2026 New Gardener Application for the Grow and Learn Community Garden

Are you interested in gardening at the Grow and Learn Community Garden this year? 

Please refer to our 2026 Policies in this description, below, PRIOR to applying to make sure that you can adhere to our policies through the duration of the season. Happy applying! Click "Show More>" to see our 2026 policies. 

Grow & Learn Community Garden at First Presbyterian Church

  Policies - 2026

The mission of the Grow & Learn Community Garden is to provide a teaching space for gardening in Anderson County and access to garden space for its residents. It is managed by Grow Oak Ridge, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, EIN 81-1747608, PO Box 4913, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 under a cooperative agreement with First Presbyterian Church. 

All questions and concerns should be directed to the garden manager, Amelia Hoeflich: Gardens@GrowOakRidge.org. 

FEES 

Gardeners must pay dues of $30 per garden plot annually, covering the period of Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. This covers the cost of water, hand tools, hoses, and general garden maintenance, but does not cover the cost of mulch or compost. 

Invoices will go out Feb. 1 of each year for garden plots. Dues must be paid by our first workday or by March 1, whichever comes first. Unpaid dues must be met before receiving access to your plot. 
If you would like to participate in the compost / mulch program (see below), that is an additional fee depending on the cost of the material divided by the number of plots. Let the Garden Manager know by Mar. 16  if you would like to participate. 
You will receive an invoice for garden fees, and any compost requested. Payment may be made online or via check to Grow Oak Ridge, given to the Garden Manager or mailed to Grow Oak Ridge, PO Box 4913, Oak Ridge, TN 37831. 
REQUIRED WORKDAYS - SAVE THESE DATES 

ALL GARDENERS are required to attend at least 7 of our 10 scheduled workdays per year to collaboratively perform general garden tasks outside your designated plot. These tasks may include general cleanup, fence maintenance, and other projects identified by the Garden Manager.

If a gardener misses more than three workdays without prior communication and approved make-up arrangements with the Garden Manager, they will be considered not in good standing. Gardeners not in good standing will automatically forfeit their garden plot and will not be allowed to garden the following year.

It is the responsibility of each gardener to communicate with the Garden Manager regarding workday attendance and to arrange make-up work if needed.

Our workday schedule is as follows:

Workday 1 - Saturday, March 14, 2 - 5 PM 
Workday 2 - Saturday, April 11, 9 - 11 AM  
Workday 3 - Saturday, April 25, 8 - 11 AM 
Workday 4 - Saturday, June 6, 8 - 11 AM 
Workday 5 - Saturday, July 11, 8 - 11 AM  
Workday 6 - Saturday, August 8, 8 - 11 AM 
Workday 7 - Saturday, September 12, 8 - 11 AM 
Workday 8 - Saturday, October 10, 8 - 11 AM 
Workday 9 - Saturday, November 7, 9 - 11 AM 
Workday 10 - Saturday, November 14, 9 - 11 AM 

COMMUNICATION TOOL: 

 As a member of the Grow & Learn Community Garden, you should expect to receive regular season appropriate communications via email, as well as the “Remind” texting platform. All gardeners are REQUIRED to opt into the Remind platform.  You do not need to download an app- simply sign up as a ‘Parent’ using this link: https://www.remind.com/join/glcg2025

/>ASSIGNMENT OF PLOTS: 

Only the Garden Manager or designate can assign and reassign plots. There is a general limit of one plot per family. If unassigned plots are available on Feb. 1,  a gardener may request a second plot. They can keep both plots in subsequent years UNLESS demand for plots exceeds the supply AND the gardener did not adequately follow the policies  in the previous year. Gardeners who wish to give up one or more plots must do so by December 31 via email to the Garden Manager. 

Wood frames and extra soil added to a garden plot must remain in the plot when it is vacated. If a gardener wants to remove trellises and other support structures, that must be done by Dec. 31. Beginning this winter, new bed frames will be installed throughout the garden. Each bed will measure 5 × 20 feet and will be constructed from rot-resistant composite lumber.

 All material left in an abandoned plot will be reclaimed by the Garden Manager by Dec. 31. 

