Rev. Oct 10, 2022
| Plot Assignments | |
| The Garden Committee will administer the allotment gardens, ensure terms and conditions are adhered to by members and consider recommendations and feedback from plot holders. The Committee will also hold community meetings whereby all society members are encouraged to attend and share their feedback. | |
| A one-time, non-refundable $10 fee is required for membership in the Association and to rent a plot, allowing one vote per membership, regardless of the number of plots held and/or the number of family members. | |
| Plots become available for assignment through the failure of a member to renew their lease, death of a member, termination of membership, or the opening of new plots. | |
| The Garden Committee will assign vacant plots as follows:First consideration will be given to current lessees in the order that their written transfer requests were received,All other vacancies will be offered to new members in the order that their written applications were received,Notwithstanding the above, upon the death or illness of a member, the plot shall first be offered to the spouse or a family member currently working the plot, or that has been specified on membership application form.In the event of a divorce or separation, either spouse shall be able to assume the existing lease. In order to provide plots for as many gardeners as possible, only one lease per household shall be allowed until all applicants have been assigned a plot. As long as there is a waiting list of new members, they will take precedence over existing members desiring an additional plot. Any existing member who wishes to exchange their plot for another plot comes before the wait list and the former plot will then be available for the first person on the wait list. | |
| Plots must be principally maintained and cultivated by the lessee. Exceptions to this rule may be considered by the Society on a case-by-case basis. Lessees wishing to lend their plots to other gardeners must seek approval from the Garden Committee. Plots may not be sub-leased. | |
| Plot dimensions will be set, and no one may alter the dimensions of their plot. | |
| Lease Agreements | |
| Membership and Lease Agreements run from January 1 to December 31. | |
| The plot rental fee shall be Forty-five dollars ($45.00). | |
| Plot rental and membership fees and signed membership and lease agreements shall be sent to the Colwood Garden Society no later than February 15. Plots not paid for by this date will be considered vacant and available for rent. After this date, new members are required to participate in a garden orientation lead by a chairperson of the CGS. | |
| Plots must show some activity by May 1. Lack of activity may result in the cancellation of the lease with the plot returning to the rental pool. Extraordinary circumstances reported to the Garden Committee by May 1 or unduly wet conditions will be taken into consideration before the decision is made in this respect. Plot lessees will be contacted prior to cancellation. Should the lease be cancelled, rental fees may be refunded if another lessee can be found. | |
| Plots must be returned to the Society in a clean state at the end of the contract or at the cancellation of a lease. | |
| Plots must be cleared by November 1st of garden debris. Unstable temporary structures, such as hoop houses, cloches, bean poles and trellis arrangements, must be dismantled and securely stored. Exceptions must be approved by the Garden Committee. Actively growing winter crops or perennials may remain but must be left in a tidy condition so that the general appearance is not offensive, with the understanding that water will be turned off as of November 1st. Any plots left unsightly after November 1st will receive a warning to clean out the garden within a set timeframe or risk the loss of their plot. | |
| Renting priorities go to Colwood and Langford residents. | |
| Plot Maintenance | |
| Plots must be cleared of weeds, grasses, other invasive plants and plants that spread seeds quickly such as fennel, lemon balm and foxglove. See the list of invasive plants attached to our bylaws and posted in the shed. | |
| Pathways between plots must be kept clean & free of objects. Any pots or other objects left in the pathways will be put in the plot or removed. Plot owners are responsible for weeding near their plots. | |
| No trees or dwarf fruit trees on plots. | |
| Structures are not to exceed seven feet in height. Temporary framing used for over wintering produce must be properly secured and must be approved by the Garden Committee. Large permanent structures must not be erected on the site, with the exception of supports for perennial berries, etc. | |
| Tires must not be used on the garden site. | |
| Bags of compost and manure must be dug in same day, to avoid odors and vermin. Any garden debris and weeds must be removed from the site by the plot owner. There is no composting on site. Check the City of Colwood website for branch drop-off times. | |
| All equipment owned by the community garden is for exclusive use on the premises only. | |
| Water | |
| No unattended watering. | |
| No overnight watering. | |
| Obey municipal water restrictions. | |
| To lessen the threat of West Nile virus and mosquito breeding areas, do not leave any standing water in watering buckets or cans, plant pots, etc. Turn them upside down. | |
| In the case of damage to the water system, or apparent leakage, turn off the water supply, if capable, and notify a member of the garden committee immediately. Check bulletin boards to see where to turn off water systems. | |
