FOG Rules and Regulations

REGISTRATION & FEES

1. Only one person may register for a plot and, in 2012, only one plot is available per household.  The registrant is ultimately responsible for plot maintenance, rule abidance, and volunteer commitments, and will receive all Garden mailings.  However, more than one person may garden in a plot.
2. Registration may be transferred to another person already gardening the same plot upon written request to GFN and completion of new registration paperwork.  All other plot assignments are made through the Garden Steering Committee.
3. Registrants who honor rules & guidelines and fulfill service commitments this season will be able to pre-register for the same plot next season, and are also eligible for leasing a second plot.
4. Fees are non-refundable.

Standard plot charge if residing in zip codes  01060, 01061, 01062 and 01053:  $ 25 Non-resident surcharge* (per gardener) Reside outside Northampton; work in the city                                  $  5 Reside and work outside Northampton                                              $ 10 Persons age 65 or over with ID receive a 20% discount (one discount per household). The first 15 low-income registrants (those who a show SNAP benefit card) will receive 80% reduction on plot fees (one discount per household).

GARDEN PLOTS

All gardeners must practice ORGANIC methods – scroll down for details. Gardeners will display a visible sign showing their plot number. Plots must be cultivated by June 1.  Otherwise, the plot will be reassigned. Be a good neighbor:

• No plantings, structures or trees that shade other garden plots.
• No plant encroachment on your neighbors’ plots. Put aggressive plants (i.e. brambles, mint, oregano, comfrey) in the interior of your plot.  (See a list of prohibited plants).
• Do not take anything from others’ plots without their permission.

Footpaths: Each gardener is required to:

• Maintain adjacent footpaths at a 5-foot width and keep them free of impediments of any sort.
• Mow footpaths to a height of no more than 6 inches (Mowing instructions TBD)

Conserve water:

• Water only when necessary and mulch your plants to reduce water needs.
• Water early or late in the day but never mid-day.
• You must be present during watering with hoses; sprinklers and soakers are not allowed.
• Garden water may not be used for any purpose other than watering the garden.

Plots should be reasonably free of weeds (i.e., more cultivated plants than weeds in evidence) by the announced midsummer walk-through date. Otherwise the plot may be reassigned.   Poison ivy, ragweed, Japanese knotweed and other nuisance plants will be discussed and identified at the mandatory training. Plots must be prepared for winter by November 1. Otherwise the plot cannot be renewed for the next season.

• Cut down and dispose of dead plants in individual plots and community composting areas to discourage plant and soil-borne disease and over-wintering pests.
• Cut back seed-bearing perennials.
• Remove non-attached objects (jugs, furniture, toys, tools, etc).
• Secure remaining structures.
• Extended plot use beyond Nov. 1 through use of row covers, cold frames, etc. is permissible.

Plantings within a plot are the property of the registered gardener.  Plants not removed by November 1 become the property of the next season’s registered gardener.  If a gardener fails to cultivate his/her plot by June 1, remaining plants become the property of the gardener to whom the plot is reassigned.

PARKING

Until we announce that our driveway is installed, there is no on-site parking this Spring.  Once our driveway is complete, please minimize on-site car traffic.  Ride your bike to FOG whenever possible to reduce traffic, erosion & pollution, and preserve our fragile roadways.  If you drive, please park along the sides of the grass roads within the Garden (see map).  FOG is in a floodplain, so for your safety and the preservation of our roads & soil, please avoid bringing your vehicles when it is very wet.

SMOKING

The entire FOG site is a smoke-free zone.

CHILDREN

For everyone’s safety, please supervise your children.  Busy streets and the Mill River abut the FOG site.

DOGS

No dogs off leash per Northampton’s ordinance.  Dogs must not damage or enter the Garden plots of others. Dogs’ waste is deposited in the dumpster – not in the compost.

