List of Working Teams:

Over the past few years, the Perth Dupont Community Garden has created and fine tuned a new way to delegate the workload of maintaining the community garden. This will consist of teams. The "Teams" is a new concept for us (see foot note), but it was agreed that the tasks required to keep the common areas around our garden neat, and implementing our Garden Guidelines, would be better handled this way.

As set out in The Garden Guidelines the gardeners are expected to join at least one of the teams:

• Working Group Teams (to share the workload of caring for the common areas of our community garden). Grass Cutting Team, Compost Team, Maintenance Team, Watering Team.

• Experienced (second year) gardeners may also join a Core Group Team (to help keep the community garden running smoothly) Building Team, the Events Team, the Fund-Raising team and the Communications Team. They may also be a Team Captain.

Grass Cutting Team

Instructions for using the push mower:

The Push mower is the environmentally friendly way to cut the grass.

If you pull it, it won't cut any grass – this is a good way to get the mower to your area.

When you are ready to mow, just push it forward two feet or so, then pull it back to the starting position, and push it three feet forward, pull it back and push it forward again. Depending on how long the grass is, you will need to keep repeating this process, to get your area done. If your grass is short you can push it forward 3-4 feet, if the grass is too long you will only be able to push it forward 1 foot at a time. To be able to get it done quickly, please keep the grass short, the longer it is, the harder it will be to push it forward.

Please note:

• The Garden Coordinator will assign volunteers from time to time to assist this team. The Team Captain will make sure that these people are trained on how to use the push mower, before giving them an assignment.

• Make sure that the grass is dry before you cut it. Even the dew early in the morning is too wet for it. Do not try to cut wet grass, it will clog up the cutters, and, they will rust!

• Check from time to time, to make sure that the grass or other stuff is not jammed up in the mower parts. In this picture you can see that the grass is jammed up near the wheels on either side. Please make sure that it is cleared up before you put the mower back. If you are having problems,or difficulties cleaning it please notify your Team Captain.

For all Gardener’s - Do Not Leave string or stones in the grass around your garden plot, these items can damage the grass cutting equipment. As well, don't leave dirt on the grass, it will kill the grass as well as damage to grass equipment.

Watering Team

The Watering Team will be responsible for watering all the common area garden beds. They will coordinate with the Grass Cutting Team to make sure that they are not watering and making the grass wet, when the Grass Team is about to come in and work.

From time to time, if the watering team needs assistance, the garden coordinator will assign a volunteer to help with the watering. In that case the Team Captain will make sure that the volunteer know the different techniques for watering.

Things that need to be watered:

• Front Flower Bed – twice a week

• Raspberry Patch – twice a week

• The Edible Landscape Garden – three times a week

• Pollinator Garden – consult with Kevin

• The Demonstration Garden Plot #19 – consult with Susan

• Extra items might include those gardens that are on vacation or ill.

The watering Team Captain will make a final decision about the frequency of watering times, by taking the current weather patterns into consideration.

The watering team will also be in charge of the watering hoses making sure that they are hung properly and not left twisted up.

All gardeners are expected to return the hoses to the hose hangers

Edible Landscape Garden Team

The Edible Landscape Garden is the communal plot along the south side of the garden. It is about 50' long and 5' wide. The perennial herbs are grown here. There is also space for edible flowers and extra seedling that we sometimes receive. All the gardeners and folks on the waiting list, as well as volunteers are welcome to harvest the herbs and flowers that are grown here, as long as they are modest, and use the proper scissors or clippers to harvest, so that the plants are not damaged.

This team will weed and water this garden as well as plan what space there is for extra plants or to divide some plants that are getting too big. This garden is an excellent opportunity for those on the waiting list to get some experience working with a community garden member as their team captain.

Maintenance Team

This team will be responsible for making sure that the pathways are clear, and removing the grass and weeds that come up between the tiles. They will make sure that the garden shed is kept tidy and the tools in good condition. Whenever they arrive in the garden, they will do a circle check of the whole garden and look for garbage, and damage that has been left behind from uninvited visitors.

They will be responsible for maintaining the recycle box and the garbage can. When either are full. They can bring them to official park containers, and put it in the proper container either garbage or recycle. During our community events they will also oversee the green bin.

From time to time, the garden coordinator may assign a volunteer to assist with this work.

Compost Team

Composting In A Community Garden

• All gardeners are expected to chop their ‘greens’ into 1” pieces, team members will demonstrate this and help or give suggestions how best to do this, to the other gardeners. Please follow the guidelines in the document called “Materials to Compost”

• Materials to Compost

The compost team will receive keys to the compost bins.

• The expectation for composting in our garden is to mix the brown and green into that bin. As well, you would add the Spanish River Carbonatite (a natural mineral amendment). You would also make sure that the mix is turned and moist enough.

• The members of the Compost Team are expected to know what types of material are acceptable to go into the compost. Gardeners will be able to ask them about any of the materials in their gardens that is appropriate for the compost.

• The Compost Team Captain will create a weekly Schedule. Your duties will include checking to make sure the compost in all 3 bins is moist enough. That the current bin in use has enough "Brown" added to it, so that it doesn't smell, and that Carbonatite is added during the week. You will need to be tall enough to get the pitch fork into the bin and turn the contents every couple of days. (we can try providing a milk crate to stand on.)

• Foot note: 2010 - we started to use this program, and it has worked out well