Chatfield Community Garden at St. Gregory’s
Maintenance Guidelines
The Chatfield Community Garden at St. Gregory’s, 6653 W. Chatfield Avenue, Littleton, Colorado 80128 (“CCGG”) requires participants to keep their garden sites clean, attractive and orderly at all times – especially during the winter. Properly maintaining the garden will allow the garden to be enjoyed by gardeners and non-gardeners alike. A well-maintained garden harbors fewer pests and weeds and will be healthier from season to season. All gardeners have a significant role and responsibility toward the sustainability of the community garden.
1. Garden plot: Each garden plot must be kept clear of weeds, spent plants, debris and trash. Each fall, turn compost and organic material into the soil and cover it with a layer of mulch to regulate soil temperature and retain moisture throughout the winter. Any perennials in your plot must appear well kept. In addition, you are responsible to maintain the pathway immediately adjacent to your plot. Plastic bags of spent plants, grass clippings and leaves are not allowed to be stored in your plot at any time. To passersby, they appear as bags of trash. Unopened bags of topsoil, compost or manure are also not to be stored in your garden plot. Chop and spread these materials in your plot promptly, allowing for decomposition and integration with your existing soil.
2. Vertical structures: Structures to encourage vertical growing, including arbors, trellis, tree branch frames, fence sections and cages are only allowed during the growing season if they are 36 inches or less in height and are functional, orderly, safe and attractive. Vertical structures used for growing must appear in good condition and contribute to the community garden’s overall visual continuity. All growing structures must be removed during the off-season.
3. “Off-season” storage: The following items are not authorized to be left standing during the off-season and must be removed from the site when not in use:
- chairs and individual benches
- shoes, clothes
- sticks, steel “T” posts
- buckets, plastic containers
- wire cages, fencing
- plastic plant pots, tools
- wheel barrows, wagons
- pipe, hoses and nozzles
- piles of brick and stone
- water bottles, milk bottles
- bags of compost or leaves
- non-permanent garden art
5. Plot boundaries: Interior “boundary fences” around individual plots are discouraged; they are hard to weed and can quickly make the overall garden unsightly. The preferred boundary is a weed-free edge between your plot and the adjacent path or neighbor. With CCGG Steering Committee approval, you may edge your plot with a low-profile (less than 12” high) edging material, which is in good condition and well kept. Do not use “scrap” materials, such as broken bricks and concrete, small fragments of sandstone or pavers, scraps of wood, metal or plastic edger or white wire fencing. We also discourage the use of pressure treated landscape timbers and wood; cedar is a non-toxic alternative.
6. Water: Only hand watering is permitted. We recommend using a hand-held watering wand with a shutoff nozzle. Gardeners must remain on premises while watering and must practice water conservation techniques as described in the handout entitled “Effective Water Conservation Techniques”. Turn off spigots when not in use. If there is a break in the irrigation system, please turn off the water at the shut-off valve. Contact the CGSG Garden Leader to report a break.
7. The community garden is a “community” responsibility. Everyone must take responsibility for
maintaining the common areas of the community garden:
- compost bins and tool shed
- pathways
- surrounding land
- irrigation system
- trees, flower beds and lawn
- trash containment areas
- driveway and sidewalks
(303) 791-7296
highlandsprayer@yahoo.com
St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church
(303) 979-5236
stgregs@qwestoffice.net
Revised 4/2011.
