November 2022

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

November 9, 2022 7 PM

Remote Meeting

7:00 Present: Lily, Ric, Niels, Jessica, Ann, Megan, Ninja, Jolene, Barb L, Ron, Barb A and Karen.


Minutes Motion to approve the October 2022 minutes. The minutes were approved.


Registrar Update

Lily says the 2023 application has been updated and includes mandatory orientation for new gardeners. There will only be one workday required for 2022 and 2023 due to too few workday opportunities.

The Gardens Network Rooted would like to do a workshop in the gardens in June.

There was a discussion about where to put job postings for the Garden Worker positions. There was a comment about how easy it is to read older documents about the running of the gardens.

Garden Worker Report

Megan said we have the cart parts order but it is cold and hard to work in the shed. Garden tools are being put away this weekend and the tool order will be made then. We probably need forks and thin tine forks. A set of tools will be left out at University Houses and two sets at Eagle Heights.

Long Range Plan

The Long Range Plan was developed over the last year with the help of Rhonda from Facilities Planning. The committee needs to review the draft, make additions or corrections and approve the draft. Discussion ensued. There is a need for more activity from the Weed Juries. Perhaps there should be two groups a month. This would mean the gardens would be reviewed twice a month during the growing season. We should consider asking gardeners to remove certain weeds like thistles and Artemisia. We would need twice the number of jurors. The 700’s wall is listed in the draft, but it has been completed. There was a suggestion that ongoing maintenance tasks should be listed, like the maintenance of the 700’s wall. A rough draft of tasks would be good.

A calendar of tasks would be good. Someone mentioned that there is an existing one someplace. Ann sent an electronic copy of an old calendar. An example would be having the mowers serviced every January.

It would be a good idea to have a permanent map of plots that would indicate all the possible half plots in the garden so the map always has all the information. There are a few plots that cannot be divided. There is also a problem with the marker posts. We are considering using PVC cap on metal posts to mark plots.

One of the high priority items is the erosion on the north-south road at Eagle Heights. Discussion ensued. The concrete pieces protect our water pipes. There was concern that this road should be a shared responsibility because others drive on the road but gardeners just walk on it. This is a discussion item for the GOC.

The access to the first weed and leaf pile at University Houses is a difficult problem. The road floods and is very soft during rainy conditions. We have permission to dump on the basketball court and move the pile with small mechanical equipment. The other choice is to service University Houses during dry or frozen conditions.

Path maintenance was discussed. Perennial weeds are a problem.

Finishing the 900’s wall from 929 to 921 is on the list. Megan said we probably don’t have enough good material to build a wall.

Invasive species control is also important. The ditch along the 100’s does not drain well and there is sometimes standing water.

Evaluate the irrigation system. What about having two lines go up the main road and service alternating rows. That way when one line sprung a leak, water would not be as far away. We should establish a minimum depth for the lines. Every riser needs a post. The 100’s line is about 5 years old now and gives no problems. The 1300’s line is probably the worst, but 1100”s is also bad. Megan says she would be capable of replacing a single line, but the UW plumbers would need to do the main lines. The Committee thought we should ask the advice of the UW Plumbers about how to proceed. We would have to do the digging as they do not dig. We need some plumbing volunteers. Tom Bryan also knows about plumbing. There should be a Sub-committee about irrigation which Megan and Niels expressed interest in. We own all the risers and faucets already. Establish what needs to be done, prioritize the tasks and do them.

The issue of unmanaged birdhouses is mostly solved with the wren plates installed. We need to get rid of the broken bricks.

The leaf pile will be discussed at the next meeting.

Motion by Niels and seconded by Megan to adjourn. Adjourned 8:14

Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee

October 2022

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

October 12, 2022 7 PM

Remote Meeting

7:00 Present: Lily, Ninja, Jolene, Barb L, Ron, Barb A and Karen.


Minutes Motion by Barb A and seconded by Lily to approve the

September 2022 minutes. The minutes were approved.

Registrar Update

Lily says she has been sick and will leave the meeting after her report. Lily has sent the long term planning document draft to the Committee list. Some of the suggestions include, should the garden juries meet more frequently? We could have a discussion of the draft at the next meeting.

