Common Earth Community Garden is established to grow and distribute vegetables, provide a source of wholesome food to local food banks, provide nutritional and cultural education for youth, a place of fellowship for multigenerational families, and outreach to our diverse neighbors on this shared common earth.
Plots will be rented to gardeners at the following prices for the 2020 season: Large beds $50, Raised beds $25. This fee covers the cost of water usage, common tools, topsoil, and compost.
Garden Access
Growing Season |
Water will be turned from May 1- October 1, 2020 |
Hours |
Sunrise to sunset |
Parking |
Parking is available in the First United Church of Arvada parking lot |
Contact methods |
Email: commonearthcommgarden@gmail.com Website: commonearthcommunitygarden.org Like us on Facebook |
Restrooms |
Restrooms are not available at Common Earth Community Garden. |
Community Garden Plots
Supplies |
Gardeners are solely responsible for the planting and management of their own plots, including providing their own seeds, plants, and amendments, Note: COVID-19 Best Practices include wearing a mask and practicing social distancing while gardening this year. Bring the tools you will need to garden with you, and take them back home when you leave, is another COVID-19 Best Practice the garden will be observing. If not wearing gloves, when turning on and off water handle, please wipe down the handle along with any hose sections you touched after use with an alcohol wipe, you have brought with you for this purpose. Gloves are preferred while gardening this year. |
Organic Gardening |
Common Earth Community Garden is an organic garden. Use of compost, organic mulch and weeding is acceptable. Use of pesticides, herbicides and rodenticides are not acceptable. Organic fertilizers are allowed. |
Water and Hoses |
Each gardener is responsible for watering his or her own plot - see suggestions for best practices.
Please do not leave a hose unattended |
Tools
|
Gardeners are required to bring their own tools with them, and take them back home when they leave, in the 2020 gardening season due to COVID-19 concerns. |
Plot Boundaries |
Common Earth Community Garden plots are edged
with cedar edging. Interior boundary fences around individual plots are discouraged: they are difficult to weed and can quickly make the overall garden unsightly. |
Plot Maintenance |
Each plot must be kept clear of weeds, spent plants, debris and
trash.
People not wanting their plots for any reason should notify the Common Earth Community Garden. Abandoned or neglected plots will be plowed under for weed control. |
Compost |
Individual compost bins are discouraged as they distract from the visual continuity of the community garden.
Common Earth Community Garden compost bins (future feature): All gardeners are encouraged to utilize the composting bins. All materials used in our compost bins must be chopped in one to two inch pieces before being added. Please do not add diseased plant material to the compost bins.
Plastic bags of spent plants, grass clippings and leaves are not allowed to be stored anywhere in the garden at any time. To a passerby they appear to be bags of trash. Unopened bags of topsoil, compost or manure are not to be stored in the garden. Chop and spread these materials in your plot immediately. |
Absence/Vacation |
Gardeners may not abandon their plots. Abandonment means failing to maintain a plot for 2 weeks. If a Gardener expects to be away from the garden and wishes to have a substitute gardener care for their plot please contact Common Earth Community Garden and a “’Garden Angel” can be assigned to care for your garden for up to 2 weeks. |
Vertical Structures |
Structures to encourage vertical growing, including arbors, trellis, tree branch frames, fence sections and cages are only allowed during the growing season if they are functional, orderly, safe, and attractive. All growing structures must be disassembled and removed during the off-season.
DUG does not permit the construction or existence of permanent shelter structures within individual or shared community garden plots, including personal sheds, storage or shade units. Individually constructed shelter structures present safety concerns and are antithetical to DUG’s community based approach. |
Off Season Storage |
The following items are not authorized to be left standing during the off-season and must be disassembled and removed from the site when not in use: Chairs & individual benches
wire cages, fencing
Shoes, clothes bags of compost/leaves Sticks, steel posts non-permanent garden art Buckets, plastic containers pipe, hoses |
Common Areas and Gardener Responsibilities
Tools and Shed |
Gardeners will not be allowed access to tools and shed in the 2020 gardening season |
Common Areas |
Gardeners will keep clean and neat any common areas, such as pathways and storage shed. Gardeners will promptly report any concerns about the safety of the garden to Common Earth Community Garden. |
Volunteer Hours |
All gardeners are expected to volunteer 5 hours (2017 growing season). Gardeners are expected to record these hours in the volunteer log book. The volunteer log book is located in the alcove of the back door of the church. |
Conduct
General Conduct |
Gardeners are expected to be civil, honest, and cooperative in dealing with the landowner, Common Earth Community Garden, garden neighbors, other gardeners, and guests of other gardeners. |
Guests |
Gardeners may bring guests, including children into the garden, provided that the guests comply with the Gardener Expectations. Children are welcome in the garden, but they must be with an adult at all times. |
Respect Others Property |
Gardeners may not enter other plots, or harvest another gardener’s produce, without explicit permission of the other gardener. Gardeners may not enter property next to the garden without the owner’s permission. |
Music |
Gardeners may play music. Music may not be loud enough to be a nuisance to other gardeners or to the garden’s neighbors. |
Illegal Plants |
Gardeners may not grow any plants considered to be illegal under state or federal law- this includes Cannabis Sativa (marijuana). |
Pets |
Gardeners may not bring any pet or animal into the garden, including for burial. Service dogs will be allowed in the garden if staying with their owner. Dogs are allowed in the field, if on a leash. Dogs may also be tied to the chain link fence near the church structure. |
No Firearms |
Gardeners may not carry, use, or store firearms in the garden. |
No Smoking or Vapor |
This garden is a non-smoking, tobacco free, vapor free, environment. This is for the comfort and health of other gardeners; and to guard against the tobacco mosaic virus which affects tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. |
No Alcohol or Drug use |
Alcoholic beverages may not be brought into the garden. |
Dispute Resolution
Dispute Resolution |
Gardeners will communicate any disputes about the garden or with fellow gardeners to Common Earth Community Garden. Common Earth Community Garden will have the power to hear these disputes and will resolve them in the best interest of the garden. If a mediator is requested, Common Earth Community Garden will utilize a mediator to resolve the dispute. |