couple more plants to add to the list of things to look out for: 

• Pokeweed is native to the United States, but it is poisonous. The plants produce berries that will spread many more pokeweed plants throughout the garden and surrounding areas. Wearing gloves is recommended when removing plants. Berries should be bagged and thrown away, so they do not re-seed. Photos here: https://mbgna.umich.edu/post/blog/native-plant-week-american-pokeweed 

 

• Giant Foxtail is an invasive grass and there is a lot of it in the gardens, particularly between plots. Photos here: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/wisconsin-weed-identification-giant-foxtail-setaria-faberi/ 

 

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 30, 2025

Hello Gardeners,  

Workday opportunity: There will be a workday this Sunday, 8/3 at University Houses Gardens from 8 am –11 am. The group will meet at the UH garden shed at 8 am. The workday will be for weeding vacant 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.   

Velvet leaf: Velvet leaf is an invasive weed that deprives other plants of available nutrients in the soil. It is beginning to grow tall and produce flowers at this point in the season. Seeds can remain viable in the ground for many years, and they tend to come up in soil that has recently been dug. Often gardeners mistake it for squash, beans, or sunflowers and allow it to grow in plots. Please remove any you see before it produces flowers and seeds. Pictures can be found here: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/velvetleaf-abutilon-theophrasti/  

Workday reminder: Every plot is responsible for one workday or one $45 no-workday fee payment per season. If you’re not sure if you’ve done a workday yet this season, I can look it up for you. The garden workers will be scheduling more workdays, and I can also help you find an independent workday if none of the scheduled times work for you. Let me know if you have any questions about this.     

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 23, 2025

Hello Gardeners,  

Workday opportunity: There will be a workday this Sunday, 7/27 at University Houses Gardens from 8 am –11 am. The group will meet at the UH garden shed at 8 am. The workday will be for weeding vacant 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.   

Keep the paths clear: Please do not leave anything lying in the communal paths. The garden workers that mow the paths have had issues lately with piles of weeds and hoses left in the paths. This creates a lot of extra work because they must stop and move things. Also, hoses left in the path are sometimes cut by the mower.  

Tick reminder: Remember to check for ticks after you visit the gardens. Deer ticks can carry Lyme disease, and they have been found in the gardens before. For more information see the UW Department of Entomology resources on ticks: https://wisconsin-ticks.russell.wisc.edu/  

  

Rain: This has been a rainy summer, and some plants, like tomatoes, will suffer from excess water in the ground. If you notice plants wilting and the soil is holding a lot of water, you can dig trenches in the paths between the plant rows to allow water to drain. The appearance of plants wilting from excess water can look a lot like plants wilting from the soil being too dry, so as a result plants are sometimes overwatered. If you're not sure, check to see how wet or dry the soil is a couple of inches down.

Many gardeners wonder if/when they should also water their gardens by hand. With the quantity of rain we have had this season, very little watering has been needed other than watering new transplants. About 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week is a good amount for a vegetable garden. We got one inch of rain during the storm this morning. 

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 17, 2025

Hello Gardeners, 

Please dump out any standing water in your plot and store containers upside down or with a lid. With all the recent rain the mosquito population will go up, and buckets, watering cans, and dishes full of water will provide more places for them to lay eggs.  

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 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/