Andover Community Garden

Mission

Our mission is to educate our members about organic gardening and to provide opportunities to them so that they can grow and harvest vegetables, herbs and flowers within a welcoming community setting.

Garden plots are open to all residents of Andover and surrounding towns who join our Association. Plots that are turning over are offered yearly to people on the waiting list on a first come, first serve basis. 

Each Association member contributes an annual plot fee to cover maintenance. To be part of our association, you must be willing to agree to our requirements. These are fairly standard rules for community gardens, with requirements such as gardening organically and participating in workdays and cleanups; and we do try to help new folks with this request by giving lessons/ideas for how to garden organically. Once rented, you plant up your plot, harvest and maintain your own plot for your own family’s use during the gardening season. 

Hello Gardners! 

I can't believe what a fruitful growing season it has been, and how quickly it has flown by! Our garden closedown workday is scheduled for Saturday the 26th from 10 am-12 pm (Raindate, Sunday 10/27).

• If you cannot attend the garden closedown, you must let us know your plan to close down your plot ahead of the workday by emailing the board at help@andovergarden.com.

• At the closedown workday we will have a returning gardener sign-up sheet for you to indicate you would like to return next year. We are going to open the waitlist up on December 7th. If you are still uncertain on closedown whether you intend to return, you should sign up but inform us of your definite plans by December 7th.  If you would like to sign up and pay before the waitlist opens to the public you are invited to sign up and pay before 12/7 to secure your plot and receive a $0.10/sq ft discount.   

•  For example: If you do not tell us know your plans to close down your plot ahead of the closedown date, and are not present to clear our own plot before 11 am, then we will collectively close down the plot and plan to allow a new gardener to use it the following season. 

• To overwinter crops like garlic, you need to be returning next year and intending to pay the invoice before the waitlist is opened. Overwintering crops for us means anything that does not require regular care after planting. It will be able to be left untended until Spring. 

• As you closedown your plot, if you used supports found at the garden they can be placed neatly behind the small shed on the expansion side. Any usable, undamaged tomato cages/supports should be stacked neatly, with names attached. Those without names will be free for other members the following year. 

We know some crops love to take their time. If you are growing something you thought would be ready in time for closedown and you didn't time it well enough, please talk to us - while we cannot guarantee water access past the closedown date, we want to help mitigate disappointment around removing something you've put a lot of work into and may need a bit longer to mature. 

As always, please let us know if you have any questions and see you around the garden!

Warmest regards,

Lisette

Andover Community Garden Association