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Blackfoot Community Garden 2017 Member’s Handbook ---PAGE BREAK--- 2 Blackfoot Community Garden – Member’s Handbook Blackfoot Community Garden c/o the City of Blackfoot 157 N. Broadway Ave. Blackfoot, ID 83221 Dear Friends, Welcome to the Blackfoot Community Garden, a vital program component of collaboration between the Community Dinner Table, Inc. and The City of Blackfoot. Our goal is to cultivate individual growth and self-sufficiency through community gardening and gardening education. The Garden is located just East and across the street from Veterans (Airport) Park near the intersection of East Airport Road and Teeples Drive. Please review the enclosed policies and procedures, as they are important for all Community Garden Members to understand. If you have any questions about this information, please call: Scott Hays, Blackfoot Parks Dept. at [PHONE REDACTED] or Sara Furu, City Hall, at [PHONE REDACTED], #0 See you in the Garden! ---PAGE BREAK--- 3 Blackfoot Community Garden – Member’s Handbook Joining the Garden All Gardeners must fill out a membership application (found at the end of this Member’s Handbook) and agree to the rules and regulations that are listed in this handbook. Incumbent Gardeners have priority on their previous year’s plot but they must submit the application before April 8th to maintain priority. All new Gardeners may apply any time beginning April 8th through April 30th or until all garden plots have been assigned. After May 1st, any unassigned plots are open to Gardeners who desire a second plot (Gardeners/families will be assigned only one plot until after 1 May 2016). Plots vary in size and include: Raised Intensive Beds: 4 feet x 12 feet; and Ground Plots: 8 feet x 12 feet; 12 feet x 20 feet; and 20 feet x 20 feet. A member may rent any size plot to garden, but is responsible for maintaining the entire plot. Please choose a size that you can manage. Plots will be assigned as requested, up to the amount of space available. If more requests are made than can be honored, date of application will establish priority. A map with plot assignments will be posted at the Garden after April 1st. Gardeners are responsible for their own seed, plant costs, fertilizers, materials, trellises, and other items. Each Gardener will be issued the combination for the shed and gate locks. The Community Dinner Table will coordinate pre-season and post-season cleanup days. Gardeners may begin working in their plots whenever they would like. Any plots that are not planted by June 1st will be forfeited and re-assigned to a new Gardener. Rules and Restrictions The Blackfoot Community Garden is using land owned by the City of Blackfoot, and as such, the Garden and its members must be good stewards of the land. Our goal is to create a safe and enjoyable place for the Gardeners. To this end, there are some rules and restrictions that all must agree to, if they wish to be members of the Garden. General Rules Produce from the Blackfoot Community Garden is primarily for family consumption or donation. Excess food may be preserved for future use, shared with friends or neighbors, traded amongst fellow Garden members, or donated to the local food pantry. Members may not sell produce raised in the Garden. No trees, invasive perennials, or illegal plants shall be grown. No mint, catnip, Jerusalem artichoke, horseradish, or comfrey is allowed. ---PAGE BREAK--- 4 Blackfoot Community Garden – Member’s Handbook It is the gardeners’ responsibility to control the weeds and trash in their own plots and adjacent pathways, and to clear their plot of trellis materials and debris at the end of the season. Gardeners are also required to assist with maintaining common areas. If children accompany gardeners, they should remain with the member, who might teach them about gardening or give them a task in the plot. Please do not let them go unsupervised, getting into others’ plots or the shed. No dogs or other pets are allowed in the Garden. This is to prevent animal waste from contaminating the growing beds and to keep animals out of others’ garden plots. The garden will be fenced and gated, so please remember to keep the gates closed. Of course, service animals are allowed, but should be taken out of the garden area when they need a rest break. Please do not bring anything into the garden that will compromise the safety or enjoyment of the gardeners such as radios or BBQs (except during planned events). Please use the adjoining park for gatherings when not in the Garden working. The garden is a tobacco-free area. This includes smoking and smokeless tobacco. Restroom facilities are located across East Airport Road at the Veteran’s Park Shelter area. Be cautious in crossing the road and go with children if they need to use the facility. ---PAGE BREAK--- 5 Blackfoot Community Garden – Member’s Handbook Water Supply and Use There are several water supply points in the garden. Each garden plot is within reasonable distance from a hydrant. Gardeners are expected to work with those on neighboring plots to schedule watering so everyone has use of the supply. Gardeners are responsible for providing their own drip systems, soaker hoses, sprinklers, or nozzles. Please also help make sure that water is not wasted, and greatly reduce the Garden’s water needs by using mulch (this also helps keep out weeds). Let us all be water smart, so please do not leave water running unattended. Plot Content and Maintenance All garden plots, whether boxed and raised beds or ground plots, must be kept reasonably weed free throughout the growing season. Please spend a few hours each week seeing to the weeds in the plot. Trellises or other