From the Registrar: June 14, 2023

Hello Gardeners,

DATCP survey: A plant pathogen survey will be conducted by DATCP at the Eagle Heights Garden location. The survey will involve taking samples from randomly selected plots. If you DO NOT want your plot to potentially be included in the survey, please let me know that you would like to opt out as soon as possible. All plots that do not opt out will be in the pool for random selection. Please read the survey description below:

“The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection is conducting a vegetable crops pest survey for two plant pathogens: potato spindle tuber viroid and tomato brown rugose fruit virus. In late June or early July, two DATCP Plant Pest and Disease Specialists will visit the Eagle Heights community garden to survey and collect plant leaf samples. We will visit the garden plots once for survey and sample collection. DATCP staff will enter and collect samples from ten randomly chosen plots. These are plots where the gardener has given their permission to participate in the survey and contain either potato or tomato plants. We will collect a small amount of leaf tissue (1-2 inches) from each potato and tomato plant in that plot. We will take care to reduce the sample impact on the plants in each garden plot. After sample collection, they will be tested at DATCP's Plant Industry Bureau Laboratory for potato spindle tuber viroid and tomato brown rugose fruit virus. We will share the survey results with the Eagle Heights garden committee and the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. During our visit, we will bring fact sheets on the target plant diseases and be glad to answer questions. Funding for this multi-pest, early detection survey comes from the USDA Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey program.”

Rain Garden plant donations: Thanks to EH gardeners Doug and Jim, and the help of a work crew last Saturday, the new rain garden installation at the end of the 100s row is looking fantastic. There have been some nice plant donations, but they are still looking for a number of plants to fill the area. If you have plants from this list that you could donate, please let me know:

• Jacob's Ladder
• Wild Geranium
• Spiderwort
• Culver's Root
• Swamp milkweed
• Turtlehead
• Mountain mint
• Sedges
• Purple coneflower
• Black-eyed Susans
• Brown-eyed Susans
• Butterfly weed

Colorado potato beetles: The potato beetles have started to come out for the season. You may have seen some adults on your potato plants, but many plants are just hosting eggs right now on the undersides of the leaves. This is a great time to check your plants and destroy the eggs before they hatch. Once the eggs hatch, plants can be quickly defoliated if there are many larvae.

Potato beetles will eat anything in the Solanaceae family, including tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos, but most of the damage we see is on potato plants. The best method for controlling them in your plot is to pick them off and dump them in soapy water.

The link below from the University of Minnesota Extension has some good pictures of the beetles at each stage of life. Please remember that only organic control methods are allowed in Eagle Heights and the A and B rows of University Houses. The gardens sometimes spray Spinosad to control them, but it is too early to consider that.

https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/colorado-potato-beetles

Gardens seeking additional garden worker: The Garden Committee is looking to hire another garden worker. This is a part-time position doing caretaking in the Gardens and leading volunteer workdays. If you are interested, or know anyone who is, please contact the Garden Committee Co-Chairs: Jessica Pritchard (jessica.pritchard@gmail.com) and Ninja Geiger (ninja.geiger@gmail.com)

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 5, 2023

Hello Gardeners,

Weeds: Please take a look at your plot and check for Artemesia and Canada Thistle. Many of the thistles in the gardens are close to flowering, and they should be removed before they do. If you can’t remove all the thistles right away, you can cut off the flower heads to prevent them from producing seed while you weed them out. Many plot borders are beginning to get weedy at this point in the season also. Please remember to keep the six inches around the sides of your plots clear.

Please don’t enter any plots but your own: Please remember that you can only enter another gardener’s plot with their permission.

Insect workshop: Eliza Pessereau, an Eagle Heights Gardener, will be leading an insect workshop organized by Insect Ambassadors this month at Eagle Heights Garden. Please see the message below for details:

Garden Pests and Beneficial Insects Workshop at Eagle Heights Community Garden (June 24th, 1-3pm)

Did you know that bees and flies help your garden produce fruit and vegetables, and that lady bugs and wasps help rid your garden of pests? Come learn about these bugs and more with UW Insect Ambassadors at the Eagle Heights Community Garden! We'll talk about how to attract and monitor bees with the WiBee app (available for free in the iTunes App store and on Google Play) and how to identify and manage garden pests with extension entomologist Russ Groves. This event is part of a larger series of Insect Community Science Events at the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. Registration is required: https://forms.gle/4BNH8trpaoQWCvSFA.

