Re: abandonment of plots
Here at Seedy Acres in Philadelphia (35 plots) we use the threat of a
waiting list to spur people into action. Our bylaws read that anyone not
beginning to work their plot by April 15 can be replaced by the next person
on the list. Next cutoff is June 1, then August 1. After the August cutoff,
anyone wanting another plot to work for the fall season only becomes the
waiting list.
Another system that works is to add a $5-10 "cleanup" deposit. This sits in
the kitty until the end of the season, and is used to hire a cleanup crew,
usually local teenagers, to clean up needy plots. Anyone who cleans up
their own can ask for their deposit back, but mostdon't ask.
What really gets me are the folks who do only the required amount of
cleanup for each deadline, cost us a prize in the City Gardens Contest
every year, but scream and cry about how much they love their gardens
whenever their plot is threatened. It's especially hard if they've been
good gardeners in the past. What we try to do in that case is to find them
a garden partner who will share their plot & eventually take over.
Something else we've yet to try is to make a new catagory called "friend of
the garden" for those who still want access to the garden, but who don't
have the time to actually work a plot anymore. We'll keep you posted on
how that works.
It's VERY important to write the requirements into the rules up front, and
make each gardener sign them and keep a copy. It's impossible to enforce
unwritten rules, and it's useless to expect folks to live up to standards
if the standards aren't posted somewhere.
Sally McCabe
1:49 PM -0500 3/15/2000, Mariah Dillon wrote:
>I am the coordinator of a community garden in Syracuse, New York
>We have numerous gardeners who are adamant about coming back to "their
>plot" at
>the garden each year. Then they show up once or twice a season - (or the very
>minimum when I insist they show up) but in general they abandon their plot.
>Later in the season I have gardeners who want to do something about the
>weeds or
>who want the "abandon space" to garden in - and I never have any luck getting
>hold of these people who neglect their gardens.
>(I have had gardeners tell me they want a 'natural look' when all anyone else
>sees are propagating weeds.)
>What do others do in these situations?
>
>Mariah Dillon
>Coordinator
>Morningside Community Garden
>
>
>
>
>
>> > The problems are related to the abandonment of plots when
>> > residents leave or sell their house; the plot becomes an eyesore.
>
>
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>community_garden maillist - community_garden@mallorn.com
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