ORGANIC COMPOST PROGRAM:

We will be bulk purchasing compost and mulch and have it delivered to the garden for group workdays in the spring.  You may buy into this program if you wish. 

You are responsible for showing up to our delivery and distribution (spring workdays) as designated by the Garden Manager, see list of dates of workdays.  If you are unable to show up that day, it is your responsibility to communicate with the Garden Manager to create a pick up plan.  
These fees are based on the market price and will be invoiced to you.  Generally it is more cost effective than purchasing compost on your own! 

GENERAL RULES: 

Keep the path around your garden plot clear and accessible. Remove any weeds that pop up around your garden plot. 
Only herbs, flowers, and vegetables you intentionally plant may be grown in your plot. All weeds (plants you did not plant) must be removed regularly to keep the garden healthy and fair for everyone. If you’re unsure whether a plant is a weed, please ask another gardener or a coordinator for help identifying it.  
Examples of weeds include but are not limited to:

Pigweed (Amaranthus spp.)

Crabgrass

Bermuda Grass

Violets (wild)

Volunteer Tomatoes

Wild Cucumber

Morning Glory (bindweed)

The Grow & Learn Community Garden is an organic garden. Only products rated specifically for organic gardens may be used, using the US National Organic Standards. This means no conventional pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers may be used in the garden at any point. 
Plant and tend your garden plot regularly in March—October. Gardeners are expected to visit no less than once per week in the peak season of June - September. Plots that show neglect and absence will be reclaimed by the Garden Manager. 
If a gardener appears to have abandoned a plot, and does not respond to phone calls and emails from the Garden Manager, the gardener’s plot will be cleared and cover-cropped, or reassigned to other gardeners. A written warning will be given via email and text if the plot does not seem to be tended, with a one-week period to show effort in remediation. 
In case of illness or vacation, find someone to tend your plot. Call the Garden Manager if you need assistance in finding someone.
In the winter months of November - March, remove all non-producing plant matter to reduce the spread of soil borne disease for the whole garden. You may leave only flowers and herbs to provide beneficial habitat and food to birds and insects. Unless you have planted cold season crops, it is required that you keep your garden plot covered with a cover crop or mulched heavily with straw or a similar substrate. This will help decrease spring weeding and weed seed populations for the whole garden. If you are unsure, please ask the Garden Manager for cover crop and mulch advice. Garden hardware (stakes and supports, etc.) should be taken home or stored on the plots, not in the aisles or under the trees. 
ON-SITE COMPOST PILE - As you work and tend to your garden, you may deposit weeds and disease free plant material into the community compost. READ the signage posted for what’s allowed and not allowed.  ALWAYS cut any reedy, cane material, such as corn stalks or okra cane, into SMALL PIECES i.e., 6 inches or smaller sections prior to adding them to the compost. NEVER put diseased fruit or plant material in the community compost pile. Please communicate with the Garden Manager about the disposal of diseased plant material. If you are unsure of what can be added to the compost, please contact the Garden Manager.  
WATER - Use water conservatively. Never leave a hose running unattended or under pressure.
 TOOLS - After using gardening tools from the tool shed, clean them, return them to the shed, and lock the combination lock. To clean garden tools, rinse off extra soil and plant debris and spray them with the sanitizer located in the tool shed. Contact the Garden Manager for the tool shed combination. ALL tools in the shed are communal property. Do not leave valuables in the shed. 
 If you bring pets to the garden, keep them under control, out of the garden plots, and clean up behind them. 
Children in the garden may use the play structure, but must be supervised and under control. Please do not allow yourself, children, or pets to walk through garden beds unless they are your own. Grow Oak Ridge is not liable for any injuries of children on the play structures and your participation in the garden is acknowledgment of this. 

Please review our garden policies to make sure that you will be able to meet all of the requirements for the garden prior to applying. 

INDEMNITY - By submitting this application, I agree to indemnify and hold harmless Grow Oak Ridge its members and employees for any claims, damage costs and attorney fees for injuries or damages arising from my participation in the Grow & Learn Community Garden. . 

PERMISSION - I give permission for the use of the images supplied with this application, for promotional purposes. I give permission to link my website from the promoter's web page.
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