the garden club of kent gardens

Plot rentals will first be made available to returning gardeners in November and December 2023. Requests from new gardeners will be accepted beginning Jan. 1, 2024. New gardeners, please email the club at backyardpest@gmail.com on or after Jan. 1 to request a plot.

The Garden Club of Kent owns and manages the gardens located at the corner of Seasons Rd. and Ravenna Rd. in Streetsboro. Gardens are available to rent each year and are ready to plant on Memorial Day weekend, right after our Annual Plant Sale. We close the property at the end of October. 

GARDENS GUIDELINES

Our Ode to Joy gardens are overseen by the club’s Gardens and Buildings & Grounds committees, along with other club members, all of whom volunteer their time and talents to care for our beautiful piece of earth. We fertilize and till the plots every year, provide water at multiple locations throughout the gardens and provide a port-a-john for our gardeners' convenience. 

We’re working to improve your gardening experience at the Ode to Joy Center. During your summer with us, the Garden Club of Kent respectfully asks you to observe these guidelines:

 
KEEP A ONE-FOOT CLEARED PATH ON THE LONG (40’) SIDES OF YOUR GARDEN. You are required to dedicate one foot of space on each of the long sides of your garden to create a walking path between gardens.

 
Gardeners often need to use these paths to water their gardens, and they are permitted to pull hoses along these paths to access their plots. Please keep these paths clear for safe and easy passage. That means no plants, weeds, tools, hoses, fences, décor, etc., should be in your one-foot spaces. 

 
WHEN YOU ARE DONE WATERING, DON’T LEAVE YOUR HOSE ATTACHED TO THE SPIGOT AND MAKE SURE THE WATER IS COMPLETELY TURNED OFF. Water etiquette is very important in a community garden!

 
When you’re done watering, roll up your hose and keep it within your plot. When not in use, hoses must not obstruct walking paths or be left in the grass. Also, please note: sprinklers and soaker hoses are not permitted. Long-period watering affects water pressure for others and diminishes the property’s water table, especially in the dry conditions we’re currently experiencing. Water is available daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Report any water problems by call or text to Brian Loveland at 330-322-9923 or Jil Morgan at 216-408-0264.

 
DISPOSE OF YOUR WEEDS, DISEASED PLANTS & ROCKS IN DESIGNATED AREAS ON THE ODE TO JOY PROPERTY. The Garden Club of Kent has three designated locations on the property for this purpose.

We have established two separate piles along the tree line on the south side of the property and one pile near the pine tree by the Seasons Rd. entrance. We know the weeds can get pretty crazy at Ode to Joy and it’s hard to keep up with them. But we ask that you keep them under control because your weeds impact the gardeners around you.

 
TOOLS, HOSES & OTHER GARDENING PARAPHERNALIA MUST BE KEPT WITHIN THE DESIGNATED BOUNDARIES OF YOUR GARDEN. When you are not actively gardening, please make sure your tools, hoses and other accessories are stored within the boundaries of your garden plot. 

Tools, hoses and accessories can be tripping hazards for people and a mortal threat to our mowers -- both human and machine. It is best to bring your own tools and hoses, but the Garden Club of Kent does provide a rack of community tools and carts available outside the Hoop House, which you are free to use and required to return as soon as you’re done using them. 

 
BE MINDFUL IN YOUR PEST CONTROL CHOICES. Please consider using environmentally friendly pest controls and fertilizers.

Most of our plot renters want to garden organically. Do not use insecticides that are harmful to pollinators, especially bees, and do not use pesticides or insecticides in windy conditions. Also, pull diseased plants as soon as you discover them and throw them in one of our designated organic matter piles (see above). 

 
PLEASE OBSERVE THESE COMMON COURTESIES:

• Do not walk in other gardens without invitation or the gardener’s permission. 

• Do not pick anything from other people’s gardens.

• We are all sharing the property, so please be aware of how your gardening practices potentially impact other gardeners.

THANK YOU!