Workday opportunity at Eagle Heights: There will be a workday at Eagle Heights next Saturday for the rain garden that is being put in at the end of the 100s row. Volunteers will be digging out the rain garden, planting, and mulching. The workday will be led by the gardeners managing the rain garden project. It will be held on Saturday 6/10 from 8:30-11:30 am. We would like six volunteers. Please email me if you’re interested, and I will assign spots in the order of replies.

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 23, 2023

Hello Gardeners,

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. https://www.mda.state.mn.us/plants/pestmanagement/weedcontrol/noxiouslist/canadathistle

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. Please let me know if you’re interested in doing this!

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.

Another bricks and blocks workday: There will be one more workday at Eagle Heights to clean the broken bricks and blocks and the tree island. It will be held this Thursday 5/25 from 4-7 pm. We would like two volunteers. Email me if you’re interested, and I will assign spots in the order of replies.

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 18, 2023

Hello Gardeners,

Bricks and blocks workday: There will be a workday at Eagle Heights this Sunday 5/21 from 4 pm-7pm to clear the broken bricks and blocks from the weed and mulch pile areas. Volunteers will also remove some junk from the tree island at the end of the 600s row. A dumpster has been delivered and we’ll have it for a limited time. Please consider helping with this project! We would like six volunteers. Email me if you’re interested, and I will assign spots in the order of replies.

Warm weather plant sale this Sunday 5/21: The warm weather plant sale will be held by Blue Moon Community Farm this Sunday 5/21 from 10 am to 1 pm at Eagle Heights Gardens. Their seedling list is attached, and details are below.

Plants are $4.00 per item (either a 3.5" pot or a 4-pack depending on what vegetable it is--indicated on the seedling list)
Mix + Match discount: 6 for $20, or a full flat of 18 for $60
Payment options: cash, check, credit card, venmo

Eagle Heights tree island: With the tree island at the end of the 600s being cleared, I want to remind everyone that this is a communal space that we can all use. If you’re not familiar with it, there are some benches there and it’s a nice place to rest in the shade. Please note that the other tree island, labeled “North Tree Island” on the map, and at the end of the 700s, belongs to the Preserve, and is not open to gardeners: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/EHG-UHG-Plots-2021.pdf

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 12, 2023

Hello Gardeners,

Hoses and tools in paths: With mowing of the paths beginning, please remember to keep all your belongings in your plot. Hoses left in the path may be mowed. At Eagle Heights your hose needs to be in your plot and disconnected from the spigot, and at University Houses it needs to be returned to the reel. Plants that are growing outside the border of your plot may also get mowed.

Water not potable: Although the original water source for the Gardens is city water, we cannot guarantee that it will remain potable once it enters our water systems. For this reason, the water in the Gardens is safe for watering plants but is not suitable for drinking.

Garden juries: Juries consist of small groups of gardeners who are assigned to walk through sections of the gardens and report to the registrar about plots that appear weedy or abandoned (or especially nice). There are three gardeners on each jury. This year we will be increasing the number of juries in the Gardens. There will be two juries each month (June, July, and August). The first set of juries will need to submit a report by the first week of the month, and the second set of juries will need to submit a report by the third week of the month. The weed juries will be asked to report on specific noxious weeds, like thistles and artemisia, and to remove communal tools and carts from plots.

If you’re interested in being on a garden jury, please let me know. Spots will be assigned in the order that people reply. Each jury will meet three times total: in June, July, and August. Juries will work together to coordinate a meeting each month and turn in their reports. To be consistent with contacting gardeners about problem plots, all juries will need to submit a report by their deadline. Being on a garden jury for the season counts as a workday.

Warm weather plant sale next Sunday 5/21: The warm weather plant sale will be held by Blue Moon Community Farm next Sunday 5/21 from 10 am to 1 pm at Eagle Heights Gardens.

Please remember to return all communal tools to the sheds when you are done using them for the day. If they are left in your plot no one else can use them. If they are left in the mulch piles, they will end up buried, and the wooden handles will rot.

