REMINDER: GARDEN PLOTS MUST BE PAID FOR BY APRIL 30, 2024. Questions? Email backyardpest@gmail.com
The Garden Club of Kent will hold a mandatory meeting for its 2024 garden plot renters, including permanent plot tenders, on Thursday, May 2 at 6:00 pm in the Ode to Joy building. Members of The Garden Club of Kent are also welcome to attend. Free pizza and beverages will be served.
Here is the agenda for the meeting:
Review of the "terms of use" for the 2024 season
All garden plot renters are required to sign the 2024 "terms of use" agreement that outlines the rules and responsibilities of both our gardeners and the club. The document covers topics such as common courtesies, water usage, parking and garden plot maintenance expectations.
Presentation on organic weed and pest control
Most of our gardeners work organically, and we ask that all gardeners use environmentally friendly pest controls and fertilizers. We're trying to keep our gardens as organic as possible. With that in mind — and recognizing how challenging weed, pest and disease management can be — local presenters will talk about organic control strategies on our property.
Introducing our new produce donation program
Come August, most of our gardeners are dealing with an overwhelming number of [fill in the vegetable blank]. Gardeners have asked the club to coordinate a produce donation program, and we're pleased to announce that it's happening. Mindy Gusz, community outreach nurse with University Hospitals Portage Medical Center, will make a short presentation about how the hospital will work with us to pick up weekly donations beginning in late July through the end of September. The bounty will be shared with families in need. All Garden Club of Kent members will be able to participate in this program.
Reconnect with your old gardening friends and meet new ones
It's been a minute since our gardeners last tended their little plots of heaven. Join us to catch up with your old pals and meet our new gardeners. With the addition of 14 new plots ("over the hill") and new gardeners taking over unrenewed rentals, we'll be welcoming about 20 new gardeners. Yay!
RETURNING GARDENERS
If you were a gardener in 2023 on The Garden Club of Kent property and want to return in 2024, your plot needed to be renewed by Jan. 1, 2024. If you did not renew by Jan. 1 and want to return, you will be added to the waiting list.
NEW GARDENERS
If you are interested in a plot, please email backyardpest@gmail.com. Be sure to provide your name, mailing address, phone number and email address. You will be placed on the waiting list.
PAYMENT DEADLINE
The fee is $40 per plot for the season. Deadline to pay for your 2024 plot is April 30. Mail your payment (checks only, made payable to The Garden Club of Kent) to The Garden Club of Kent, P.O. Box 88, Kent OH 44240.
If you need to make a cash payment, contact the club at backyardpest@gmail.com.
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!
The Garden Club of Kent
Grounds located at 480 Ravenna Rd., Streetsboro, Ohio 44241
Copyright © 2018 The Garden Club of Kent - All Rights Reserved.
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