Lease applications accepted beginning May 1st

It's the moment so many of you have been waiting for! Applications for plot leases in the Foothills Learning Garden will be accepted beginning May 1st. The lease agreement is in a Google doc here. If you are interested in leasing one 4x8 plot, please print and fill out the document. You'll need to mail or deliver your document with your $65 fee to Brian, our Community Liason, no earlier than May 1st. All of the lease details are on the lease agreement.

Also, we'd like anyone who will be using the garden this summer (this includes garden club families who will be caring for school plots) to read through the 2013 Garden Guidelines.

2013 Foothills Learning Garden Guidelines

The guidelines for the Foothills Learning Garden are established so that all gardeners will have the opportunity for a safe, successful, consistent, fair, and enjoyable gardening experience. Foothills Elementary School agrees to pay the water bill for the entire garden and maintain the garden structure. In return, the Foothills Learning Garden Committee asks that community garden members and those who are maintaining school beds adhere to the following guidelines for working in the garden.

Guidelines:

1. Community Gardeners will be allowed to manage only one plot on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would like to lease an additional plot and there is not a waiting list, you may submit a written request for approval to the Garden Committee. This request may submitted by e-mail to the Garden Committee at foothillsgarden@gmail.com.
2. In addition to taking care of your plot, we may offer Community Gardeners an opportunity to maintain one set of the school’s grade level plots (three 4x10 beds) during the summer months. Those who are maintaining school plots are encouraged to harvest from the plots while maintaining them. Opportunities to maintain the school plots will be offered first to families in the Foothills Elementary School Garden Club, then to families with children at Foothills Elementary School, and then to community members of the Foothills Learning Garden.
3. Gardens, pathways, and other common areas will be kept tidy and free of weeds. The pathways around your raised garden bed or the beds you are caring for are your responsibility. Failure to keep the weeds controlled in your plot(s) or the surrounding pathways will result in a reminder via phone call or email. If after seven days of the phone call or email there is no action to clean up the weeds then you may forfeit your right to lease or maintain a plot again in the future.
4. You are encouraged to mulch with non-pesticide or herbicide contaminated grass clippings or other clean organic matter. This helps to conserve water, control weeds and keep our costs down.
5. The use of non-organic fertilizers, herbicides, and/or pesticides is strictly prohibited. You may not use non-organic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides on your plot or anywhere else in the garden. For recommendations on organic methods of fertilizing and controlling weeds or pests, please visit the garden’s website, http://foothillsgarden.blogspot.com. After looking to the website for answers about what products are or are not acceptable, please feel free to email the Garden Committee at foothillsgarden@gmail.com with questions. Gardeners who use non-organic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides forfeit their lease payment and forfeit their gardening privileges for that year. They may request to rejoin the garden the following year by resubmitting their application and deposit as well as a letter stating that they understand this rule and will not violate it in the future.
6. Water is by far our largest expense. Please water wisely and only when needed, preferably in the morning or evening. It is best to water deeply and less frequently. While children are welcome to water using the provided watering cans, only adults are permitted to water using hoses. Hoses in use must always be fitted with an on/off nozzle in order to further reduce waste.
7. Unattended watering is not permitted.
8. Your personal tools may be kept on your plot or the plots you are maintaining at your own risk. You are welcome to borrow the school’s gardening tools from the garden shed (which should be built by early this summer), but please return them neatly to the shed when you are finished using them.
9. Community Gardeners are responsible for finding a Garden Sitter during vacations. If you lease a plot and you going on vacation during the summer ask a friend or neighbor or one of your fellow gardeners to water your plot while you are gone. If you are gone more than one week, then make sure your Garden Sitter is willing to weed for you! A garden membership list with contact information will be available to Community Gardeners.
10. Composting is encouraged. Maintenance of compost bins will be the responsibility of the Foothills Elementary School Garden Club. If you wish to add to the compost, please put organic matter in the designated area. Please do not add animal products (ie: meat or dairy) to the bin. You are welcome to use compost from the finished bin, but please share with your fellow gardeners.
11. Put garden waste (only organic matter) in the designated area. Do not add your garden waste to the compost; this will be done for you!
12. Community Gardeners may not transfer their plots to other individuals without written notice submitted to the Garden Committee via email (foothillsgarden@gmail.com). This notice must contain the name, address, email address, and phone number of the new gardener. You will need to work out payment for the remaining lease term with the gardener who is taking over your plot.
13. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Pets and bicycles are not permitted within the fenced area.
14. Please keep the gates closed and locked when you leave the garden. To keep pesky rabbits from entering the garden, please pull the gate closed behind you when you enter the garden.
15. If you see someone in the garden who you think may not belong there, please take the time to visit with them. The person may only be curious, a potential future gardener, or a new gardener. Or, the person may be someone who does not belong in the garden. Do not hesitate to ask their name and which plot is the person is caring for. Awareness goes a long way in helping secure the garden.
16. Please do not touch plots or plants that do not belong to you or that you are not responsible for maintaining unless you have permission from the gardener who is responsible for that plot. This includes school plots and the perimeter beds -- only those who are actively maintaining the school plots may work in those plots or harvest from them. Please do not allow your children to touch plants that do not belong to you and please do not allow them to touch or walk through beds that do not belong to you.
17. Harvest your crops when they are mature. If you can’t use them, share them. Some of the other gardeners may make trips to soup kitchens or pantries like Care and Share to donate our extra veggies!
18. Continuously keep your plot clean. When your harvest is done, clean up and dispose of dead plants and garden waste as soon as possible.
19. Turning and amending the soil is the responsibility of the gardener.
20. By November 30th, remove all stakes, strings, poles, etc. from your plot. In case you don’t return the following year or move to a different plot, your plot needs to be ready for the next gardener. If you would like to leave a structure on your plot, ask permission from the Garden Committee. 
    
    
    Most importantly, enjoy the garden! Please feel free to linger in the garden, chat with your fellow gardeners, and invite friends to visit the garden with you.