Please let Barbara know if you will not be returning to the Garden next season. As we are not expanding the CG this year, we have very few open plots to offer to the many people on our waiting list.

The CG Committee is pleased to add several new members to the group. Ron Holt, Amy Hoag, Chip East, and Jane Banfield will join Nathan Moore, Charlie Morse, David Sobash, and Barbara Arnold on the Committee. Please feel free to let Committee members know of any concerns or questions you may have.

We have received from the County our annual Christmas gift of 28 TONS of leaves in plastic bags. Some gardeners find that moving leaves to their plot is easier when the leaves are still encased in the plastic. Liz Callan, our Volunteer Coordinator, will be setting her minions to work removing the bags over the next few months. So if you want to haul bags instead of shoveling loose leaves, please take what you want from Leaf Mountain soon. We will be collecting the empty bags near the tool shed. Please dispose of them responsibly.

We have received a grant to install hose stands throughout the garden. This will make it easier to wrangle your hoses into coils off the ground and to improve the looks and safety of our garden. Watch for installation after the first of the year,

We appreciate your donations of items to the Garden, such as tools. But we ask that you please check with us before dropping off items that may not be of use. Unwanted items require us to pay to have them removed to the dump. Drop a line to Charlie@growwilliamsburg.org, Jessica@growwilliamsburg.org, or Barbara@growwilliamsburg.org before you gift us anything. Thank you.

We have had suggestions that it would be helpful to know the names and contact information of fellow gardeners for finding help to water when one is away or just to share thoughts and to learn the names of neighbors. On the Contract coming soon, there will be a check off if you are willing to have your name, email, and garden location shared with other Community Gardeners only. Those who opt in will get a listing of fellow gardeners who have also opted to share information and a map of the garden with plot #s. It is hoped that this will further our sense of community.

As our garden matures from a start-up towards an established organization, it has become necessary for us to begin escrowing money for the eventual replacement of capital items, such as the fence, the cisterns, and the irrigation system, that were initially installed using start-up grant money. In addition, we will no longer be able to obtain free compost, which is necessary for our gardeners to be able to improve the soil to make their plots more productive. And our program to eliminate the rat population in the garden has been very successful but it needs to be continuous if we want to control the problem into the future. As a result of these and other expenses, the Board has decided to increase dues for next year to $50 for a 10 x 10 and $80 for a 10 X 20. While this is a substantial increase over last year, when looked at as a monthly rate, $4.17 for small and $6.67 for large, it does not seem unreasonable. Future dues increases will again be incremental. If any gardener would like to be considered for a scholarship to help defray costs, please let the CG Coordinator know. For more detailed  information about the dues increase or capital planning, please contact our President, Jessica Stephens at Jessica@growwilliamsburg.org.