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 3, 2023

Hello Gardeners,

Canada Thistle! Canada Thistles have begun to come up around the Gardens. They are an invasive species and are particularly disliked by the Nature Preserve because the seeds spread into the Prairie next to our Gardens. We’ve made an effort to remove them over the last few years and there are fewer in the buffer zones around the gardens, but they are still prevalent in the Gardens. Many are coming up in plots right now as the weather gets warmer. Please take out any thistles that are in your plot now and continue to remove them throughout the season (it’s a good idea to wear gloves). It’s especially important to remove them before they flower. Here are some pictures for identification: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/plants/pestmanagement/weedcontrol/noxiouslist/canadathistle

Water update for Eagle Heights: The water remains off in Eagle Heights Garden except for in the 100s and 500s rows. One of the leaks further up the hill has been repaired, and the other is currently being worked on.

May planting: It’s still a good time to plant many cool weather crops. It is too cold for plants like tomatoes and peppers and will be for a few weeks. Next week is a good time to start planting beans.

http://eagleheightsgardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/vegetable_planting_guide.pdf

If you haven’t had a chance to buy row cover yet but would like to, please let me know. Here is some information on how to use row cover: http://eagleheightsgardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/row_cover_handout.pdf

Communal tools: Please return tools and carts to the sheds at both gardens when you are done using them for the day.

No drones in the Preserve: I’ve been asked by Preserve staff to let everyone know that drones are only allowed in the Preserve with a research permit: https://lakeshorepreserve.wisc.edu/visitor-etiquette/

Links: From now on, I’ll include links for the maintenance request form, email blog, and gardening resources on our website with each update. Please see them below if you are looking for any of this information.

Thanks, and happy gardening,

Lily


Gardens maintenance request form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyjHBH_xBH229AVwmqTE-2L3znGrLwn3TNJfw2ri9T01MMfA/viewform

Previous emails: If you are looking for information sent a previous week, old emails are posted to the blog: https://eagleheightsgardens.blogspot.com/

Gardening resources: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardens/organic-growing/

From the Registrar: April 25, 2023

Hello Gardeners,

Refund deadline: The deadline to receive a refund for a plot cancellation is May 1st. If you would like to give up your plot, please contact me.

Return bricks and blocks to the pile soon! We have requested the delivery of a dumpster to dispose of the bricks and blocks that are piled by the weeds and leaves. This is our chance to get them out of the gardens to prevent them being buried in the soil. Please take the opportunity to return other blocks to the pile. If you have some in your plot and would like help moving them back to the pile, please let me know.

Water: I’ve requested that the UW plumbers turn on the water at both Eagle Heights and University Houses this week. We can’t choose what day they do the work, but the water should be on by this weekend.

Reporting maintenance issues: Please use this form to report all maintenance and repair requests (It is ONLY for reporting maintenance issues, like water system problems): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyjHBH_xBH229AVwmqTE-2L3znGrLwn3TNJfw2ri9T01MMfA/viewform

It can also be accessed via the website, on the sidebar and under the “Gardeners” tab: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/

Cool weather plant sale this Sunday! The cool weather plant sale will be held by Blue Moon Community Farm this Sunday 4/30 from 10 am to 1 pm at Eagle Heights Gardens. Their seedling list is attached, and details are below.

Plants are $4.00 per item (either a 3.5" pot or a 4-pack depending on what vegetable it is--indicated on the seedling list)
Mix + Match discount: 6 for $20, or a full flat of 18 for $60
Payment options: cash, check, credit card, venmo

Row cover sale: I’ll be selling row cover at Eagle Heights Gardens on Sunday also, from 11-12. The pieces are approximately 7 ft x 20 ft and they are $5 each, CASH ONLY. Please bring exact change if possible.

Organic gardening: If you garden anywhere at Eagle Heights, or anywhere in the A and B rows at University Houses, your garden must be managed organically (University Houses C, D, E, & F plots are not required to be organic). Organic gardening means that no chemical insecticides, fertilizers, herbicides, or fungicides can be used. Any products used must be approved for organic use. Here is some information on organic gardening products you can use in your plot:

http://eagleheightsgardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/OrganicProducts.pdf

There are many ways to manage an organic garden beyond buying organically certified products. Mulching to suppress weeds and improve soil health, companion planting, and crop rotation are just a few possibilities. This article from the University of Missouri extension is a good resource if you’re looking for more ideas about organic gardening: https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g6220

Planting guide: If you’d like a reminder of what to plant right now, check out this planting guide from our website:

http://eagleheightsgardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/vegetable_planting_guide.pdf

More resources can be found here: https://eagleheightsgardens.org/gardens/organic-growing/

Thanks, and happy gardening,

Lily