Community Garden Guidelines & Requirements

Welcome to the Florence Hathaway Park & Champlain Valley Senior Community Gardens. The Town of Willsboro and Champlain Valley Senior Community staff and volunteers look forward to gardening with you this spring, summer, and fall.

In order to get the most out of your gardening experience, we have asked that all participants observe the following guidelines:

Participation (Working Sessions with a Master Gardener)

  • Garden plot owners are encouraged to attend at least one of the pre-scheduled working session events with a Master Gardener.
  • While attending classes it is asked that all individuals be courteous and turn off their cell phones during working sessions.
  • Children are welcome to attend the sessions. As a courtesy, please avoid off-color language or conversation that might be offensive to others while in attendance.
Maintenance

  • All gardens must be weeded and watered regularly. If a garden is not maintained properly and becomes overgrown the garden owner will be issued a warning via placement of a red flag in the garden. A second violation will revoke the plot from the adoptee and will be issued to the next individual on the waiting list.
  • If a gardeners garden yields an abundance of produce that individual is welcome to place the extra produce in the “Community Sharing Basket” outside of the gate. Gardeners will be encouraged to remove any decomposing produce and place it in the compost bin within the garden.
  • All tools within the shed will be available to garden plot adoptees. Every tool must be put back into the shed after use. Gardeners must be courteous of each other and return the tools to the shed within one hour’s time.
  • If a gardener is unable to tend to their garden for any extended length of time, they must place the “water me” flag in their bed. All gardeners are encouraged to assist each other, during such circumstances, with watering, weeding, and harvesting (if needed).
 

Gardening Tools and Supplies

  • Tools and seeds are included in the plot fee. Individuals are welcome to plant additional produce, but are prohibited from planting invasive plants of any sort.
  • Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not permitted in the gardens. Organic fertilizer can be utilized.
  • Participants may either keep their food harvested from their gardens or share it (at no cost) with others as they see fit.
Combination Locks

  • A storage shed stocked with rakes, hoes, and shovels is located at the Florence Hathaway Park Community Garden. The combination is [              ]. Be sure to put away tools in their proper locations and lock the shed if you are the last person to leave the garden.
  • The water tap is located at the front of the park next to the road side and can be turned on as needed. Hoses will be connected to the line and brought to the garden by the Town. Please return all hosing equipment to its original location, and turn off the water tap, after use.
Visitors

  • Gardeners are welcome to bring a friend or relative to the Florence Hathaway or CVSC gardens to participate in gardening activity or gardening classes sponsored by the Town.
  • Children should be accompanied by an adult when visiting the garden.
  • For health and safety reasons, dogs may not enter the garden area at any time.
Tobacco, Alcohol & Controlled Substances

  • The Florence Hathaway Park and CVSC gardens are substance-free sites for participants and visitors.
Questions, Suggestions, Concerns

  • Questions, suggestions, or concerns may be brought to the attention of:
Garden Updates & Information

  • Garden updates and information can be found on the Community Garden Blog at: