Rules and Practices

All Gardeners and Associate Gardeners participating in the Taylor Street Farms Community Garden (TSF) agree to follow the rules and practices that have been established by garden leadership. Failure to follow the rules and practices may result in a member losing their assigned plot or garden privileges. TSF leadership reserves the right to reassign beds to someone on the waitlist. 

These rules require that each Gardener and Associate Gardener, as applicable:

  1. At the beginning of each growing season (February/March) complete an application and make the appropriate payment to the garden;

  2. Volunteer at least seven hours (per plot) each growing season to maintain the garden. Volunteers are responsible for tracking their own hours. Volunteer activities include:

    • Workdays (repairing beds, weeding, clearing compost, etc.); 

    • Water duty (filling totes, managing the RPZ);

    • Ad hoc activities such as garden events, helping with donations, managing garden projects and admin;

    • Independent activities (mowing, painting, cleaning up litter).

  3. Maintain assigned garden bed weekly, planting by June 15 and winterizing the bed by November 15;

  4. Do not plant spreading plants such as mint, lemon balm, cane fruits, blackberries, and raspberries;

  5. Remove soil and mud from shared tools by spraying the tool blades with alcohol (provided in the shed) every time used to reduce the spread of soil germs;

  6. Follow the instructions for all compost bins, including:

    • Cut all compost material into small pieces before adding to the bins;

    • Only add healthy organic waste capable of decaying easily;

    • Place food compost materials only in the closed compost bins designated for those materials;

    • Refrain from adding blooming or seeding weeds or pest-infested material.

  7. Conserve water, as is required by TSF’s permit to use the hydrant water. Turn off hose and water faucets as soon as you have watered your bed or filled your watering can. Turn off leaky hoses at the base and notify a member of the Steering Committee of any leaks through taylorstreetfarms@gmail.com;

  8. Observe good health practices, including not coming to the garden if contagious;

  9. Latch the gate after entering or leaving the garden, and close the lock if one has been provided.

To respect the values of Taylor Street Farms, each Gardener and Associate Gardener will:

  1. Maintain healthy soil by using only organic methods and products, including using only organic fertilizers and insect repellents, avoiding any type of herbicide (except weed pulling!), using compost, planting cover crops, and reducing tillage;

  2. Use natural or recycled materials when possible in place of new plastics or synthetics;

  3. Be considerate of neighbors by not shading their beds, controlling invasive or sprawling plants in your bed, and avoiding the use of additional containers;

  4. Take home trash, litter, and plant material unusable as compost;

  5. Keep pets out of the fenced area and remove pet waste anywhere on the property;

  6. Maintain safety by putting tools away, and supervising and teaching children;

  7. Notify the Steering Committee if you need to give up your plot.