Since freezing weather is in the forecast, water turn off has been requested from the UW plumbers. There are quite a few abandoned plots but the number is not out of the ordinary.

Garden Worker Report

Jolene said that Megan turned in a large carts part order yesterday. Human Resources has approved our request for 3 garden workers. The positions will be posted on January 1st of the year. The committee was very positive about how well the mowing contact for the year was done by Tanya. We need mowing done like this every year, which is 2 hours a week. The committee needs to brainstorm about hiring good garden workers. Jolene suggests that we have a written statement about what is expected in a garden worker.

Jolene reports that Will resigned last month as a garden worker. He could still do contract plumbing work.

Additional topics

The large water leak near the leaf pile has been fixed.

Introductions

We all introduced ourselves as there was a new attendee.

Adjourned 7:25

Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee

September 2022

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

September 14, 2022 7 PM

Remote Meeting

7:00 Present: Lily, Megan, Arya, Jessica, Barb A, Niels, Alan, Ric and Karen.


Minutes Motion by Barb A and seconded by Lily to approve the August 2022 minutes. The minutes were approved.


Registrar Update

We were asked by a student group to participate in a bee hotel workshop that would be located near where FH King had their old beehives. There was discussion about the health of native bees and which practices are best for native bee health. Barb A agreed to work with the group to insure the well being of the native bees.

Ulrike has agreed to do a straw bale garden workshop next year. Matt proposes a beelining workshop, which we will review.

There is an issue of maintenance along the path edges. At this time of year there are many woody weeds along some pathes. The weed wackers will no longer clear them, Discussion ensued. Megan thinks that weed wacker use should be supervised. A serious problem with path weeds is cutting into the water line while digging weeds. Gardening outside the plot border is also a problem because people can cut the water line.

Lily has asked if horse manure can be delivered again this year.

The ice cream social will not be held this year, but there will be a casual harvest social this fall where gardeners can talk to other gardeners. Lily will pick a date and announce it.

Garden Worker Report

Megan said the pandemic was hard on workdays. Garden workdays are good opportunities for education and training in the gardens. Community gardens are social and gardening. We have lots of turnover and many gardeners. We are not looking for perfection in the gardens.

Discussion ensued about path maintenance. Suggestions included having a path steward, cleaning the six inches along the plot border so the path could be kept mowed close and schedule work days early in the season.

Additional topics

Workdays

Combining workdays for this year and next is not a great option, but we have had a lot of gardeners that want to do a workday, but have not had an opportunity to do so. Lily does not want a gardener to have to pay for a workday if they were willing to work. We do not have enough supervisors to get enough work days before the end of the season.

Motion by Barb A and seconded by Karen to combine this years and next year's workday requirement. Motion passed 9-0.

The Arbor Garden workday needs 2 volunteers. Megan will have a workday next weekend.

Cart Repair and marker posts

Megan has a list of needed parts to repair the carts. Discussion ensued.

Forty marker posts are missing at University Houses and all marker posts were there at the beginning of the season. There was a suggestion to use a white pvc cap screwed on top of the conduit . The numbers would be painted on. The committee thought this was a good idea.

Motion by Ric and seconded by Jessica to spend up to $1000 for cart parts and conduit.

Motion passed 8-0.

Mexican Bean Beetles

Lily said we ordered the parasitic wasps as soon as Gretel detected Mexican Bean Beetle larva. We immediately ordered the wasps and they came in two weeks. This timing seems to be perfect because there is little bean beetle damage on the beans. We should do it this way next year.

Niels suggested meeting in person.

Motion by Jessica and seconded by Niels

Adjourned

Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee

August 2022

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

August 10, 2022 7 PM

Remote Meeting

7:00 Present: Lily, Megan, Jolene, Jessica, Ann, Barb A, Ninja and Karen.


Minutes Motion by Lily and seconded by Barb A to approve the

July 2022 minutes. The minutes were approved.

