Rules, Regulations, and Responsibilities

Note: you must be at least  18 years old and a resident of Edison to garden. There is a fee of $40 for the season

ECGI (Edison Community Garden Initiative) Rules, Regulations, and Responsibilities will help ensure that everyone using the garden will have a productive and enjoyable experience. All gardeners promise to follow the Rules, Regulations, and Responsibilities outlined in this document. Failure to comply with these Rules, Regulations, and Responsibilities may result in the loss of gardening privileges, including the loss of  the assigned garden bed and registration fees. Applications will be available online at the Edison Community Garden website https://.edisoncommunitygardens.org.

Raised beds are expected to be assigned in early spring conditions permitting. Each household will be permitted only one raised bed. Family members living in the same household may not have separate plots.

General Responsibilities

  • Rules, Regulations, and Responsibilities

    Note: you must be at least  18 years old and a resident of Edison Township, NJ  to garden. There is a fee of $40 for the season 

    ECGI (Edison Community Garden Initiative) Rules, Regulations, and Responsibilities will help ensure that everyone using the garden will have a productive and enjoyable experience. As an official garden member, you are obligated to follow the ECGI Rules, Regulations, and Responsibilities outlined in this document. Failure to comply with the ECGI Rules, Regulations, and Responsibilities may result in the loss of gardening privileges, including the loss of the assigned garden bed and registration fees. Applications are available online at the Edison Community Garden website at www.edisoncommunitygardens.org.


    Raised beds are expected to be assigned in early spring conditions permitting. Each household will be permitted only one raised bed. Family members living in the same household may not have separate plots.

    GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

    • Gardeners must be at least 18 years old and a resident of Edison Township. 

    • Gardeners must follow all pertinent local, state, and federal laws. Gardeners must follow the current CDC Covid guidelines.

    • The garden is open 7 days a week from sunrise to sunset during the growing season which is usually late April through October.

    •  Garden access is controlled by a combination number lock on the gates and gardeners must not share the combination with anyone else. 

    • Gates must be kept closed and locked at all times. Gardeners must verify that gates are closed and locked securely in place when leaving the garden. 

    • Hoses must be wound up and water turned off after use. Hoses can be tripping hazards.

    • No children should play with hoses and spray randomly around the garden.

    • Tools must be cleaned before putting them away in the shed.

    • Children should be supervised by an adult at all times.

    • Pets are not allowed in the garden.

    • Gardeners will park in designated areas. No vehicles are permitted inside the garden or on pathways (other than Edison Township authorized vehicles).

    • All gardeners MUST participate in Spring Garden Preparation Day and Fall Clean Up Day.

    • All gardeners must attend Spring and Fall meetings. At the spring meeting, gardeners are allotted their garden beds and sign up for volunteer work groups. Each gardener must serve on a minimum of one workgroup to support the community and ongoing maintenance of the Edison Community Garden. 

    • Gardeners must volunteer a total of 6 hours throughout the growing season. Work credit can be attained through cleanups, meetings, attending Zoom and/or in-person workshops held by ECGI, hosting an event or workshop, and any other help requested by ECGI.  Edison Community Garden Initiative Committee will announce volunteer needs throughout the season. 

    • No alcohol or smoking is allowed in the Edison Community Garden Including the parking area. 

    COMMUNICATIONS: 

    • ECGI will send out emails to the garden group and specific individuals at times. If needed we may text or call on the phone. 

    • ECGI also maintains a Whatsapp channel specific to the garden. In the chat, you can ask garden-related questions, request help with your bed from other gardeners, and ask for assistance in watering. You may post pictures of the garden and of your garden bed. 

    • Any other requests should be first emailed to ecgi2022@gmail.com for approval before posting. 

    GARDENING RESPONSIBILITIES

    Gardeners are expected to practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and organic gardening in their raised beds. All gardeners will receive information describing IPM and organic gardening practices. Gardeners must consult and receive approval from an ECGI member before adding, supplementing, and applying material of any type. Only biodegradable mulching material can be used. 

    Gardeners promise to keep their raised beds, surrounding areas, and common areas/resources (compost bins, shed, spigots, and hoses) in good condition free of weeds, trash, and tools.

    Gardeners should make their own arrangements with other garden members for the care of their allotted bed during temporary absences eg. vacations. An ECGI member needs to be alerted to this also. This can be done through WhatsApp, email, text, phone call,or in person.

    If a leased bed does not show evidence of active gardening and an ECGI member has not been contacted, the raised bed may be reassigned and registration fees forfeited. Abandoned raised beds beyond 1 month will be reassigned. 

    If for some reason, a member is unable to care for their bed or continue gardening, they must notify ECGI within 2 weeks via info@EdisonCommunityGardens.org. 

    Members can not hand their beds over to another person. ECGI has people on a waiting list wanting a bed. 

    There shall be no planting of GMO, invasive, illegal, vigorously growing, spreading, or poisonous plants.

    Please consult with ECGI before planting anything that may look like cannabis. 

    Temporary fixtures may be installed in raised beds. Fixtures shall be installed in a manner that will not trap birds or insects. Fixtures should be black, earth tone, or natural color to blend in naturally with vegetation. Supports used by gardeners for fencing vegetation will be traditional cages, stakes, strings, and ties. Installed supports and fixtures should not exceed 60 inches in height. Stakes should be green, natural or earth tones to blend in with vegetation. They should be made of wood, wood by-products, or metal.

    By Fall Cleaning Day, each gardener must clear their beds of all stakes, fencing, trellises, string, and any other inorganic materials. Any vines or large plants shall be chopped into small pieces and added to the compost area. Cover crops can be planted. 

    Gardeners may only harvest from their own gardens. Twice a month our garden donates to the local food pantry, Hands of Hope. A notice is usually put in WhatsApp and a cooler is placed in the garden area for your donations

    ECGI reserves the right to harvest from beds where vegetables are not being picked and donate to our local food pantry.