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

  • 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. 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.

  • 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 (other than township 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 work group to support the community and ongoing maintenance of the Edison Community Garden.

  • Gardeners must volunteer a total of 12 hours over the course of the growing season. Edison Community Garden Initiative Committee will announce volunteer needs.

  • At Fall Clean Up, a celebratory potluck will be held along with a “lessons learned” exercise.

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

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, 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 with in 2 weeks via ecgi2022@gmail.com

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

  • 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.

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

  • 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 of 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 tone to blend in with vegetation. They should be made of  wood , wood by products, or metal.

  • Gardeners may only harvest from their own gardens. ECGI reserves the right to harvest from beds where vegetables are not being picked and donate said vegetables to our local food pantry.