From the Registrar: July 8, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

 
July Garden Committee meeting: This month’s committee meeting will be today, Wednesday, July 8th at 7 pm. The Gardens are run by a volunteer committee, and all gardeners are welcome to participate. The committee meets via Zoom on the second Wednesday of each month at 7 pm. Join via this link: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/92582024098?pwd=Uy9iQXZMK1dzNmZJRFY2c09xakdTdz09

Garlic harvesting: July is the usual month for harvesting most varieties of garlic here. It will often be mid to late July, but some garlic is ready now, and this is a good time to check. 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, and mature garlic is left in the soil, it can rot. It can be hard to tell when garlic is ready. A good metric to go by is harvesting when the plants are half brown. Another way to check is to dig up one bulb and see if it looks mature.

 
Once garlic is harvested, it should be cured for storage. Garlic stalks should be left attached for the drying process. Leave garlic spread out in a shaded, cool, well-ventilated area until it is completely dry. Hanging garlic upside down for curing if it has been rainy recently can help ensure that the bulbs dry well.

Fence etiquette: There are many fences in the Gardens, and this is ok if they are well-maintained. However, many fences in the gardens are overgrown with weeds. Invasive plants like bindweed can cover a fence in a short time, and fences need to be weeded frequently. If you have climbing plants like squash, please make sure they stay in your plot and don’t climb over a fence or into your neighbor’s 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/organic-growing

From the Registrar: July 1, 2026

Hello Gardeners,

Garden jury: Due to the holiday, the garden jury will be moved to Sunday this week. There will be a garden jury at each garden this Sunday, 7/5 at 8 am. There will be two groups at EH and one at UH, each with four volunteers. The groups will meet at the sheds. Please consider volunteering for a jury. Reply to this email if you would like to sign up for Sunday. 

• The garden jury is a jury of peers that assesses plot conditions. The juries report plots that appear excessively weedy or abandoned. There are four gardeners on each jury. The weed juries also remove communal tools and carts left behind plots.

• Juries are scheduled every other weekend. Garden jury is counted as workday time. Gardeners can sign up for three jury sessions or combine jury time with alternative independent workday time for their three-hour workday requirement.

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.

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, particularly native plants, can have difficulty growing in these conditions. 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 pile and have now 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.

Although jumping worms pose some problems, don’t let them discourage you from gardening! Fortunately, we have not had many reports from gardeners about issues. There is research being done, and for now, the top priority 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