SEBA Organic Community Gardens: Conditions of Use

SEBA Gardens is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We anticipate re-opening once regular site access is restored.

Revised January 23, 2020.

Administrative Rules

• The name of this organization shall be “SEBA Organic Community Gardens”, hereafter, the Gardens.
• The Gardens is organized to accomplish the following purposes
  • To provide recreation to its members in connection with gardening.
  • To further horticultural knowledge.
  • To promote organic cultivation of quality produce using environmentally sound gardening practices.
  • To promote social activities between members of this Club including plant exchanges and other events.
  • The Gardens are not designed for and shall not result in financial or pecuniary gain or profit to this entity or its members.
• The Gardens are open to all employees of and guest researcher at NIST and other persons associated with and/or assigned to work at NIST and are a member of SEBA.
• Executive Committee Officers:
  • Meetings of the Executive Committee Officers and members shall be held as necessary.
  • The Executive Committee officers of the Gardens shall be a President and Treasurer.
    • President: The president is the chief officer of the club and presides over all meetings.
    • Treasurer: The treasurer shall be responsible for all funds and accounts of the Club. The Treasurer shall receive all monies and make payments as authorized. they shall keep accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements and render reports as needed for meetings or requested by the President.
  • Election and seating of club officers shall be conducted annually. A term of office shall be for one year beginning on the date of the Annual Meeting.
  • Meetings of the Gardens Executive Committee officers shall be held as necessary.
• Club Members Rights and Responsibilities
  • To join the Gardens (new Members) or to request a plot for the upcoming year (continuing Members), employees/Guest Researchers will submit an application to the garden coordinator, who will accept or reject based on the application and plot availability; the Gardens reserves the right to reject any application but this decision should be based on previous good standing of the member (if they were a member), and availability of the plot only.
  • Members of the Club will be in good standing if they are current on dues, have fulfilled their Community Workday obligation, and have a plot in good condition; each member will have the right to vote for Executive Committee Officers.
  • Officers will have the right to suspend or expel Members for repeated infractions of Gardening or Courtesy Rules.
• Conditions of use and Garden Rules are subject to annual review and revision.

Gardening Rules and Guidelines

• Organic practices are required in all parts of the Gardens. Garden pests and plant diseases can be especially serious in the community garden setting. Gardeners are expected to monitor their plants and plots for signs of pest problems and plant diseases. Only organic methods such as handpicking bugs, row covers, etc., can be used in the community garden. Anyone of the garden committee can help you locate information about controlling pests, treating and/or removing diseased plants.
• Gardeners are expected to help with community garden chores. These include weeding and chipping common areas, fence lines, and paths, keeping the garden trash-free, and other garden tasks as requested by the Executive Committee.
• Each gardener is responsible for weeding, cultivating, and/or watering their plot(s), and must arrange for someone to maintain the garden plot if away for an extended period of time. By May 1, gardeners must begin work on their plots including weeding, soil amendment, and cultivation. By June 1, gardeners must have planted seeds, seedlings, or transplants in their plots. Gardeners must remove dead plants and summer garden debris from plots by the date announced by the Executive Committee, typically in early October.
• All gardens are subject to regular inspections. If a garden plot is not in compliance with the established rules, the plot can be revoked. See the SEBA Gardens Rules on Probation for full details about the process.
• To reduce weeds and pests, improve the soil, and maintain the garden’s appearance, mulch is strongly recommended. Gardeners are encouraged use materials such as aged compost, composted manure, leaves, straw, burlap, weed cloth, layers of newspaper, or plastic (away from lawn areas) to protect the soil and reduce weeds.
• Gardeners are strongly encouraged to plant fall and winter crops. If not, they should take steps to protect the soil by planting cover crops or covering their plots with barriers to reduce winter weeds. Acceptable barriers include newspaper (non-shiny parts) covered with mulch or compost, burlap bags, weed cloth, plastic covering or tarps.
• Invasive plants are not allowed. Aggressive plants like mint, lemon balm, strawberry and similar plants must be grown in containers and should not be allowed to get established in other parts of the garden.
• Gardeners must control weeds in their plots, especially before the weeds go to seed or otherwise invade neighboring plots and paths. Wiregrass is especially invasive and problematic, aggressively spreading via rhizomes (roots) in the ground. Gardeners are required to remove wiregrass from their plots and the paths around their plots.
• Water conservation must be practiced at all times. Please concentrate on watering roots rather than other parts of the plants. Gardeners must be present when watering. Do NOT leave water running unattended. Direct watering (from hose to ground) is not allowed in order to conserve our limited water resource. Open containers of water are not allowed for health-related reasons. If you wish to keep water in your plot, containers must be kept covered when not in use.
• Plant supports or stakes are allowed but cannot exceed six feet or shade adjoining plots. No structures of any kind can be built without approval by the SEBA gardens committee.
• Fences up to 1 foot high may be installed in your garden inside the plot boundaries. The materials should be neutral in color and should not create tripping or other safety hazards.

