Welcome to the Eagle Heights Community Garden blog. The purpose of this blog is to keep the members of our gardens and our community updated regarding EHCG goings-on as well as supplying general gardening advice and other miscellanea.
I will use this post to introduce EHCG to new members and to discuss the following general points.
What is Eagle Heights Community Garden?
The University of Wisconsin’s Eagle Heights Community Gardens (EHCG) was established in 1962 to offer Eagle Heights residents and the UW and Madison communities the opportunity to have an organic garden and participate in garden activities. EHCG is one of the oldest and largest community gardens in the United States.
Where is Eagle Heights Community Garden?
The EHCG are located in a peaceful natural setting adjacent to the University of Wisconsin’s Eagle Heights Housing and within the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. At last count - the pool of gardners speak approximately 60 languages. The gardens feature gardening practices from around the world. The setting provides also a wonderful place for meeting fellow gardeners, family picnics and walks, and bird watching.
Who can be a member of Eagle Heights Community Garden?
EHCG is open to UW-Madison students, staff/faculty, and community members. While an appreciable number of our gardeners are in fact residents of Eagle Heights Housing, we also host a diverse community of domestic and international undergraduates, graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, professors, alumni, and general Madison residents.
What does it mean to garden at EHCG?
Our community garden provides plots to our members for the term of one "season," or effectively one year. Plot sizes range from approximately 20 x 25 feet (6 x 8 m) for large plots to 10 x 25 ft (3 x 8 m) for small plots; however, plot sizes can be irregular and deviate from these neat estimates.
Throughout the gardening season, our members have the opportunity to plant both annual and perennial varieties of a diversity of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. We do prohibit a small number of plants, typically those of invasive/weed-like persuasion (ex: mint) and trees/shrubs, which are very difficult to remove at the end of one's tenure at EHCG.
We offer our gardeners free seeds at the annual EHCG seed fair, which have been kindly donated by various businesses. We are proud to offer this resource to our community members, with seeds ranging from basil to zucchini to daisies and everything in between.
The garden also provides a space for families to introduce their children to gardening, healthy eating, and plenty of sunshine. EHCG features a sandbox for young children as well as an arbor for very hot days; a roof of sprawling grapevines offers shade for young and old alike.
EHCG also maintains a few public plantings, offering raspberries, apples, and various stone fruits free to the gardeners.
What is the cost of gardening at EHCG?
The annual fees are listing in the plot application; fees range from $32-$42 for a large plot and $16-$21 for a small plot. There is additional optional fee for rototilling, which is not necessary for gardening but can nevertheless be helpful with proper consideration.
Every primary gardener is required to perform one workday, a 2-3 hour period of service/labor for the benefit of the garden, once throughout the season. Gardeners may choose to opt out of this workday for a fee (see the plot application link).
The use of tools and water is available free of charge to our gardeners, with the exception of hoses and gardening gloves. An appreciable amount of gardening revenue is funneled into providing and maintaining these community tools, and we take pride in being able to offer these freely.
It has been estimated that the average gardener at EHCG, with proper plot management and thoughtful planning, takes home about $800 worth of produce over one season. Many of our gardeners go the entire gardening season (approximately April through October) without spending any money on fresh produce. Growing one's own produce can be very cost-effective if the right strategies are implemented.
Who do I contact if I need more information?
The EHCG website is a good starting place. Plot applications and assignments as well as general contact information and even a comprehensive guide to gardening at EHCG are hosted here. The primary contact is our wonderful registrar, Gretel, at ehgardens@rso.wisc.edu.
Are you Gretel? Who is writing this anyway?
No, I am not Gretel. This is Jennifer Mirrielees speaking. I am one of the co-chairs at EHCG. I am actually a breast cancer researcher* at UW-Madison. Additionally, I am a fourth*-year gardener at EHCG and a Texas native. I am still a little afraid of snow and very much looking forward to the beginning of the 2013 gardening season.
Alright...what's next?
Opening day for 2013 at EHCG will be March 16. Expect the next post to explain what happens on Opening Day as well as starting transplants indoors and the approaching window for direct sowing of peas, carrots, root vegetables, and many other healthy cold-weather plantings.
*Updated 04/15/14
Well done. Thank you for establishing this blog.
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