Registrar Update

Lily said there are 6 full plots and 2 half plots vacant. Two new applications were received today for full plots. The empty plots are in bad shape with tall weeds. Lily said two University Houses abandoned gardens were recently given to new gardeners. Megan and Lily did a walkthrough of the gardens and found many trees that need to be removed. Some of the trees are quite large. The trees need to be removed.

Lily will try to order a dumpster for the unwanted bricks at the weed pile. The gardens were offered some large stones by UW Physical Plant. After email discussion it was agreed to not take the stones as they were very large and would be difficult to work with using human labor.

Garden Worker Report

Megan will be having workdays soon. The water leak at the end of the 1100’s is getting worse. Megan will dig it tomorrow and try to fix it.

Megan will make a kit for signs for the Share Shelf, Lost and Found and Wood Chip Forks so a gardener can make these as a workday.

Megan said the tree island at the end of the 600’s is cleaned up and is ready for picnics at the multiple tables.

Workdays

We need more workdays. Discussion ensued. Garden lead workdays are a good idea. It was suggested that we ask gardeners if they want to lead a workshop on a gardening topic of their choice. Gardeners would submit their proposals to the committee for approval. Another independent workday idea is clearing weeds along the paths. The cart repair workday is coming soon.

The buffer zone planting drainage way north of the 500’s needs to be cleaned up and maintained. Megan said she thinks it will take multiple workdays to clean it up.

Mexican Bean Beetles

Lily said we ordered the parasitic wasps as soon as Gretel detected Mexican Bean Beetle larva. We immediately ordered the wasps and they came in two weeks. This timing seems to be perfect because there is little bean beetle damage on the beans. We should do it this way next year.

Other

The arbor garden is teeming with bees and hummingbirds.

Ice Cream Social could be in September.

Motion by Barb A and seconded by Lily

Adjourned around 7:25

Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee

July 2022

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

July 13, 2022 7 PM

Remote Meeting

Present: Lily, Ninja, Jessica, Megan, Ann, Niels, Ric, Barb L, Barb A., Jolene and Karen

Minutes

Motion by Barb A and seconded by Ann to approve the June 2022 minutes. The minutes were approved.

Registrar

Lily said there are 5 vacant plots. The parasitic wasps will be delivered by Friday. She described the proposed lock on the gate at the entrance. The group talked about who might need to get access including Shorewood Heights workers delivering leaves and removing compost, grounds workers, and gardeners with disabilities. Lily said we will have to work with these groups. The committee discussed having a contact posted, such as the registrar's email for those who have questions about the locked gate. The Fire and Police Departments will add their own lock and will have access.

Lily also brought up households who have a half plot in addition to whole plots and how they should be counted for workdays. She also mentioned that the GOC has fines for erecting unauthorized structures and allowing unleashed pets in the gardens and that we should post these fines on a sign.

Jolene mentioned that making disability accommodations could be difficult for the Gardens as the gardens are not accessible.

Garden Worker Report

Megan reported that the cart parts are expensive and she will send an email with the cost. The committee can comment before the purchase. Ric said we could make our own handles with his tubing bender. We could have a cart repair party. Karen said she would bring her saws-all. Some wheelbarrows are needed for Eagle Heights.

The water is off and the plumbers have been called.

Megan would like to make the tree island near FH King a workday priority for this week. It will be hot and a workday in the shade is a good idea. The committee agreed. There is a large tree at the end of the 600’s which is a problem. Lily and Megan will check on it.

Additional topics   

Hiring a Garden Worker

Jolene said the prospective garden worker decided not to take the job. We will probably not be able to hire a garden worker through Human Resources until next year. Discussion ensued about how many garden workers we want to hire and when. Jolen suggests we try hiring in November for next year. After much discussion, the committee decided to try to hire two more garden workers.

Backflow Valves

Karen suggested we buy a backflow valve for the entire line instead of the backflow preventers on each spigot. This would save time for the garden worker checking to see if all the backflow preventers are present. A few years ago this was suggested. The UW plumber would have to do the work.

Motion by Ann and seconded by Barb L to have backflow preventers installed on the main line no to exceed $1000. Motion passed.

