Gardening Guidelines - Great Garden

Welcome to the ________ (date) gardening season! The Great Garden, which is part of Great Afternoons, is a local non-profit organization that benefits children and community members in the Reedsport/Gardiner/Winchester Bay areas. Our programs seek to enrich the lives of our children and our community. Our community garden policies are important for all community gardeners to understand. If you have any questions about this information, please call _______________ (contact name) at ____________ (phone).

Reserving your plot

Each gardener is entitled to one plot (approximately 4 by 10 feet) if space is available. All plot rentals are done on a first come, first serve basis. A $30 garden plot rental fee is required of all gardeners. If a gardener has not used his/her plot within 30 days of signing their rental agreement, the plot will be given to another gardener or to the Learning Gardening Program. The $30 fee will not be returned.

Plot maintenance

Regular maintenance is required. Plot borders should be kept to the standard 4x10 so as not to encroach on pathways. Diseased or pest-infested plants should be removed. Ongoing control is required of pest grasses and weeds that can spread into pathways and neighboring plots through seed dispersal or root growth. Trees are not allowed. If a gardener fails to comply, they will be contacted and given two (2) weeks to comply. If not in compliance at the end of this period, the gardener will be notified of the immediate forfeiture of their plot.

Pathway maintenance

Pathways between plots should be clear. Gardeners need to maintain (including weeding/ mulching) the pathways around their plots. Personal gardening tools/equipment should be stored in your plot or in the shed or common storage area, not in the pathways. Vegetation from plots should not hang into pathways. (NOTE: pathway maintenance around your plot is not considered as part of volunteer time commitment.)

Land

We do not own the land used for our garden. We have upkeep and use agreements with the school district, but there is always a possibility that we will lose the use of the land. For this reason, there are some planting restrictions (i.e. trees and some perennials).

No herbicides, pesticides or chemical fertilizers allowed

Our goal is to create and nurture healthy soil and a healthy plant environment in the garden. Because plant and soil health deteriorates with the use of chemicals, they are not allowed in any of our community gardens. Gardeners using chemical weed killers, fertilizers and/or pesticides will lose their gardening privileges!

Cooperation and community

This project will be more successful if all of our gardeners work together. We ask that in addition to your $30 annual fee, you also make a contribution of your time by participating in clean-up projects in the spring and fall and general maintenance throughout the season. Each gardener is expected to contribute 24 hours of labor to the garden during the year (approximately 2 hours a month).

Tools

Gardeners must maintain and clean cooperative tools after use. Tools should be cleaned and returned to the storage shed and left in an orderly manner. Tools broken through negligence must be replaced by the gardener.

Watering/hoses

When using hoses take care not to damage other gardens and when finished watering please untangle and neatly curl up hoses on standpipes. If using a drip hose and you wish to keep the water on, please leave a note at the main faucet indicating the time you expect to return to turn off your hose. To function properly and conserve water, drip hoses should be in good repair and set to drip only. Overnight watering is not permitted.

Pets/children

Pets and young children are welcome but should be under supervision at all times within the gardens and kept out of other gardens. Pets must stay on a leash at all times. Please clean up after your pets.

Security

Access to the gardens is through the main gate. The lock combination is __________. The tool shed lock combination is __________. Be sure that the tool shed and main gate are locked if you are the last one leaving. Please leave the locks set with the numbers reading right way up.

Trash

All trash should be removed from the garden area. There is a dumpster at Highland Elementary, which is available for your use.