NOISE

Many people garden to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature.  Please keep radios, cell phones and conversations to a reasonable volume. Headphones are a good option to listen to music

NATURAL MATERIALS

In an effort to maintain the garden’s natural beauty and reduce the risk of soil contamination, please choose alternatives to plastic wherever possible (chairs, stakes, trellises, edging, ground cover, etc.)   Do not use plastic to sheet mulch—it easily breaks apart and becomes scattered in the soil.  Please choose biodegradable materials for all garden purposes where possible.

1. We encourage gardeners to compost in FOG’s central compost sites.  Please do not establish personal compost bins on your plot.
   

   No personal composts at FOG, please

2. Compost only non-diseased plant and vegetable material and cover fresh compost with soil, straw or leaves to discourage animals. Do not bring personal kitchen waste to the compost piles.
3. Non-compostable material including metal, plastic, treated wood, glass, etc., as well as diseased plant material must be packed out of the site.
4. Brush including woody debris such as branches and small diameter trunks of trees and shrubs may be placed in the brush pile. This is not a compost pile.
5. No waste may be placed elsewhere – i.e. in paths, roads, wet areas, etc.

TOOLS

Garden carts, wheelbarrows and other FOG tools are to be shared. After using them, please clean them, promptly return to the central area, and lock them.

COMMUNITY SERVICE:

The registered Gardener for each plot (or plots) is responsible for completing six hours of community service work. See details on page 5.

FOG E-NEWSLETTER

The Garden Steering Committee communicates to gardeners through our electronic newsletter with the subject line “FOG Newsletter”.  Gardeners are expected to be aware of information (changes in the rules, deadlines for inspections and registration, etc.) published in the newsletter.  Send notice of email changes to FOG@growfoodnorthampton.com.

VIOLATIONS

Violators of rules are subject to loss of plots and fees. Registrants must meet the requirements for plot maintenance and community service in order to register next season.

Organic Standards for the Florence Organic Community Garden

“Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony…The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.”

~USDA National Organic Standards Board, April 1995

 

In order to garden at the Florence Organic Community Garden, we ask that you agree to:

Work to build healthy soil: Healthy soil will support healthy plants.  Improve and protect your soil and reduce disease by using methods such as: crop rotation, adding compost annually, planting cover crops, and incorporating green manures.  Protect bare soil with organic mulches like straw and leaves. Only use organic soil amendments and plant fertilizers:

• YES: compost, animal manures (aged or composted), alfalfa meal, blood meal, bone meal, kelp, seaweed, fish emulsion, rock phosphate, wood ashes, granite or feldspar dust or other materials generally approved for organic gardens.  Most commercially available organic amendments will carry a seal from OMRI, the Organic Material Review Institute or be clearly marked “organic”.  If there is any doubt, please check first with a member of the Garden Committee.  Better safe than sorry!
• NO: synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.

Control pests & weeds naturally:

• To control insects and disease, use hand-picking, beneficial insects, traps, row covers, biodegradable soaps, BT (bacillus thuringiesis), diatomaceous earth, chitin, etc.  Good hygiene such as pruning helps prevent conditions for fungal outbreak.
• Control weeds by pulling them by hand, hoeing or cultivating, mulching with materials that rot (plastic mulch is not permitted), planting cover crops, applying corn gluten meal, or other similar methods. Flame weeding (killing weeds with fire) is not allowed in individual plots.

Use healthy seeds and starts:

• Do NOT use genetically modified seeds or plants (GMOs).
• Use organic, untreated seeds and plants when you can—this is a guideline, not a requirement.
• Choose disease-resistant crop varieties when they are available.

Manage disease aggressively:

• Promptly dispose of sick plants in the dumpster to avoid spreading the disease to other plots.

Grow Food Northampton will support your organic gardening:

• Hands-on workshops, educational resources, and comprehensive website of information & links.
• Occasional guided walk-throughs conducted by experienced organic farmers and master gardeners.
• Referral to helpful resources, such as UMass Extension/Center for Agriculture, if there is an outbreak of disease, pests, or other problems that affect multiple plots.
• Mentor program that connects experienced organic gardeners with newcomers.