Lead Paint

After discussion the new rule will read “Please be careful not to bring old lead painted items into the gardens.”

Parking

Discussion ensued about the parking being often full. Jolene said there were some parking lots redone at Eagle Heights and that could be the problem. The work is now finished.

Motion by Barb A and second by Ann to adjourn.

Submitted by Karen and Barb , subject to correction by the Garden Committee

June 2022

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

June 8 2022 7 PM

Remote Meeting

7:00 Present: Lily, Megan, Ann, Barb A, Ninja and Karen.


Minutes Motion by Barb A and seconded by Megan to approve the

May 2022 minutes. The minutes were approved.

There was a discussion about so few people at the meeting. We agreed to meet but our decisions should go to the next meeting when we have more people for approval.


Registrar Update

Lily said that there are more than 20 shed keys in the log, which is too many and some must be lost. Jolene suggests that we replace the locks with keypad locks. It will cost about $300 per lock plus installation costs. Discussion ensued about the condition of the doors. Ric has fixed the doors in the past. Lily will ask Ric if he is available to repair the doors again and then have the keypads installed.

There has been a request that we have a lost and found at both gardens separate from the share shelves with good signs for each area. We have some shelves that could be used for lost and found.

There have been several complaints about unleashed dogs in the gardens. Dogs MUST be leased in the garden and UW Preserve. The Arbor Garden is also not a playground. Many people come to the garden that are not gardeners. We need to have better signage telling people what is expected in the gardens. The signs should be in all the languages that UW Housing normally uses.

Lily would like to require mandatory orientation for all new gardeners starting in 2023. There have been two gardeners that started gardening in the wrong plot and destroyed the work of the correct gardener. The workday was waived for the gardeners with ruined gardens. The committee agreed.

Also a project for the next year is a redoing of the plot lines in the 500 row so all back corners meet. This would be difficult, but with a lot of warning, it could be done.

Rhonda is working on the long range plan. When the draft is ready, Lily will ask the sub-committee to meet and send it to the Garden Committee for action.

UW rules do not allow Little Free Libraries except in buildings. Also memorial benches cost $10,000 each and must be replaced every 15 years. We need to think of something else to remember the gardeners we have lost.

Replacement of the Arbor was discussed. The old sign for the Arbor is in the shed. The committee would like to see the Arbor replaced.

A gardener has asked to release ladybugs in the garden. The Committee decided that all such releases require Committee approval, which was given.

Water Leaks

The last water leak was on the main line, which affected many gardeners at a difficult time just after planting. There was water for the 100’s and 500’s line, but all other plots did not have water. Many gardeners commented about the lack of water. Perhaps we should have a policy about when to call the UW Plumber. Discussion ensued. Proposed policy: “If the break involves more than one line, we should call the plumber right away. If the leak is on just one row, the UW Plumber should be called after 4 days.” Megan said the garden worker needs to dig out the problem area before the UW Plumber is called. Perhaps we should consider dividing the main line into two sections in the future so fewer gardeners would be affected by a leak in the main line.

Maintenance Requests

Lily proposes an online request form for problems on the website and Sandra says it is possible. This way all requests do not have to be funneled through the Registrar's email. Megan said this would make requests easier for her because she could use her phone to track the requests.

Garden Worker Report

Megan has ordered plot posts and is getting more paint for the tools. She will have weeding workdays every Sunday. Megan proposes getting more wheelbarrows for University Houses. Perhaps we should buy solid wheels on new wheelbarrows. There is a problem of people keeping garden-owned tools in their plots. Also garden forks get buried in the wood chip pile after gardeners leave the tools in the pile and a new load is delivered. Perhaps we should have a wood chip fork stand near the pile and explain why the fork needs to be placed on the stand.

Megan will make a kit for signs for the Share Shelf, Lost and Found and Wood Chip Forks so a gardener can make these as a workday.

Do we also need wheelbarrows at Eagle Heights? The answer is yes. Discussion ensued about carts and wheelbarrows and their repair. There was a discussion about having a repair workday for carts and wheelbarrows with experienced volunteers. Megan will get a price list for cart parts.

