Community Gardens at Cornell

We Invite you to garden with us!

Our 2020 Gardening Season Is Approaching.  Join our mailing list to be notified when reservations are open.

Contact us at communitygardens@cornell.edu to join our mailing list

Join our facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1996044193800612/

Cornell students please join as a member of CampusGroups: https://cornell.campusgroups.com/CommGardens/club_signup

About Us

We rent garden plots that include field preparation, compost, cover crops, and water.  Plots are available to Cornell students, members of the Cornell community, and area residents.

We furnish surplus vegetables we grow to the Food Donation Network.

We encourage Cornell scientists and researchers to visit and engage with us, as citizen scientists, to advance research.

General Information

  • Prospective gardeners can reach out at any time to be added to our mailing list. The mailing list is used to communicate important dates and direct people to reserve plots
  • There will be an optional meeting for club members and officers in the early spring
  • All of our members must complete a "Best Gardening Practices" gardening class provided by Cornell Cooperative Extension. We intend to make recordings of the session available for people who can't make it in person. We will record an attestation that each gardener reviewed the material
  • Gardening can begin after the fields are plowed and plots are marked. Usually early-mid May, although very wet weather can delay our access to the gardens.
  • Staking to mark the plots will be sometime in late April or early May. Volunteers are needed!
  • Gardens must be cleared by a date (TBD) in mid-October immediately followed by a volunteer clean-up effort so that the the fields can be prepared for the next season.
  • Fields are plowed each fall and disked each spring by Cornell Farm Services. We rotate gardening between the north and the south fields every two years. The 2020 season is our first season in the south field. The other field is cover cropped with winter rye in the fall, interseeded with clover in the spring and mowed in the late summer of the first fallow year. The clover remains as cover for year two and is incorporated back into the soil at the end of year two.
  • Full Details of our license agreement with Cornell including expectations, rules and operating procedures: 2019 Cornell Community Gardens License

COVID-19 Statement

We are preparing for the season with the knowledge that there will be a number of challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic that could cause disruptions to our plans. We cannot be sure that we will be able to work as a group to mark plots, and Cornell Farm Services (who deliver compost, plow and mow) may not be available to service our site, among other potential challenges. We are opening up registration with the knowledge that we may need to issue refunds if the season cannot proceed as planned and ask for your understanding under these unprecedented circumstances. We will carefully follow all guidance and directives from Cornell, as well as the federal, state and local government. The safety of our gardeners and volunteers is paramount.

Reservation Instructions

Complete the online form located here to register for a plot (there is a plot map below and in the online registration showing available plots): Registration Form here:

https://cornell.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ePqUayYLpA7GRMh

If you have any problems completing the form online, please contact communitygardens@cornell.edu

Then pay for your plot(s) using paypal (be sure to add the number of plots you are reserving)

PayPal Link:

OR

Send a check ($30 per plot) to
Community Gardens at Cornell
PO Box 4062
Ithaca, NY 14852-4062

Plot Map Showing Reservations

The Gardens are located on Freese Road in Dryden Approximately 2 miles from the Cornell Campus

Acknowledgements

Thanks to all of a gardener-volunteers who help us mark plots in the spring, clean up in the fall and report water leaks or other concerns. Special thanks to those who manage the extensive water distribution infrastructure, navigate our relationship with Cornell, handle finances and communications, and coordinate deliveries to the Food Donation Network. The Cornell Campus Activities Office coordinates all Cornell-associated Clubs and the Cornell real estate department provides support for our license to use the land. Cornell Farm Services provides all of the plowing, mowing, compost delivery and cover crop services. Our water access is provided by Bolton Point via metered access to a nearby hydrant. The Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) has worked with us extensively to work out appropriate rules and expectations for our activities as stewards of the land.

I'm new! How can I get help?

I'm experienced but have a question or concern!

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) provides tremendous amounts of information for beginner and experienced gardeners:

http://ccetompkins.org/gardening

https://www.facebook.com/ccetompkins/

You can find planting and frost information, information on pest and disease control, access to the "Growline" where you can ask for advice and links to excellent reference material.

CCE Tompkins also organizes the annual http://ccetompkins.org/gardening/garden-events/spring-garden-fair-plant-sale

Another Cornell club, Hortus Forum also organizes a plant sale in the spring. Their facebook page has the details: https://www.facebook.com/hortusforum/

Contact Us

Questions? Contact us at: communitygardens@cornell.edu

Join our:

Announcement List: community_gardens_announce-l@cornell.edu

Discussion List: community_gardens_discuss-l@cornell.edu

Facebook Group: facebook group

To join the lists, send an email message FROM the email address where you want to receive messages posted to the e-list.

Send the message to:

listname-request@cornell.edu

For the Subject of the message, enter the single word:

join

Leave the body of the message blank.

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