Welcome to the Gardens for the 2026 growing season!
Please note these important upcoming dates:
Opening day in the Gardens: Saturday April 4th
Seed Fair: Saturday April 11th from 9 am to 11 am at the Community Center
Opening day: Shared tools and carts will be available, and the portable toilets will be delivered to both gardens before opening day. Parking on Eagle Heights Drive will allow 4-hour parking for the Gardens on the south side of the street. Parking will be available in the small lot by University Houses Gardens. The water will not be on until late April/early May. Orientations for new gardeners will begin on opening day. A schedule of various dates and times will be available soon for sign-ups.
Seed Fair: Please join us for the annual seed fair at the Community Center on Saturday, April 11th from 9 AM to 11 AM! Each plot can choose 15 free packets of seeds. This is a fun community event and a great way to get your garden started. I hope to see you all there!
If you are interested in volunteering to help at the Seed Fair, please let me know and I will assign available spots. The volunteering time commitment will be from 8:15 AM to Noon.
Planting Season: Even if it is warm on opening day, there will still be a danger of frost into May that could kill many plants. Mid-April is typically when a lot of cool-weather plants go in. Refer to this guide for planting dates:
http://eagleheightsgardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/vegetable_planting_guide.pdf
If you want to start cleaning up and preparing your garden before the planting season begins, try not to walk on or disturb the soil too much while it’s still muddy. This will compact the soil, which is not good for plants. Marking your paths early in the season to avoid walking in the planting areas can help keep your soil healthy.
Start on page 38 of the garden manual for information on preparing your garden: https://www.eagleheightsgardens.org/tips/garden_manual_v_1.12.pdf
Garden waste guidelines: Many plots will need cleaning in the spring. Please make a note of where different waste should go in the Gardens so we can keep things running well:
- WEEDS/PLANT MATTER: Go in the weed piles. *Dirt, trash, and sticks cannot be put in the weed piles.
- TRASH: Goes in the trash dumpsters. If weeds and plants are put in the dumpsters, we may receive a fine.
- STICKS: Go in the stick barrels/piles. These piles are for gardeners to take sticks as plant supports. Please do not take sticks out of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve surrounding the Gardens.
Plots available: We still have some openings at both EH and UH gardens. If you know anyone that is interested in having a plot this season, please share the application with them, or refer them to me with questions. https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardeners/plot-applications/
Thanks, and happy gardening,
Lily
