Garden FAQs

1. I only like growing tomatoes in my plot during the summer months. Can’t I just use my plot during those months? 

During the months of April - October, you are expected to be actively engaged in your plot. This may be a great time to think about a crop you might add before or after tomato season (perhaps an easy to grow cover crop or simple food crop) that could help feed the soil and/or suppress weeds. If you want an idea on what to grow when, here’s a handy planting guide for our region developed by Portland Nursery. See policy 2 below for suggestions on how to care for your plot when you’re not actively growing (i.e. late fall and winter months, if you choose not to grow food during that time).

2.  I don’t typically start working in my garden plot until May. Will this be a problem? 

If you have been assigned a plot by April, you will need to start working in your garden during the month of April to avoid a check-in from staff who think your plot is abandoned. There are many things you can do during Figure 1 Example of Spring bed preparation. this month to prepare the plot for May crops -- preparing the soil, removing weeds, and putting in an early Spring planting. You might consider growing an easy crop to donate to Produce for People. Or if you have a friend in the garden, you can see if they would like to plant something in your plot for the month of April.

3. How often am I expected to show up and work my plot to show that I’m actively gardening?

There is no strict expectation; each plot varies in what it needs based on what you plant, how often your plants require watering, and how fast the weeds grow. During the active growing season (April - October), you may need to be at the garden more often than during winter months. Based on our garden surveys, most gardeners report spending 3-5 hours per week in their plots; if you have a smaller plot, you might spend less time, and larger plots might require more time. You will need to figure out what is neededbased on your garden plan.

4. I like to leave plants to dry for seed collection. How can I let you know this is my plan so it doesn’t simply look like my plot has been neglected?

You are welcome to allow certain types of crops flower to attract bees and other beneficial insects but in a community garden setting, but you need to save the seed in a way that doesn’t build up a seed bank in the soil or impact neighbors. Often times gardeners will gather seed before it dries and drops by cutting the seed head and putting it in paper bags indoors to help it mature and dry out. This is an effective way of seed saving in a community garden because it prevents the plant from dropping seed in the garden while allowing you to save seeds, furthering their life cycle. 

5. Can I grow crops all year round?

Yes! You are more than welcome to be actively gardening in your plot every month of the year. Because November through March are often less active months for growing, those are the months that community gardeners can be less active in the garden -- but that doesn’t mean you have to be! We have many gardeners that grow late fall and winter crops.

6. Which months am I allowed to “not actively garden” in my plot?

During the months of November through March, gardeners do not have to show that they are actively growing or prepping their plot for growing. You are still expected to maintain your plot, however, by following the suggestions in this policy #2 (removing weeds, removing dead/dying/diseased plants, storing any seasonal structures, etc.). Leaving dying or diseased plants can cause blight and spread disease beyond just a single plot, and weedy crops left too long can also begin growing into others’ plots and build up unwanted seed banks in the soil. If each gardener does their part to maintain their plot, the entire garden benefits.

7. What kinds of structures are considered seasonal and must be put away? What can be left up through non-active winter months?

Temporary structures that help to support plants (e.g. tomato cages, stakes, etc.) are considered temporary and should be taken down and neatly stored during non-active growing months. Intentional, sturdy structures such as compost bins, raised bed frames, well-secured arbors and trellises, plot borders (fences/edging around plots) may be left up as long as they are maintained.

8. Can I receive community service hours for cleaning the public paths by my plot?

Yes! You can mark as community service hours any time you put in clearing and maintaining the public paths around your plot to make sure that they are level, clear, and 2.5-3 feet wide.

9. Can I grow things along the fence bordering my plot?

Yes! As long as the crops are planted within your plot itself, inside the fence and not spilling out into public

10. I am at the end of a row and no one uses the path next to my plot except my neighbor and me. If we’re both okay with storing things at the end of the path by our plots, is that okay?

All paths must remain clear and level, even where the pathways end. As the policy states, everything associated with your plot must be stored within the bounds of your plot, not in neighboring pathways. The policy is in place to maintain safe conditions in each garden, as well as promote a sense of fairness among gardeners whose plots border the end of a pathway and those whose plots are surrounded on all four sides with shared pathways. 

11. I take the bus or walk to tend my community garden plot and/or I live in an apartment complex that does not provide garden waste disposal. Bringing plant material back to dispose of at home is therefore not an easy option for me. What do you recommend?

Composting plant material in your own plot can be a great way to add nutrients back into the soil. See our Debris Management Factsheet for helpful suggestions. Additionally, other gardeners in your garden can earn service hours for helping you dispose of your plant material. Check in with others in your garden to see if anyone might be interested in helping compost your garden waste.

12. What do I do with non-compost materials like plastic plant pots, identification tags, stakes, or trash?

All of this material must also be disposed of outside of the garden. Please take with you any trash that you might have brought. And if you want to help out on a larger level and clean up trash that others have left behind, remember to count that time towards your community service hours!

13. My garden plot does seem to have a communal compost system. Am I allowed to use that?

If your garden has set up its own communal compost system, talk with your garden manager about how it works. Some gardeners have their own compost bins within the boundaries of their plot. Personal bins are for the plot holders use only. Do not put your materials in those bins unless you are invited to do so.

14. Can I receive community service hours by helping a fellow gardener manage their plant waste?

Yes! This is a great way to help fellow gardeners who may not have easy access to managing plant waste at their home. If you support a fellow gardener in this way, you can count any time spent helping collect debris and hauling it away.

15. How can I compost directly into my garden but not create habitat for rodents?

Burial or trench composting tends to be a great option; chop and mulch composting is another technique used by some gardeners. You can find resources on how to do this through Oregon Metro’s helpful composting guide.