Community Garden

Garden User Expectations  

• Keep plot and communal areas well maintained throughout the growing season.
• Combinations to the locked deck box are to be kept private.
• Every gardener is required to commit 2 hours per month (volunteer hours), from May through September to maintaining the garden and/or helping to run events and programs. The work you do on your own plot is not considered volunteer hours.
• Abide by the Garden Code of Conduct (see end of document).  

 Plot Information  

• There are currently 25 – full sized plots (4ft x 8ft) and 8 – half sized plots (2ftx8ft and 4ftx4ft) available, and 5 – 2 by 6ft others that part of our garden. Some will be set aside for Food Bank/other food insecurity programs. Some will be set aside for schools and such. The rest are available for rent.
• 2025 renters will have the first opportunity to rent the same plot they had last year. 2025 renters who would like to change plots will have the next opportunity. Remaining plots will be assigned on a first-come, first served basis.
• All gardeners must sign a liability waiver.  
• Abandoned plots (not sown by June 14) may become donation plots and the renter’s fee will not be refunded.
• Do not affix anything to the wood of the garden bed. Upon request, we may be able to purchase specifically sized garden hoops on your behalf for a small price and install brackets to be used to support a bed cover, but you must supply your own cover material. You can remove and keep these hoops at the end of the season.  
• If you will be away for an extended period of time, we have flags you can put in your plot so garden members can water it for you. It is expected that you will make the same effort for others.
• Gardeners who abide by the Garden Code of Conduct and fulfill their volunteer hours will be offered a plot for the following season. These plot renewals must be paid for by January 31 of the following year, after which, plot applications will be taken during the February to May 15 registration period.
• All refuse (containers, bags, weeds, plant materials, etc.) MUST be properly disposed of, which means either you take it home, or you put in the big bin at the end of the sidewalk. Only refuse connected to your garden activities can go in that bin – no household refuse can be put into the bin. 

Parking  

• Park on the street in the 2-hour parking zone or in the parking lot at the Scenic Acres Community Association.
• Vehicles are not permitted to park on the grass.  

Watering  

• The water from the rain barrels is not to be used in the raised garden plots because it is considered unpotable. This water is only to be used for the perennial plants in the in-ground beds. 
• Water for the raised beds is supplied in a 1000L tote to store water at the garden. The water in this tote will be filled with treated water from the outside tap at the Scenic Acres Community Association. You can use the hose provided or the watering cans in the deck box.
• If you volunteer to water the perennial beds, you are welcome to hook up the hoses to the outside tap on the SACA building. The water pressure on the tote is normally too low for this purpose. 

Pest control  

• Use of synthetic pesticides or other such products that upset the balance of the ecosystem are not permitted. Please ask a committee member if you are unsure of what is considered a synthetic pesticide. 

Pets  

• Unleashed pets are prohibited in the Community Garden. For those plot holders that bring pets anywhere onto the Scenic Acres Community Association grounds, please note that the pets must be leashed, with their owner or handler, always and under that person’s control.  

Code of Conduct  

• Gardeners must sign a liability waiverbefore accessing their plot  
• All children 12 and under in the garden must always be supervised by a parent or adult.  

• Plot holders will maintain the aesthetics of their plots (no dead plants, piles of refuse, or plants taller than 2 meters; clear lines of sight, etc.). Any proposed structures beyond tomato cages, bed covers and stakes, large or small, must be reviewed and approved by the committee.  

• Gardeners may not harvest produce from plots other than their own unless they have contributed to them or have permission.  
• Gardeners must not leave garden refuse (weeds and unwanted plant material) on pathways, other plots, between plots, or outside the garden area. Garden refuse is to be chopped up and placed in the compost system.  
• The last person leaving the garden must ensure that hoses are shut off and the shed and deck box is locked.  
• Herbicides, pesticides or other such products which upset the balance of the ecosystem are not permitted. Soil amendments and synthetic fertilizers are permitted. 
• Plot Holders’ watering should affect their plots only unless they have permission to water another person’s plot, or the donation plots need watering. 
• Plot holders must begin planting by June 14th to retain possession of the plot. The plot will be re-assigned or used as a donation bed after June 14th, and their fees will not be refunded. Plot holders will harvest and prepare their plot for winter by November 1st. 
• Smoking is prohibited in the Community Garden. 
• Gardeners must not create a nuisance for others, their plots, the public space, or the Scenic Acres Community Association and their programming. 
• Gardeners must leave communal space in the same state as it was upon their arrival. 
• Plant waste that has powdery mildew on it should be placed in the garbage, not the compost, to avoid contamination