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.
Our Opening Workday is on Saturday, April 19th, from 10 am to 12 pm. If you plan to attend, please check the weather a day or two before and be sure to dress accordingly in clothes you don't mind getting a bit dirty. Families are welcome, and we plan to have tasks for all activity levels (including some low-impact and seated activities), but we request that pets stay home as they are not allowed inside the gardens.
We plan to have some snacks and refreshments on hand and will let folks know the new gate code at the garden opening. If you are unable to attend, the gate code will be provided to all gardeners via email on Opening Day. There will still be a danger of frost through at least April 21st, so probably plan to keep seedlings at home until the frost danger has fully passed and soil temps can warm up closer to the end of the month.
In the past, we have recommended adding two Blood Meal (serves as a concentrated form of nitrogen) applications to your plot. First at the start of the season and again midway through the summer. Opening Day is a good time to do this, before you start planting, but feel free to bring any questions to Opening Day!
Lisette & the ACGA Board
The main garden is located on the Virginia Hammond Reservation, on High Plain Road across from the leaf composting site. The site has 65 plots:
4 feet x 10 feet plot: $34
4 feet x 20 feet plot: $68
5 feet x 10 feet plot: $42.50
5 feet x 25 feet plot: $106.25
There is a small parking lot with some allowance for parking on the grass when it is full. It usually accommodates most cars at a given time and the grass parking can be used on workdays.
Nestled behind the Andover Center for History and Culture at 97 Main Street, this smaller garden has 11 plots of two different sizes:
5 feet x 20 feet plot: $85
5 feet x 10 feet plot: $42.50
In downtown Andover the parking is tight. There are a few spaces located adjacent to the Andover Center for History and Culture and on the street in front of it. Paid parking is available in the town lot just up from the site, beside UBurger.