The Garden Connection

A newsletter for the gardeners at the Waukesha County Rental Gardens

Extension Waukesha County Rental Gardens Celebrate 30th Anniversary

This year mark the 30th season Extension has coordinated the Rental Gardens with residents on County land. In the fall of 1992, several local organizations were looking into the possibility of developing a community vegetable garden project in the Waukesha area. This cooperative
effort would allow Waukesha County citizens to rent plots to have an opportunity to grow their own vegetables and participate in gardening activities. Over the next year, Extension’s Horticulture agent continued to work with the County Executive to authorize use of the location and began site preparation. For the inaugural year, there were 47 registered plots for groups and individuals. Today we have 100 plots with nearly 80 registered individuals/groups participating.

Thank you for helping us to continue the program by assisting with the paths, maintaining your plot and following the rental agreement, and communicating with our office.

Plant Waste Piles

There are five established plant waste piles located at the garden. Please place plant waste in those piles rather than starting new piles. The approximate pile locations are between the Port-A-John and plot E1, near plot D1, across the road from B25P, across the road from A10P, and across the road from A1. Some piles are still small. Look for these piles before you dump your weeds at the garden.

There’s Still Time to Plant Vegetables - Days to Harvest!

Did you get a late start on your garden? Wondering if it is too late to plant? Do you have space for more vegetables? With an average frost date of October 15 (give or take) for Southeastern Wisconsin, there’s still time to plant vegetables on August 1st or prior if the seed packet has a “days to harvest “ date of 60 days or less. This information can be found on the back of most seed packets. For example, if you plant seeds of beets, bush beans, summer squash, cucumber, or peas by August 1, you should enjoy a great early fall harvest of vegetables. As a rule, September 1 is the last date for planting seeds of leaf lettuce, spinach, and onion sets. See Extension’s “Planting Schedule” at https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/globalassets/uw-extension/horticulture/vegetable-garden-planting-schedule.pdf.

Remember - Rule #9

Gardeners are responsible for controlling the weeds on their plot and preventing them spreading to other gardens from the Garden opening date to the Garden closing date.

Lisa on Vacation August 19-23

Lisa will be on vacation the week of August 19. If there are any water leaks or other garden issues, please contact Steve directly at 262-548-7781 or email Steve at Steven.Chmielewski@wisc.edu. Remember, our phones do not allow us to view missed calls, so please leave a message.

Bulletin Board Garden Entrance

Please watch the bulletin board at the entrance to the garden for new messages or updates. It is the easiest way for us to get a timely message to the gardeners! If there is something that you feel we need to include in it, please let us know!

Picnic Area

The picnic tables near the entrance to the garden are for you to use. Feel free to pack a lunch and picnic at the Garden, but remember there is no grilling allowed at the Garden.

Horticulture Helpline - Gardening Questions???

Have a gardening question? Contact the Extension Horticulture Helpline for Waukesha County by phone on Tuesday morning from 9 am to noon at 262-548-7779 or by email at uwex1@waukeshacounty.gov. Feel free to include photos in your emails. This is a FREE service.

Colorado Potato Beetle

Several gardeners have shared that they are dealing with Colorado potato beetle. These primarily feed on potatoes. Controlling the Colorado potato beetle in the garden can be challenging. Using a combination of different pest management strategies is recommended. Control strategies include:

(1) Planting an early maturing variety (less than 80 days).
(2) Hand picking beetles off plants and dropping adults and larvae in a pail filled with soapy water.
(3) Remove or crush yellowish orange eggs found on the underside of leaves.

Colorado potato beetle are resistant to essentially all synthetic pesticides so they are unlikely to be effective and are not suggested. A few organic pesticides may be effective but may need repeated applications and may impact natural enemies of the Colorado Potato Beetle. Before purchasing any product to treat for Colorado potato beetle, read the University of Minnesota horticulture fact sheet: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/colorado-potato-beetles.

Photo Credit: Top - beetle larvae by Ben Bradford, Bottom - adult beetle by Scott Bauer.

Questions/Contact Information

Questions? Concerns? Email Lisa at lboyer@waukeshacounty.gov and/or Steve at Steven.Chmielewski@wisc.edu. Our office hours are 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday—Friday. You can call Lisa at 262-548-7775. The phone system does not allow us to view missed calls, so please leave a message!

If you need this material in another format please contact the program coordinator. Extension provides equal opportunity in employment and programming, including Title VI, IX & ADA requirement.

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515 W Moreland Blvd Suite ACG22
Waukesha, WI | 53188 US

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