COMMUNITY GARDEN REGULATIONS
Proposal for the Garden Rules
There are many Community Garden Rules on the internet, and this version has been refined over fourteen years into the one you read here. It seems over-regulated, but since the real owner of the land and garden is the local authority, everything should be clear and regulated.
It’s also very important that gardens are not held together by garden rules, but rather by unwritten norms, personal relationships, seasons lived together, the sense of community that is really important.
The Garden Regulations are not the same as the Garden Contract. The Garden Contract contains the legal terms and conditions for the use of the bed, the Garden Regulations are more for cooperation and garden management.
The Garden Rules, however long, cannot cover all aspects of the garden’s operation, which is why garden meetings and competent garden management are important.
The Garden Rules should be posted on the garden notice board for all to read, both garden members and visitors to the garden.
1. General expectations
1.1 The rules are intended to make the operation and use of the Garden clear and understandable to everyone and apply to all members of the community. The Community Garden Rules apply universally to all users of the Garden and may only be changed or modified by community decision.
1.2. No political activity is allowed in the garden. The garden does not engage in direct political activity, is independent of political parties and does not provide or receive financial support from them.
1.3 Members of the garden must conduct themselves in a manner that enhances the reputation of the garden.
1.4. All forms of cooperation between Garden Users are important and should be encouraged.
2. Rules for the use of the Garden:
2.1 The Garden must first and foremost be a safe place for both Garden Users and their guests. The introduction or use of dangerous objects or hazardous materials in the Garden is prohibited. No smoking or consumption of alcohol is permitted in the Garden. The rules of normal social interaction must be followed in the Garden.
2.2. All Plots have the same area, and each Garden User may only cultivate one Plot. Any resident of the District who accepts and respects the rules of the garden and the expectations of the community may become a member of the garden.
2.3 The Garden Fee is used to cover the costs of running the garden: the purchase of tools, seeds, seedlings, etc. Spending must be voted on by the community. Payment of the user fee is due by 31 March each year. Non-payers are automatically excluded after a grace period of one month.
2.4. Each Garden User is responsible for his/her own garden, for the gardening work: planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and for the maintenance of the common areas of the garden.
2.5. All beds shall be maintained as often as possible on a weekly basis or at least once every 3 weeks. If the Garden User is unable to cultivate his/her garden, he/she must arrange for a competent substitute, in consultation with community members in particular. Any plot that is not maintained for more than 2 month can be charged and transferred to a new Garden User. If the Garden User wishes to terminate his right to use the plot during the growing season, he/she must notify the Garden Manager.
2.6. The right to use the plot is not transferable or permanently assignable.
2.7. The Garden may only grow plants for personal use, and therefore the Garden User may use and harvest the benefits of the Garden for his/her own use and for the use of his/her family members. It is forbidden to sell the produce of the Community Garden!
2.8. No artificial, chemical substances of any kind should be used in the garden, neither for weed control nor for other garden operations. Only and exclusively “organic” certified products may be used.
2.9. No poisonous or narcotic plants may be planted in the Garden. Trees, shrubs and weeds that have been dispersed in the garden by birds or wind-borne plant seeds must be removed from the garden.
2.10. The Garden User may only cultivate his/her own plot, harvest only his/her own crops, respect other people’s plots at all times, and may not touch other people’s plots without specific request.
2.11. At the end of the growing season, all Garden Users are responsible for clearing their plot and its immediate surroundings in preparation for the winter rest period. The same rule applies to the common areas and the Garden as a whole.
2.12. If any Garden User’s plants are attacked by a contagious disease, they must be removed from the bed immediately and other Garden Users must be informed of the potential danger. Infected plants must not be composted and must be removed from the Garden as soon as possible.
2.13. All Garden Users must remove all non-green waste (rubbish) from the Garden. No waste bins may be used in the garden.
2.14. Mailing list, Closed Facebook group: the rules of normal communication must be particularly respected in the internet-based communication of the garden community, the anonymity of the internet must not lead to uncultured behaviour.
3. Community areas, common activities
3.1. Each garden member is responsible for the overall appearance of the garden, and everyone must do their part to maintain it.All garden users are responsible for the continuous maintenance, care and cleaning of the common areas outside the bed throughout the season.
3.2. For the tasks to be carried out during the year (mowing the lawn, watering the common areas, maintaining the herb garden, tending the flower beds, etc.), a task list should be drawn up, in which the garden members undertake the work jointly – on a voluntary basis. Each garden member should take on tasks according to his or her ability and capacity, in equal proportions.
3.3. Communal areas in the community garden: the grass garden, the flower garden areas, the community space, trees and shrubs, which are maintained under the guidance of a “responsible person”, with the involvement of the community.
3.4. The garden members are required to take part in the work once a month (2 hours per month), and if they are absent, they must do the remaining work. If a garden member fails to participate regularly in the gardening work for reasons for which he/she is responsible, he/she may be expelled from the garden by a majority decision of the gardening partners.
3.5. In the garden, composting should be a shared responsibility. Each plot will share equally in the finished compost. By common agreement, household green waste may also be composted, but the types and types of composting must be agreed in advance between the Garden Users.
3.6. Each Garden User has his/her own key to the Garden and can enter the Garden whenever he/she wants.
3.7. On finishing gardening work, all tools must be returned to their place in a clean and usable condition. The Garden must always be locked when leaving. All water taps in the Garden must be turned off on leaving.
4. Garden coordination, garden management
4.1. The coordination and management of the Garden is carried out by the Garden Manager or the Garden Coordination Group, elected by a community vote. The community authorises the management team to take tasks, organise events and garden meetings and make decisions about the Garden. Each year, the Coordination Group is required to report on the functioning of the garden, the work of the community, their tasks, and our future plans.
4.2. The garden treasurer is obliged to report and account for the available funds every year. The accounting of expenses is presented at the end of the harvest season. Every year the community votes on the amount of the garden fee.
4.3. The Garden Manager or Garden Coordination Group is required to organise a Garden Users’ Meeting (Garden Meeting) several times a year, and a Garden Builders’ Day at least twice a year, at the beginning and end of the season.
4.4. The garden manager can call a meeting at any time to take joint decisions, or any garden member can call an extraordinary garden meeting.
4.5 Bulletin Board: a shared space for all kinds of information, messages and suggestions about the affairs of the Garden. Political advertisements and promotions are forbidden.
5. Events, children and visitors
5.1. Children may only be in the Garden under adult supervision. Guests invited by the Garden User must be aware of the rules of the Garden and may not touch or damage the beds of others. The Garden User shall be jointly and severally responsible for the conduct of its guests as its own.
5.2. The community garden may organise events such as cultural and leisure activities, garden parties, celebrations of community garden holidays, open days, educational and demonstration activities, and other events supported and approved by the community.
5.3. Participation in events, either as a visitor or as an organiser, is voluntary for the members of the garden.
5.4. Family celebrations can also be organised in the community garden with the knowledge and permission of the community, for example a child’s birthday. Invited guests must be aware of the garden rules, they cannot cause any harm.