Getting Along and Courtesy in the Gardens

• In general, all NIST campus rules remain in effect in the Gardens.
• Every damage to the main fence surrounding the community gardens should be reported immediately to anyone of the SEBA garden Executive Committee.
• The fence doors should be kept shut at ALL times to prevent any wild animal from entering.
• If any wild animal is entering or found on the Garden grounds reasonable action should be taken to scare it away. If this is not successful contact any one of the SEBA garden committee.
• Gardeners are not allowed to trap animals (such as groundhogs, raccoons, etc.) in the Community Gardens at any time, except with prior approval of the President or Treasurer.
• Parking near and driving to the Gardens is limited to bringing heavy and/or large garden supplies to the garden.
• Littering and dumping are forbidden. The Gardens are trash-free, carry-in and carry-out facilities. Only plant waste is allowed in the compost areas. All trash must be removed from the site and disposed of by the gardeners.
• Gardeners are not permitted to borrow or move tools, wheelbarrows, etc., without the express permission of the owner.
• Children are welcome in the garden as long they have obtained appropriate authorization for entry onto NIST property and are accompanied and supervised by an adult.
• The community gardens are alcohol- and smoke-free.

SEBA Gardens Rules on Probation

In our first year (Summer 2016), we had a nice success: Many vegetables and flowers, some really beautiful plots, and a few excellent examples of people doing a great job of “wintering over” their plots. However, a significant number of people either i) abandoned their plots, or ii) did not clear their plots at the end of the Summer; these actions cause a large increase in the weed load for all Gardeners and create significant additional burden for all of us. For these reasons, we have implemented a more formal process of probation. We wish to offer a combination of i) encouragement and assistance, by offering a Mentor and ii) enforcement mechanisms.

In the event of Garden Plot misuse or abandonment, a probationary period and revocation of the plot will follow for the gardener.

Probationary status is assigned if any of the following conditions occur:

1. End‐of‐Season (EOS) clean‐up is not performed for previous planting season. Garden must be cleared of all plants and ground must be prepared for the cover crop (cover crop arrangements can be made on an individual basis). Any additional EOS tasks assigned by the SEBA Gardens Committee must also be completed; these tasks will be assigned using the SEBA Gardens member e‐mail.

2. Monthly Garden Plot check finds the garden is not in good condition two times in a row. Monthly Garden Plot checks will occur on each Garden Work Day during the planting season (April‐September.)

   A first offense will result in

   1. an email warning with details of what is unacceptable about the plot, and
   2. an offer to assign a Mentor.

   A second offense will result in the member being placed on probation.

Failed Probation

Probation failure occurs when a member who is on probation fails a Garden Plot check. Failed probation results in the following:

1. revocation of the plot for the rest of the season, and
2. the following year the member will not be allowed to have a plot, and
3. the second following year the member will be on probation for the entire planting season.

Mentors (if available)

The Garden Committee will assign a mentor. The member will meet with their mentor about once per week in the garden in order to receive encouragement, advice and assistance. We hope this encouragement will help the member to recover a productive plot and avoid the consequences of probation.