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Garden Rules for 2012

1. The Gardens are open seven days a week from sunrise to sunset. Village ordinance prohibits presence in the garden between 9 pm and 6 am. You may be subject to a Village fine if you are there during these hours.

2. You may fence in your plot to deter theft and trespassing. Make sure your fence does not encroach on pathways. Lightweight bird and deer netting must NOT be used for fence material. Do not violate the privacy of other people’s plots.

3. You are responsible for keeping your plot(s), fences, and adjacent pathways clean and weed free. NPGFN membership is for one year. Failure to adequately maintain your plot(s) and fences will result in forfeiture of renewal privileges. Abandoned and/or unkempt plot(s) will be reassigned. Please notify a member of the Garden Board if you will be unable to tend your plot for more than two weeks. The board will consider unkempt plots abandoned after sending one notice. If no response is received
gardening privileges will be revoked.

The following are the dates and reasons for such action:

a. Not starting: You will be notified May 5 regarding no preparation or cleaning. You must address the issue by May 12.
b. Not maintaining: You will receive a notice by June 9 regarding no weeding, weeds knee high, or weeds encroaching onto a neighboring garden or common fence, or whose seeds are dropping onto a neighboring garden. You must respond by June 16 to the Board by e-mail or letter.
c. Plot reassignment for lack of maintenance: You will be notified by June 23 that your plot is considered abandoned for lack of maintenance and is being reassigned or mowed for the current season.
d. Non-gardening activity: Notice of loss of plot and non-renewal status. (See Rule 22)

4. Radios or any music players may only be used with headsets. Please use cell phones courteously.

5. NO SMOKING in the gardens.

6. No dogs are allowed in plots or pathways except service dogs with official documentation.

7. This is an organic gardening community. We recommend the use of leaves, straw, wood chips or other organic mulches for the control of weeds. All non-organic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and repellants are ABSOLUTELY prohibited.

8. Clean and return tools, carts, and wheelbarrows to the shed before you leave the garden, even if only for a short time. Lock the shed each time you take out or return tools to deter theft.

9. No growing of illegal or invasive plants. Do not plant trees or allow saplings to grow. Even small trees throw shade on neighbors’ plots and generate root systems well beyond their canopy that can compete with vegetables and other herbaceous plants. Existing
trees can be considered on a case-by-case basis, but the Board reserves the right to remove any existing tree that is creating shade or root competition problems or is projected to do so. Please do not plant shrubs that grow over 8 feet or that tend to form colonies over time and are difficult to remove, like rose-of-Sharon and lilac.

10. The Board reserves the right to remove existing structures that shade a neighboring garden.

11. If you are the last person to leave the gardens in the evening, secure the gate by attaching the metal chains and activate the electric fence pushing the switch on the solar controllers next to the gate. If you are the first person to arrive in the morning, turn the
controller switches off.

12. Weeds and other plant debris must be dumped next to the village leaf pile only. Rodents nest in anything that is not moved or turned over frequently. Piles of organic debris/compost in individual plots are discouraged UNLESS they are turned frequently so
they do not become infested with rodents that damage crops.

13. Scrap metal, wood debris, and brush must be placed in the designated locations in the bins near the tool shed. All plastic and trash are to be placed in the garbage cans at the side of the parking lot.

14. No glass of any kind, including windows for cold frames, is permitted in the garden. Tires are also not allowed.

15. Do not throw garden debris in the pathways. Wheelbarrows, garden carts, hoses, and bicycles must not block pathways at any
time.

16. DO NOT HARVEST WHAT YOU HAVE NOT PLANTED.

17. Commercial growth is ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED.

18. You are not just renting a plot, you are a member of a community. We need EVERYONE’S full cooperation in the execution of the tasks for which you have signed up throughout the season. You are expected to participate in at least two of the Community Work Days that will be held throughout the season. If you cannot perform your assigned tasks for whatever reason we ask that you
notify the Board.

19. Please DO NOT PARK on the Garden grounds or in front of the Village service entrance.

20. Use the NPGFN water system conscientiously. Shut off after use and remove personal hoses from along the pathways or along the outside of your fences. Do not leave water on unattended. Sprinklers are not allowed.

21. Do not use the Village drinking water for watering your garden.

22. Non-gardening activities, alcohol use, cooking, camping, or sleeping in your plot, are prohibited.

23. Plastic pots, plastic 6-packs for seedlings, plastic bags, and any other forms of plastic will float away during the annual flooding and end up in the Harcourt Preserve. Please properly dispose of such plastic items and man-made materials when they are no longer in use.

IF THESE RULES ARE VIOLATED YOUR PLOT WILL BE FORFEITED.