structures in the plot may be no taller than five feet and must be located as to not cast shade on a neighbor’s plot for more than a couple hours a day. Trellises may be made of a choice of materials, but must be sturdily constructed, and they may be rustic in nature. Tires are not allowed in the Garden. Gardeners with ground plots may construct borders and/or pathways with stone or rock or other materials or may fence off their plot if they wish. The primary requirement is that the border materials do not extend into the pathways beyond a string line that runs between the corner stakes of the plot. If benches, sculptures, statues, windsocks, or other decorative elements are brought into the Garden, it is at the risk of the gardener. The Garden takes no responsibility for loss of these items. Biodegradable mulches such as compost, leaves and straw are permitted. Carpet mulch is not allowed. Wood chips will be used in paths only. Black plastic is allowed, but must be removed at the end of the season. Rocks should be piled under the sign labeled for rocks. Please do not put rocks in the garbage containers. Weeds and diseased plants should be put in container at the gate. Take home non-garden trash to be disposed of properly or dispose of in the trash receptacles on site. ---PAGE BREAK--- 6 Blackfoot Community Garden – Member’s Handbook Cooperation and Community The Community Garden will be more successful if all of our gardeners work together. We ask that members also make a contribution of time by participating in Garden projects in the spring and fall and general maintenance throughout the season. Garden security is the responsibility of all members of the Garden. While we have fenced the garden, we will not lock the gates. The front (park side) will only be opened for public events. This is a community facility and it will be up to all of us to educate the public about it and to keep an eye on both our own and our neighbor’s plots. Any problems should be reported to the City of Blackfoot. Please remember that Blackfoot Community Garden is part of the city and is supported by the patrons. The costs of providing this gardening area by the City far exceed the small fees that we charge for membership and use. We currently have Parks Dept. staff maintaining the exterior ground with the patrons maintaining the interior area. The purpose of our community gardening program is to provide access to land and water to enjoy the experience. The general garden administration is the responsibility of the City of Blackfoot, but the care and maintenance of the garden is the collective responsibility of the community gardeners. Harvest and Cleanup Please make sure to harvest crops on a regular basis. Any spoiled or rotting produce will be removed and disposed of. If away on vacation or other business, please arrange for someone to take care of watering, weeding, and harvesting. On the same note, do not harvest anything from another’s plot without permission. If a gardener has surplus produce, they can contact the Food Pantry and arrange to have it picked up and distributed to those in need. At the end of the season, all Gardeners are responsible for completely cleaning their plot. If a member intends on gardening the following year, they can mulch over their plot and put it to bed for the winter. That will make it much easier to get started the following season. Gardeners that leave their plot in clean and satisfactory condition will be considered an “Incumbent Gardener” and will have priority on that plot for the following year. Any Gardener that does not satisfactorily clean up their plot at the end of the season will lose their priority as an Incumbent Gardener. ---PAGE BREAK--- 7 Blackfoot Community Garden – Member’s Handbook City of Blackfoot Community Garden Application Name: Phone: Address: City: State: ZIP Code: Email: If you do not have an email address, please provide a family member or neighbor’s email address, as it will be a primary means of communication with garden members. Size of plot: (circle one) Intensive Raised Bed: (10 inch deep boxed growing bed suitable for square foot gardening) 4 ft by 12 ft ($15.00) Ground Plot: 8 ft by 12 ft ($20.00) 12 ft by 20 ft ($30.00) 20 ft by 20 ft ($40.00) Agreement/Liability Release I have received a copy of, have read, understand, and agree to abide by and follow the rules, regulations, and guidelines set forth in the Member’s Handbook. I understand that any violation of these rules may result in my termination as a member of the Garden with no refund of fees paid and the subsequent reassignment of my plot. I am enclosing my 2016 Community Garden plot fee in the amount of $ I understand that participation in gardening activities could include actions or tasks which might be hazardous to the participant named above, their minor child, or their guest. By signing below, I assume any risk of harm or injury which might occur to me, my minor child, or my guests, due to participation in the event or activity. I release and will indemnify the organization for all liability, costs and damages which might arise from participation in the community garden to me, my minor child, or my guest. If the participant is a minor child, I agree that the minor has my consent to participate in the event. I further provide my consent for the organization or business named above to seek emergency treatment for the minor if necessary. I agree to accept financial responsibility for the costs related to this emergency treatment. Signature of Participant: Date: Name of Parent or Guardian (if minor): Signature of Parent or Guardian: Make Checks Payable to: Send to: City of Blackfoot City of Blackfoot 157 N. Broadway Blackfoot, ID 83221