IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT From the National Park Service (3/38/2020)

Dear Gardeners, the following is a message from the National Park Service.  The attached safety poster provides safety recommendations and should be followed by all gardeners.  Thank you.  

COVID-19 precautions should be followed by all gardeners.  While Rock Creek Park has closed it's indoor areas including Visitor Center, historic buildings, concessions facilities, and bathrooms, outdoor areas of the park remain open.  But visitors, including gardeners, should remain mindful that this is a serious public health crisis we are currently facing, and only by taking the necessary steps can we reduce the rate of infection.

Please do not hold any garden-wide volunteer days or group events this spring.  Please remind gardeners to maintain social distancing of 6 feet, regularly wash hands, stay home if they are sick, and everything else you've been hearing.  Wearing work gloves while gardening, especially while using shared tools, is also a good way to prevent spreading any germs.   I've attached a sign we've been posting in the parks, you are welcome to print it out and post it at the gardens and/or email it to your gardeners.  

Please continue to follow guidance from public health officials and the DC Mayor's Office regarding any activities outside of your home.

Water Turn On in the gardens will begin as early as next week.  We only have one plumber on contract, so when your specific garden gets their water turned back on will depend on other plumbing needs that may arise in the park, so it may take more than a week for all of them to get done.  I appreciate everyone's patience and the plumber will get to you when he can.

Spring Garden Inspections by NPS will be postponed for now.  I am currently on telework at home but still reachable by email and phone.  I am not sure when we'll be back to our offices.  If this lasts much longer, I may do inspection visits by myself and then schedule a time after my visit to the garden with each of you to discuss over the phone.  

In the meantime, our Maintenance staff is in the park but is practicing social distancing (only one staff per vehicle and spreading out at work sites) so we'll do our best to fulfill requests for wood chips and other needs but please be patient as we sometimes get stretched thin.
covid-19_safety_poster_8.5x14_js.pdf

​​Sept. 18, 2019

Happy Fall 2019 Fellow Gardeners! It’s been a warm and wet summer, and it seems like it flew by. The gardens couldn’t look any more beautiful at this time of the year. I thank all of you for persevering the hot and humid days to keep your gardens in tip-top shape. We welcome several new gardeners and co-gardeners to the community, and we offer our years of expertise to help them along.

I recently registered our garden as a Climate Victory Garden through Green America. It is a national organization with a mandate to promote healthy gardening throughout America and the world. We may receive a couple of signs designating our garden as a Climate Victory Garden. I will also share the garden history, stories and images with Green America in the near future.

As we prepare for our Fall Clean Up and Picnic on October 12, please make sure that you collect all of the junk that you have accumulated and be ready to take it to the designated trash areas once we open them up. Please refer to the fall clean up schedule in this newsletter. If you don’t use it, toss it. The gardens always look and function so much better without all of the clutter.

We will start replacing the perimeter fence beginning this Fall. We purchased our first roll of fencing and will need volunteers to help straighten up the fence posts (mainly along the west side) and to remove old fencing and install the new fence. There is a lot of fencing, so we will install it 150 feet at a time. While we are looking at the near future of prepping our gardens for the winter, there is still much time remaining for planting fall and winter crops which means maintaining our plots as required. Our inspection teams will continue their inspections through November, so please don’t forget to keep your plots and paths clean and weed free.
  • Compost Bins: We recently freed up another bin for dumping weeds. These bins fill up fast at this time of the year. Please keep the areas in front of the bins clear, use the pitch fork to throw your weeds to the rear of the bin and when you see weeds laying outside of the bins, please pitch in and clean up the area. Remember to not put woody stems, thorny plants and sticks in the compost bins. Instead put them in the stick pile to the far left of the compost bins.
  • Structures in the garden: I have noticed some gardeners have constructed significant wooden structures in their gardens. These structures are forbidden by the National Park Services and the GPCGA. I urge all of us to refrain from constructing structures and to leave your plot free to grow vegetables.
  • Herbicides and Pesticides: Any non-organic form of insecticides are strictly forbidden in the garden. The only effective and acceptable form of herbicide is by pulling the weeds. If you have any questions about what you can use in the garden to control bugs, please ask the Association at gloverparkcommunitygarden@gmail.com.
  • Organic: This is an organic garden. I think we all know what that means. So please abide by the rules of the garden and keep it organic.

Our Vice Chair Julie Andringa continues to lead the Maintenance Committee. A huge thank you to all the gardeners who assisted with maintenance projects this year, including those who attended our first Pizza in the Garden volunteer day back in June. In the cooler weeks ahead, another Pizza in the Garden will be scheduled for the fence replacement effort.

Our Communications Committee leaders Hannah Miller and Erica Oakley have done a great job in informing us through the Google Groups mail service and our website. Our Executive Committee, Julie Andringa, Susan Boyd, Gerry Frost, Pat Kraniotis, Hannah Miller-Kim, Erica Oakley and myself all wish you a very Happy Fall and we look forward to seeing you in the garden. 

Our sincere thanks,
GPCGA Executive Committee​​​

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The Glover Park Community Garden is one of the District's largest community gardens. Located at the corner of 42nd Street and New Mexico Avenue in Northwest, Washington, D.C., this 2.7-acre garden started as a Victory Garden to address food shortages during World War II. The garden sits on federal land within Rock Creek Park managed by the National Parks Service (NPS). 
     The garden is run by the Glover Park Community Garden Association (GPCGA) and follows instructions given by the NPS. Gardeners must use organic gardening methods. The garden is to be used only for growing mostly vegetables and herbs for household consumption, educational purposes, or charitable donation. Commercial gardening is prohibited. 
     The garden is arranged on a grid system of about 150 plots, each measuring about 25' x 25', and has to be fully fenced. There has been deer sightings in the area. The terrain is moderately hilly, backing into the woods but open to full sun. The community garden maintains a communal tool shed, composting area, public water and picnic tables. 
     The GPCGA holds an annual meeting every December to elect its officers. There are about 50 names on the wait list. Average wait time is two to four years. 
Glover Park Community Garden Association l  Copyright © 2018