| Only garden members should be watering garden plots for insurance reasons. | |
| General Rules and Expectations | |
| The use of pesticides, herbicides, soil enhancements, or any other man-made chemicals are not allowed in the garden. | |
| Plot markers must be left in place. | |
| Lessees are responsible for removing garbage and debris from their plots and disposing it off site. Compostable material must be removed from the site. Do not leave extra pots or other items near the shed or elsewhere in the garden. | |
| The gardens should be vacated from sunset to sunrise in the interest of security. The last gardener leaving should check to see that garden carts and wheelbarrows are put away. Gates should be kept closed at all times. | |
| Noxious and invasive weeds are prohibited | |
| Allotment garden produce shall not be offered for sale. | |
| Livestock and pets are not allowed on the garden site. | |
| Children must be supervised at all times. | |
| Personal vehicles must be parked in designated areas. | |
| Open burning is prohibited in accordance with Colwood bylaws. | |
| No smoking within the garden area. | |
| The Society is not responsible for loss or damage to crops or personal property within the garden site. Furthermore, the Society and the City of Colwood are not responsible for damage to vehicles or other personal items outside of the garden site. | |
| Bringing in barbeques is prohibited. | |
| All plots are subject to periodic inspection by the Society. | |
| The Board of Directors is comprised of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a membership secretary and member(s) at large. | |
| Enforcement | |
| Members will be required to relinquish their plots if they: Fail to abide by the Lease Agreement they have signed, Fail to maintain their plots by allowing excessive weed growth, the accumulation of old wood and garden debris, Interfere with other plot holders by over watering, or allowing plants or garden material to encroach onto the paths of neighbouring gardens, Behave in such a manner as to endanger the safety of neighbours or to interfere with the rights of other members, Fail to garden their own plot. | |
| Cancellation of leases due to non-compliance by the plot holder of this agreement will be at the discretion of the Garden Committee. After contact by the Committee via telephone or mail, a date will be given to clean up the plot to the satisfaction of the committee and/or to cease the behavior that violates this agreement. If this is not complied with, the plot holder will forfeit their fee and the plot will be reassigned. All such terminations will be decided by the Garden Committee. Lessees should notify the garden committee of extenuating circumstances such as long-term health issues if they are unable to maintain their plot. | |
| Code of Conduct | |
| Those elected as Directors are further obligated to uphold the Society’s Bylaws, Terms and Conditions and Colwood Municipality Lease requirements. | |
| Purpose of Volunteer Policies – These policies are written to provide overall guidance and direction to volunteers engaged in volunteer involvement and management efforts. | |
| Definition of Volunteer – A “volunteer” is anyone who is be a member in good standing of Colwood Garden Society. | |
| Mandatory Service – All members of the Garden Society are required to volunteer and to participate in tasks which pertain to keeping the overall garden site operational to acceptable standards (e.g., general site clean-up, common area and pathway maintenance, general upkeep of on-site structures and/or assist with administration tasks). | |
| Volunteers Under 18 – Signed waiver needed from parents and / or legal guardian. | |
| Service at the Discretion of the Society – the Society accepts the service of any volunteer, other than Society members, with the understanding that such service is at the sole discretion of the society. Non-member volunteers agree that the society may at any time, for whatever reason, decide to terminate the volunteer’s relationship with the Society. | |
| Confidentiality – All Society members are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of other members’ personal information including the phone #’s provided on Plot Plans. Other private or personal information such as email or mailing addresses provided to Volunteers to do their job must be kept strictly confidential. Failure to maintain confidentiality may result in termination of the volunteer’s relationship and membership with the Society or other corrective action. | |
| Screening/Reference Checks – For some tasks, volunteers may be obligated to submit samples of work and professional references. If such is required, it will be outlined in the task description. | |
| Copyright/Ownership Issues- All volunteers grant non-exclusive permission to Society to use, reproduce, modify and distribute materials produced for or provided to the Society. This includes graphics materials, photos, videos, recipes, web page designs, newsletters, narratives, research, compilations, instructional texts, etc. Volunteers will receive credit on the Society Web site for these and other contributions. | |
| Contacting Other Volunteers – Occasionally, volunteers will need to contact other volunteers with regard to their activities with Society. It is expected all such communications among volunteers to follow general etiquette guidelines. We encourage volunteers to use common sense when communicating with other volunteers — or anyone. | |
| These terms and conditions may only be changed by vote of the general membership. |