It was pointed out that about all the carts were gone and there were very few gardeners in the gardens. Lily will ask the other groups about this.

What about putting memorials to gardeners we have lost on tools?

There are problems with the hoses at University Houses. Megan wants to buy new hoses. We need some instructions about how to use the hose reels at University Houses.

Worker pay

The new garden worker position was advertised at $17 per hour. Discussion ensued.

Motion by Ann and seconded by Barb A that all garden employees should get the same pay. Motion passed.

Co-Chair Report

Ninja said we have a possible Garden Worker for the position. Unfortunately the person can only work until the end of August. The committee agreed that we should hire the interim person and post the position and try to find a long term garden worker.

Motion by Megan and seconded by Lily

Adjourned around 8:25

Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee

May 2022

Eagle Heights Garden Committee Minutes

May 11, 2022 7 PM

Remote Meeting

7:00 Present: Lily, Jolene, Ann, Barb L, Ninja, Jessica, Niels and Karen.


Minutes Motion by Niels and seconded by Barb L to approve the

April 2022 minutes. The minutes were approved.


Registrar Update

Lily reports that there are less than 10 people on the waiting list and 10 plots have been returned for a new gardener to be assigned.

UW rules for permanent structures are strict. Rhonda is checking to see if Little Free Libraries are allowed in the garden.

Mark found two more umbrellas so there can be picnic tables at University Houses with umbrellas. One of the umbrellas has been installed in the existing University Houses picnic table. We need to get a second table for the other umbrella.

We agreed to keep the two benches at University houses and put pavers under the legs so the wood is not in direct contact with the soil. The exact location needs to be decided.

The idea of putting plaques on benches as a memorial to gardeners who have passed away was discussed and the committee thought it was a good idea. The memorial plaques are not necessarily for the benches that we have at UH. We would need a bench at EH for that and could also have one at UH but these benches are quite weathered so they might not work. The committee will need to discuss the memorial benches if we get permission for them.

There was discussion about painted wood in the garden. Paints can contain lead and PFAS, both of which are toxic. Old chipping paint can get in the soil. We should move to ban painted items from the gardens.

Lily is meeting with Megan to coordinate workdays this year. There are three types of workdays.

Garden worker led

Experienced gardener led

Individual

Jolene says that Will is going to do workdays this year. Will is interested in replacing a waterline this year. Lily will contact Will.

Compost

Compost from UW West Ag Station is now $70 a cubic yard. The compost delivery charge is $2.16/mile round trip, so the $30 is an estimate based on our location in relation to the Ag station. The price when we bought it in 2017 was $35 a cubic yard. Our garden carts hold 7 cubic feet. The cost for a half cart load is now about $8.90. Discussion ensued about subsidizing the cost of the compost and keeping the cost at $5 a half cart load. We need to tell the gardeners that we are selling it at half price. The committee agreed that selling compost at University Houses is a priority.

If we have the compost delivered directly to both gardens on separate days, we will have enough carts to have workday volunteers help deliver the compost to the plots. For the University Houses delivery, we need to check with the Preserve about having the compost sit on the Basketball court for a day.

The compost sale will be first come first serve. We need to make the sale day weather dependent. Compost can be ordered the day before delivery. The sale will probably be on a weekend in early June. In 2018, 15 cubic yards were delivered and they sold out. We should order 25 cubic yards, which is about 200 half cart loads.

Co-Chair Report

Jessica said we still need a Garden Worker. She asked if anyone knew a potential garden worker candidate. Jessica and Ninja will ask Lily to send an email to all gardeners and if there are no responses, the job will be posted.

Garden Worker Report

Megan was unable to attend. The mowing contract has started for this season. Jolene said that mowing will probably revert to the garden workers in the future. Maybe we'll need three garden workers if mowing is included.

Plant Sale

Warm weather plants- May 22 10am to 1pm

Barb L said there is a lack of garden forks. We should email Megan with tool requests.

Karen reports technical difficulties posting the minutes to the website and is seeking IT help.

Motion by Barb L and seconded by Niels

Adjourned around 7:40


Submitted by Karen, subject to correction by the Garden Committee