The Growing Place Community Garden

GARDEN WITH US

THE GROWING PLACE COMMUNITY GARDEN

Plot Registration

Terms of Agreement to Lease a Plot:

The Growing Place Community Garden will provide the garden plot, water, hoses, tools (except hand tools/pruners), mulch, compost, amendments, and gardening information. A selection of seeds and some transplants may be provided for a nominal cost, when available. Gardeners will:

  • Only come to the Garden between dawn and dusk.
  • Plant their plot with fruits and vegetables throughout the growing season which runs from mid Feb through the first freeze at the end of the year.  Year round gardening is encouraged.
  • Perform a final plot clean up after the first freeze in the fall.  If they cease gardening before the first freeze, they will perform the final clean up at that time.  If their plot remains vacant, they will continue to keep it maintained until the end of the year to be allowed to register for a plot the next year.
  • Practice conservation. Water as necessary without overwatering.
  • Return Garden tools and hoses to the tool shed when not in use.
  • Weed their plot AND the walkway around their plot.
  • Gardeners may not have any plants or structures that block adjacent Gardener’s access to sunlight by nature of their height, materials, or density.
  • Donate 50% of their produce to local area food
  • Harvest their produce. Respect the effort of other Gardeners and not harvest from their plots without permission.
  • Chop soft tissue, non-diseased plants for composting to recycle as a valuable source of nitrogen to keep the garden beds healthy. Large hard-stemmed, weedy, and diseased plants shall be discarded in the trash.
  • Learn and use only organic gardening methods. A list of approved fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or rodenticides will be made available. Gardeners will check with a Coordinator before applying anything not on the list, even if labeled “organic.”
  • Participate in the assigned community chores to maintain the garden.
  • Check email regularly for garden messages.

Guidelines:

  1. Harvest and donate 50% of your weekly produce. If you are not available to do it, arrange for another gardener to do it or inform a Coordinator.
  2. At the beginning of every year each Gardener will pay a non-refundable $50 fee to St. Philip Presbyterian Church when they are assigned to their plot. The fee is given to a Garden Coordinator.
  3. Gardeners may adopt only one plot. New or newly available plots shall be given to new Gardeners without a plot before being given to an existing Gardener. The maximum number of plots assigned to one family or group is one plot unless authorized by a Coordinator to keep a plot from being unused. At the beginning of each year, a Gardener will be assigned only one plot (if they maintained their plot and were productive the prior year.)
  4. The Growing Place Community Garden designated Garden Coordinators oversee the garden. The Garden Coordinators will assign plots, assist new gardeners, report maintenance issues, check supplies, ensure community chores are being done, check garden plots for compliance with agreement terms and be available to resolve problems.
  5. The water system is on a timer and will automatically shut off at sunset and be available again at sunrise.
  6. The Growing Place Community Garden provided tools/hose will be stored in the shed. Gardener’s personal tools must be taken home each day. The Growing Place Community Garden will not be responsible for any personal tools left in the Garden.
  7. The Garden Coordinators will give each Gardener the combination to the tool shed. Gardeners must not share this combination with anyone other than those with permission to garden. On leaving the Garden, Gardeners must make sure the shed is locked if there are no other Gardeners using items from the shed in the Garden. Gardeners will follow any additional security guidelines that may be announced by the Coordinators.  Current Gardeners will be notified if there is a change in the combination.
  8. If, for any reason (health issues, work), you cannot maintain your plot, inform a Garden Coordinator. A plot will be considered to be abandoned if not maintained for a period of 2 weeks.  If a Gardener expects to be away from the Garden for more than 2 weeks but less than 3 months, he or she must inform a Coordinator.  The Gardener and the Coordinator will then determine an alternative, such as a temporary substitute, acceptable to both.  Gardeners who are away for more than 3 months will lose their plots.
  9. If for any reason gardeners have a grievance with others, inform a Garden Coordinator after attempting to resolve it yourself.
  10. Gardeners will NOT:
  • Bring pets or animals into the Garden – service animals are allowed.
  • Play music while in the Garden.
  • Smoke in the garden.
  • Hold any events in the garden other than gardening …no parties…etc.
  • Take or use another Gardener’s tools, supplies, or produce without permission.
  • Start or maintain a campfire, burn weeds, use a barbecue grill, or cook in the Garden.
  • Use any power tools, such as those that require gasoline, batteries, or electricity.
  • Consume, bring or be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while on the Garden premises.
  • Carry, use, or store firearms in the Garden.
  • Sell on the Garden property any produce grown. The Garden is for personal, noncommercial use only.
  • Grow any plants considered illegal under state or federal law. For instance, gardeners may not grow Cannabis sativa (marijuana), regardless of the use of marijuana.
  • Engage in sexual relations in the Garden
  1. Coordinators will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation.

Gardeners must adhere to the terms stated above to continue to garden their plot. If a grievance occurs, The Garden Coordinators will work to resolve it in a timely manner. If the grievance remains, the plot lease will be revoked at the discretion of the Garden Coordinators.

*  Required entry

* Required entry

NOTE: The Growing Place Garden will not use any personally identifiable information, including Gardener's name, address, phone number, email address, for purposes other than the operation of the Garden.