It’s time to sign up for a community garden plot

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The gardens are located just north of Ahrens Park on Hungary Road and are divided into an organic section and a conventional one. A pump well provides a water supply. The cost is $5 for a 20 by 20 foot plot. No new 20 x 40 foot plots will be given this year until all requests for plots have been met. Last year’s gardeners wishing to reserve the same plots need to make their $5 or $10 payment by May 1. After that date, plots will be assigned to new gardeners. New gardeners interested in reserving a plot should email bluebirds987@sbcglobal.net or call Jim Glenney at 860-653-6179.

The gardens are usually ready for planting by the end of April. If you pay for a plot but fail to get started by June 1, you will have your money refunded. “Getting started” means you either have started planting or have worked the soil to keep the weeds down. If for some reason you cannot get started but still want to garden, please contact me.

Here are a few common sense rules to follow. Not everyone wants to listen to your radio, keep it low. Don’t plant so close to the pathways to make walking more difficult. Help keep the pathway clear of stones and weeds.  Keeping a 20 x 20-ft. plot free of weeds takes a lot of energy and hard work. Get a friend to share the plot each taking 10 feet. Avoid using cheap weed block. It deteriorates quickly and is difficult to pull up and often ends up being chopped creating a mess. Use leaves, grass, straw, wood shavings and newspapers to keep the weeds down. The use of chemicals in the conventional gardens is discouraged but not outlawed.

A simple guideline to follow is that healthy soil produces healthy vegetables and that leads to healthy people.

Make your check payable to Granby Community Gardens, and mail it to Jim Glenney, 33 Glen Road, Granby, CT 06035. All plots need to be cleaned up at the end of the growing season, usually around Nov. 1. If you are still growing a fall crop continue with that, just clean up. Volunteers will be needed to help stake out the plots once the garden has been plowed. We are lucky to have a good group willing to help. Why do you think the cost is $5 or $10? Because it is a community effort.