2. Welcome to Cooks Community Garden onlineorientation. This
presentation is required for all thosewho wish to join our
garden.The presentation should take about 10 minutes and atthe end,
you will be given a link to sign up for thegarden.
3. We were started in 2009 as a place for those whowanted to
garden as a group. A place were we couldhave space to grow good
food and socialize with otherswho share similar interests.Since
then we have tripled our size, added classes,chickens, and other
programs. Today we invite you tojoin us in this great place.
4. Cooks Community Garden aims to: Support the community
through positive engagement Educate and encourage ideals
surrounding gardening, nutrition and community. To be accessible to
the community at large, including those from low- resource
backgrounds Encourage a sense of community for all, regardless of
faith, color, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, etc
5. We want to be sure that we are close enough to you for you
to reasonably visit the garden two times a week. We get many people
apply who are too far away and cannot get to the garden that often.
If you are too far we are happy to help you find a closer
garden.Please look up how far you are from the garden: 3201 Mt.
Holly Huntersville Rd. Charlotte, NC 28216 click here to map
it
6. We have 27 plots, each year we will have a few slotsbecome
available, so apply now! Plots are assigned ona first come, first
served basis. The application is atthe end of this presentation.It
should be noted that we are an all organic garden
7. Each plot is rented out to individuals who are responsible
for their own plots; dues for the use of each plot are $30 per
year, plus a commitment to contribute 10 hours of labor for general
garden upkeep.Note: We will work individuals on sliding scales if
$30 is not possible.
8. The $30 fee entitles each person to the annual use of aplot,
use of a set of tools, water, free seeds, and accessto soil test
results. Gardeners are held accountable forkeeping their plots
maintained and weed freethroughout the year.
9. You are responsible for your own plot, which
includesweeding, keeping it neat and planting within 2 weeksof
being assigned a plot.You get to keep all the produce you grow in
your plot.
10. If you are going out of town for a while or become ill,let
us know and people are happy to step up and helpout. Remember to
return the favor.
11. You need to visit the garden twice a weekYou are
responsible for your plotYou must plant within two weeks of being
assigned a plotEveryone must volunteer 10 hours per year
12. We primarily correspond with people through our website,
email and Facebook. Please make sure you submit an email address
that you check often.Website: CooksCommunityGarden.orgFacebook:
facebook.com/cooksgarden
13. We kick of the season with a required meeting thattakes
place sometime around mid-March.We start gardening April 1st You
can be at the garden sun-up to sun-down, except Sunday, we are open
noon to sun-downWe close the garden December 1st
14. A key part of being part of the garden is the
socialaspects. We are looking for those who are interestedin
participating in the garden events and beingfriendly. All our
events are posted on our events calendar on our website
CooksCommunityGarden.org
15. We realize that many people want to garden, but dontknow
how. That is where our free classes come in, theyare designed to
take someone who knows nothingabout gardening and get them started
on the rightfoot. All our classes are posted on our events calendar
on our website CooksCommunityGarden.org
16. When you first come to our garden located at 3201Mount.
Holly Huntersville Rd. you will find us by ourbig sign.
17. We have plenty of parking. Drive up the driveway andturn
right though the hedge.
18. Once you join the garden youwill have access to our
toolslocated in the garage, the dooris locked with a
combinationpadlock, we will provide thecombination when you
havepaid your dues.
19. The plots are rented out to individuals to garden. Eachplot
is roughly 10 feet by 10 feet, so 100 square feettotal.
20. The donation plot is a separate field where we growfood for
those in need. Our produce is given toFriendship Trays, a
non-profit that cooks meals forthose who cant otherwise cook for
themselves.
21. Water is located at three places through out
thegarden.
22. We welcome anyone to volunteer with us. To find outwhen
there are volunteer days, see our events calendar.Each Gardener is
required tocomplete 10 hours a year as partof their payment. These
can beachieved by many different ways,but hours only count
onapproved actives that the gardenmanager runs.
23. To meet the hours requirement we realize people are very
busy and need flexibility. We have numerous ways to complete their
hours.The following are acceptable ways, most require prior
approval. Work in the donation field Organize your own project Run
a social event Teach a class Be part of a committee Help with
Grants Become an Assistant Garden Manager (2nd yr gardeners
only)
24. Our Egg Co-Op is a program designed to allowindividuals to
have access to fresh eggs, even in thecity! The program aims to
teach people about raisingurban chickens in Charlotte and question
where theirfood comes from.
25. Essentially how the program works is a person joins,
istaught everything they need to know, then is enteredinto the
rotation. On their day they must come out tothe garden to feed the
chickens, top off their water,move the coop (on wheels) so the
chickens have freshgrass to eat. On the day a person works, they
get tokeep all the eggs that day. Everyone shares in the workand
everyone shares in the benefit.Apply at our website.
26. Part of being part of a group is working together. Inorder
to make sure we work together in a productivemanner the group has
communally setup some commonsense rules which every gardeners must
abide by.The full set of rules can be found at our website
cookscommunitygarden.org/about/documents/
27. If everything seems reasonable to you and you still wish to
apply to the garden we are very happy to have you! Apply here:
http://bit.ly/qQKuG6
28. If you wish to just volunteer or attend class, see our
calendar.If you have questions, contact us through the contact us!
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