2023 Garden Guidelines

2023 Davis Park Community Garden Guidelines

In 2009 City of Providence Parks Department partnered with the neighborhood group, Elmhurst Clean & Green to establish the Davis Park Community Garden. Over the years a list of guidelines was created and modified. The following is the current version of guidelines.

Please read the guidelines and feel free to share any questions or comments with the garden leadership team and other garden members.

How do I become a Davis Park Community Gardener?

  1. Register (online or in person), sign a contract and pay the plot fee. Sign up to volunteer for at least one of three garden teams (See signup sheet).

What are community areas and plots?

  1. Community areas are the open spaces without garden beds/plots located on the hillsides and along the front pathway. Maintenance is shared among the garden members.

  2. Community plots are plots that are abandoned or not rented after June 1st.

  3. Any gardener who is interested in maintaining the community areas or plots should contact the plot monitor.. The maintenance guidelines for community areas and plots are the same as for rented plots (see below).

  4. There is no fee collected for community areas and plots. The harvest is shared among all the garden members.

What are the Gardener’s responsibilities to the Garden, its Community and other Gardeners?

  1. Complete at least 4 hours of community garden service projects/tasks per month. Projects/tasks include participating in scheduled project days, and/or independent improvement and maintenance tasks for the community areas and plots.

  2. Attend garden meetings and project days.

  3. When finished gardening for the day, please roll up the garden hose at the faucet area, return tools to the shed and lock the shed before leaving the garden.

  4. Check and lock all garden gates, the shed and the water hydrant any time you are the last person leaving the garden

  5. Smoking and chewing tobacco is not allowed. Tobacco can transmit a lethal virus to tomatoes and cigarette butts are loaded with toxins.

  6. Pets, drugs (including alcohol), radios, boom boxes, bluetooth speakers and fires are not allowed.

  7. Supervise children in the garden.

  8. For your safety, only garden during daylight hours. For added safety, consider gardening in pairs or keeping a cell phone nearby.

  9. Report theft, vandalism and unusual activities to the garden leadership team and police.

  10. Use common courtesy and be considerate of your gardening neighbors. Please do not apply anything to or pick anything from another person's plot without their permission.

What are the Gardeners’ responsibilities for their plots?

  1. Maintain your plot as follows:

    1. Maintain your plot in accordance with common organic gardening practices (e.g., no chemical fertilizers or pesticides, no invasive species planted, etc).

    2. Please keep your plot and the adjoining pathways tended. Call the plot monitor if you need help or if you will be away from the garden for an extended period of time. If you plan to discontinue use of your space, please let the plot monitor know as soon as possible so that your plot can be assigned to another gardener. If your plot appears to be untended for a period of time, and you haven’t contacted the garden monitor, you will be contacted and your plot may be assigned to another gardener.

    3. Please put weeds and dead plants into the compost bin provided. Do not leave them in the pathway. Any diseased plants or seedy or invasive weeds are to be bagged and put in the trash so as not to contaminate the gardens. Old woody plants are to be placed in the brush pile to be carted to the recycling center.

    4. Planting illegal plants is prohibited. Plant tall plants and vines only in places where they will not interfere with your neighbor’s plot.

    5. At the end of the gardening season, all dead plants and non-plant materials (string, wire, wood, metal, plastic, etc.) must be removed and disposed of properly and all garden plots be left neat and tidy. If your garden plot is not cleaned-up by November 1st you could lose your gardening privileges for the next season or be reassigned to a new, smaller plot.

Violation of Garden Guidelines: If any of the guidelines are violated you will be contacted by phone or e-mail and have one week to address the violation. After one week, if the violation has not been remedied, you may lose your gardening privileges.




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