Grow & Learn Community Garden

Community Garden Workdays are scheduled throughout the year to care for the common areas of the Grow & Learn Garden at First Presbyterian Church, managed by Grow Oak Ridge. Volunteers who work 10 hours you will be considered a Seedling Level "Friend of Grow Oak Ridge." This entitles you to several perks throughout the year. Gardeners who rent a summer space in the garden MUST volunteer at least 7 of 10 organized workdays. These are for general maintenance of the common spaces of the garden, and not just your own space. Service hours for school, work or the Anderson County Master Gardener program are offered during these work days. Tell the manager on duty if you need proof of volunteering.

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

 

Please refer to our 2025 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 2025 policies. 

 

Grow & Learn Community Garden at First Presbyterian Church Policies - 2025

 

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, Casey Davey: 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. 

 

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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). This will include general cleanup, fence maintenance, and other such tasks identified by the Garden Manager. If you do not meet the workday requirement, you will be required to pay a $30 fee per outstanding missed workday. It is your responsibility to communicate with the Garden Manager regarding workday attendance. Our workday schedule is as follows: 

 

1. Workday 1 - Saturday, March 1, 3 - 6 PM
2. Workday 2 - Thursday, March 27, 5 - 8 PM pizza day
3. Workday 3 - Sunday, April 6, 2 - 5 PM
4. Workday 4 - Saturday, June 7, 8 - 11 AM
5. Workday 5 - Thursday, July 24, 5 - 8 PM pizza day
6. Workday 6 - Sunday, August 24, 5 - 8 PM
7. Workday 7 - Saturday, September 13, 8 - 11 AM
8. Workday 8 - Thursday, October 16, 5 - 7 PM snacks
9. Workday 9 - Saturday, November 8, 9 - 11 AM
10. Workday 10 - Sunday,  November 9, 2 - 4 PM 

 

NEW COMMUNICATION TOOL: 

 

As a member of the Grow & Learn Community Garden, you should expect to receive regular season appropriate communications via email and the “Remind” texting platform, and 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 Coordinator 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 bylaws 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. 

 

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

NEW! 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. 
• Fees of this are based on the market price and will be invoiced to you. 

GENERAL RULES: 

 

1. Keep the path around your garden plot clear and accessible. Cover with wood chips or other provided material to retard weed growth and keep the paths from getting muddy.
2. 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. 
3. 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. 
4. 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.
5. In case of illness or vacation, find someone to tend your plot. Call the Garden Manager if you need assistance in finding someone.
6. 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.
7. Garden hardware (stakes and supports, etc.) should be taken home or stored on the plots, not in the aisles or under the trees.
8. 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 (i.e., meat and animal fats are NOT allowed).  ALWAYS cut any reedy, cane material, such as corn stalks or okra cane, into SMALL PIECES i.e., 6 inches or smaller 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.  
9. WATER - Use water conservatively. Never leave a hose running unattended or under pressure.
10. 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. 
11. If you bring pets to the garden, keep them under control, out of the garden plots, and clean up behind them.
12. 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.