I manage the gardens for Lehigh County, PA. We have two large plots, each with about 92 15x20 plots. When I inherited the program 5 yrs ago it ran somewhat similar to yours. In the fall the gardeners were required to clear all inorganics. Then a farmer whould plow under all the leftovers. In the spring the farmer would disc and harrow, sometimes after a topdressing of compost. Then the plots would be restaked, plots assigned, and gardening would begin around the beginning of May. I did not like the fall plowing, as that leads to increased soil erosion over the winter. The other problem was that that system effectively cut out the early spring crops, as well as late fall and overwintering crops. As a gardener myself I found that silly, since we were spending all this effort on plowing/restaking for a 6-month garden program. We did a survey and found overwhemling support for moving to year-round leases. Now we do less work, and the gardeners are responsible for maintaining their plots. The big issues are weediness and abandoned gardens. These are handled by rountine inspections, warning letters, and ultimately revoking leases and reassigning the plot. As the County we have access to work-release inmates and juvenile probation kids for labor. The work-release program helps us with the fall and spring clean-ups, where the gardeners place all the weeds and dead plants along the garden road and we come through and collect it all and bring it to our compost site (we also deliver compost to the gardens in the spring). The Juvies help with clearing abondoned plots. The only complaints we got about the revamped program were from the local Dutchies who preferred the look of the plowed field over the winter to the "messy" gardens. Those have faded since it has been three years since the change. Gardners are now allowed to have perennials, install fences and drainiage, and do other plot improvements that would never have happened before.
Cary Cary Oshins Composting Specialist Lehigh County Office Of Solid Waste and Recycling Allentown, PA Manufacturers of Valley Green Compost and Mulch products [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: Lisa Coven [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 2:57 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [cg] Questions about Fall Clean Hello out there, I am writing from Burlington, Vermont. We have had an unusually warm rainy fall and in result closing up our 8 garden sites around the city has been difficult. We are one of those community garden groups that actually plows and tills the soil for the gardeners. Each fall we ask the gardeners to clean their individual plots (about 25X30) so that we can plow. Then in the spring we come back and till. This is our largest expense (about 1/3 of our total budget) The issue arises that gardeners complain that they want to keep their brussel sprouts and kale and carrots in the ground longer even though in all our materials it is clearly indicated that anything left in the garden after a determined date is considered abandoned. So now we are trying to figure out how to solve this issue and save money. Our plot fees will $52 for a full plot in 2006. I am interested to know what other programs do about tilling and plowing and how clean up takes place and is enforced. Any information would be greatly appreciated. There is a gardener advisory board that I would like to share this information with so that we can perhaps make some changes for the better. Thank you in advance for taking the time to reply. Descriptions of our community garden sites can be found at http://www.enjoyburlington.com/Programs/CommunityGardens.cfm Thanks again!!!!!! Lisa Coven Land Steward Burlington Parks and Recreation Department 645 Pine Street, Suite B Burlington, Vermont 05401 802- 863-0420 fax- 802-862-8027 www.enjoyburlington.com ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden