CHURCHILL PARK COMMUNITY GARDEN OVERVIEW AND GUIDLINES
The Churchill Park Community Garden is a rental garden plot facility in the Westdale District, Hamilton, and Ontario. The property is located in West Hamilton at the north end of Dalewood Cres., nestled in Churchill Park near a ravine that leads to Cootes Paradise, and shares its land with Hamilton’s Aviary and the Apothecary Garden. The approximately 80-plot community garden area is coordinated by a group of volunteers, the Churchill Park Community Garden Collective.
The area is bounded by a manicured hedge and security fence and has a tapped water supply. There is ample parking available for a fee and a limited number of tools, wheelbarrows and watering cans are available for use by the gardeners.
Operating Schedule: Our official opening period is May 1st to Halloween, October 31. Access is available for gardeners between 6:00 a.m. and dusk during this period.
Please ensure that you lock the gates if you are the last person to leave the gardens.
Parking: There is no parking for gardeners inside the garden gates. Drop off and pick up are permitted. There is pay parking available in the RBG lot outside the gate (free to RBG members), and short-term free parking on the street (one hour Monday - Friday and all day on weekends).
Garden Maintenance: Gardeners agree to have something planted in the garden by mid-June; otherwise a garden plot will be considered abandoned. Weeding and general upkeep of your garden plot is essential to good neighbourly relationships; this includes the areas immediately surrounding your plot. Failure to keep weeds at a reasonable level to avoid infesting other gardens is grounds for non-renewal the next year. Tall plants should be planted only where they do not shade neighbouring plots.
Abandonment: Evidence of abandonment will result in written notice to remedy the situation followed by cancellation of the access agreement for the balance of the season, with no refund, two weeks after written notice is given provided if no response has been received. If you must abandon your plot for any reason, please notify the garden coordinators. We have a waiting list of interested gardeners if you are not able to use your space.
Water: Tapped water supply is available for use by all by some time after mid-May. Use water conscientiously and conserve water by using mulches. This year we are providing rinsing stations (blue totes) at each tap. Rinse soil off root vegetables in these bins rather than by running water over them. Use the water from the bins when available to water your plants. It will be warmed, partially dechlorinated, and will return nutrients to the garden rather than washing them into the groundwater.
Tools: A limited number of garden tools, wheelbarrows and watering cans are provided for use by gardeners. Please return tools to the storage shed after use cleaned of dirt and ready for use by others. Please keep the storage shed in a neat and tidy manner as a courtesy to others. No off-site use of CPCG tools is permitted. Individuals are personally responsible for their own tools brought on site.
Pesticides: Use of non-organic pesticides is strictly prohibited. Any violation will result in immediate cancellation of plot rental with no refund. Gardeners are encouraged to use organic gardening methods and materials, avoiding synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and weed repellents. (If you are struggling with invasive plants/pests/disease, please contact the garden committee for recommendations on how to treat them in an organic manner, or see the suggestion pages of this web site).
Compost disposal: Compost (weeds, crop residues) may be placed in the large composter near the gates. Please put your compost as far back in the composter as possible, so you don't block access for other users. Do not dump compost in any other location unless composting within your own plot.
No soil, plastic or garbage is to be placed in the composters under any circumstances.
Removal of Produce: No produce should go to waste. Gardeners are encouraged to share surplus harvest with area institutions, food banks, friends, family and the Aviary. Gardeners will pick only their own crops unless given permission by another plot’s gardener.
End of Season Clean-up: Gardeners are responsible for removing all debris (fencing, wire cages, wooden stakes, string, etc.) from their plots at the end of the season. If you do not have space to store your implements over the winter they may be kept stacked neatly and securely by the garden shed. Objects left on plots may be removed. Failure to safely and neatly remove any objects from your plot may result in cancellation of plot the following year.
Since gardens are not tilled in the spring, we have been able to make minor exceptions to the above for returning gardeners who wish to sow multi-year crops, such as garlic, rhubarb and some herbs. If you are leaving a crop in the ground over the winter, please make sure it is neat and clearly identifiable so that it is not disturbed by volunteers cleaning up in the late fall or early spring.
Children & Pets: Children are an important part of the gardening experience. Please ensure their safety and respect for neighbouring gardens. Pets are not allowed within the Community Garden location.
Property: The site in which the community garden is located is shared by two other groups; Aviary and Herb Garden Volunteers. Please respect these organizations' property as well as that of the surrounding residential neighbours. If you notice any damage to CPCG property, inform garden coordinators. Please leave the site in better shape than when you arrived…pitch in and clean up litter in or around CPCG site.
Assistance: Contact Churchill Park Community Garden Collective at churchillparkcg@gmail.com .
