COGS Community Gardens

Code of Ethics

It is the intention of COGS that its community gardens will demonstrate the practical application of organic gardening principles and be an example of community cooperation.
Garden committees are to administer the gardens to promote a spirit of harmony, fair-mindedness and goodwill amongst garden members.

Plot holders are to:

• conduct themselves in a spirit of harmony, fairmindedness, and goodwill
• be mindful that COGS’ gardens are located on public land which is made available for their private use
• keep in mind the impact of their decisions and actions on fellow gardeners; and
• ensure their plots are in an improved organic condition when they leave.

General Rules

The rules set out below apply to COGS’ community gardens. Garden committees may make additional rules to address local conditions. Additional rules must be submitted to COGS’ Secretary for committee endorsement.

Organic principles

• [1] Organic gardening principles must always be complied with in the community gardens. Non-organic pesticides, herbicides or inorganic fertilisers are not to be used.
• [2] The organic principles for COGS’ gardens draw on the National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce (edition 3.7 September 2016); recommendations for allowable inputs are set out on the COGS’ website.

Garden members

• [3] Garden members must be financial members of COGS.
• [4] A COGS’ member may be allocated a plot in one garden at a time.
• [5] Garden members must not interfere with other plots or other members’ property.
• [6] Garden members may not remove COGS’ property from any garden without the permission of the garden committee.
• [7] Garden members are responsible for the actions of Associate Members linked to their membership, their children, pets, and guests.
• [8] Garden members shall not grow produce for commercial sale or engage in other commercial activities at the garden.
• [9] All garden members must abide by rules relating to watering issued by ICON Water or the COGS’ committee and all relevant ACT laws.
• [10] Damage to garden equipment must be reported immediately to the Convenor or a garden committee member.
• [11] Garden members must inform the Convenor when plots are no longer required and ensure that their gate key (if used) is returned.
• [12] Plots cannot be transferred between members.
• [13] It is the responsibility of a gardener to let the Convenor know if they expect to be away or unable to work their plot for health or other reasons for more than two months.
• [14] Fires for burning rubbish are not permitted. Cooking fires are permitted within a designated firepit area and must be conducted in accordance with relevant warnings and fire bans.
• [15] Livestock of any kind, including poultry, cannot be kept in a COGS’ garden.
• [16] Beehives belonging to a registered beekeeper may be kept in a garden with unanimous agreement of garden members. The hives remain the responsibility of the beekeeper.
• [17] Permanent structures are not permitted on plots. Portable lockers for equipment storage not exceeding 1.5m width, 1m depth and 0.5m in height are allowed.
• [18] Camping and vehicle or trailer storage is not permitted in COGS’ gardens. Materials not specifically related to garden activities cannot be stored in COGS’ gardens.
• [19] It is the responsibility of the last plot holder leaving a garden to lock gates and sheds and turn off the water, regardless of whether the plot holder opened them or turned on the water.

Convenors and garden committees

• [20] The members of each garden must elect a garden Convenor (chair) and a garden committee in accordance with Part IV of the constitution. The names of these people and the positions to which they have been elected must be given to the Community Garden Coordinator within 14 days of the election.
• [21] The garden committee is responsible for plot allocation and keeping a register of plot holders, a list of vacant plots and a listing of applicants for plots, and for the safe keeping and allocation of garden keys if keys are used.
• [22] Additional local garden rules will cover the operation of the garden and may include such matters as:
  • access of dogs and cats to community gardens
  • maximum size of plot holdings
  • disposal of weeds and rubbish
  • cultivation of canes and other invasive species, including prohibition of specific plants
  • maintenance, including working bees, and emergency procedures; and
  • use, cleaning, repair, and replacement of garden equipment.

Disputes and infringements of rules

• [23] Garden Convenors should act as mediator in resolving disputes between gardeners in line with the dispute resolution process set out in the Convenors’ handbook.
• [24] Infringements of the garden rules should in the first instance be dealt with by the garden committee in line with the dispute resolution process set out in the Convenors’ handbook. If unresolved, these should be brought to the attention of the COGS’ committee by the garden convenor for resolution.

Unkempt and abandoned plots

• [25] The holder of a plot which in the reasonable opinion of the garden committee, has been overgrown or neglected for two months or more, may be given notice by the garden Convenor by post or email that the condition of the plot must be rectified within 30 days of receipt of the notice to the standard of a reasonably well-maintained plot. If the plot has not been rectified to that standard within 30 days, it may be resumed by written notice from the garden Convenor to the plot holder. Plot fees will not be refunded.
• [26] Any plot which in the reasonable opinion of the garden committee has been abandoned, may be resumed by the committee by giving written notice to the plot holder at their last known email or postal address. Resumption will take effect upon the giving of the notice.

Garden members responsibilities

1. Garden members must at all times comply with the COGS General Community Garden Rules as set out in Appendix 4 of the COGS Constitution and the local garden rules in place in their garden.
2. Members plots must be maintained throughout the year. Unattended or neglected plots may be resumed according to the conditions set out in the local garden rules.
3. Garden members are expected to contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of the communal areas of a garden. This involves regularly participating in activities such as working bees and mowing/whipper snipping/weeding communal areas.
4. Garden members are expected to attend garden meetings and participate in the electing of garden convenors and committees and in the determining of local garden rules.
5. Garden members must comply with any ACT Government water conservation measures in force as notified by ICON Water.
6. Members are responsible for their private property left in gardens or a gardens’ sheds.

Water Conservation

In the interests of water conservation, the COGS Committee does not permit the use of sprinklers in community gardens at any time.

Herbicides in gardens

The COGS Community Garden Rules (clause 3) do not permit the use of herbicides on garden plots. The COGS Committee allows the use of organic herbicides registered by the Australian Certified Organic (ACO) in common areas of a community garden (eg pathways) provided their use is approved and supervised by a garden committee and consistent with the restrictions on these products imposed by the ACO standards; that is, they are only used as part of an integrated weed management program, which includes physical controls such as cultivation.

Livestock in gardens

Apart from bees, Garden members are not permitted to keep livestock in a COGS garden.

A garden committee may approve the keeping of bees by a garden member providing:

• the member is a registered beekeeper in the ACT and the hive(s) is also registered;
• the number of hives is limited to that agreed by the garden committee;
• hives are kept in a location that minimises any hazard to people in the garden; and
• the member beekeeper complies with the ACT Government’s Code of Practice for Beekeeping in Residential Areas of the ACT.

Wildlife-friendly netting

The only netting permitted in COGS community gardens is material that is wildlife-friendly and properly secured to prevent birds, mammals, reptiles or other wildlife becoming trapped with serious risk of injury or death (see the Wildlife Friendly Netting page)

COGS banned the use of thin nylon mono-filament netting in 2014.

The use of CCA and Creosote treated timber in gardens

The use of timber treated with copper chromium arsenate (CCA) or Creosote is no longer permitted in any COGS garden. The COGS Committee has in specific cases allowed this treated timber to remain in a garden where it was installed prior to 2007.

Structures permitted in COGS gardens

Garden rules in individual community gardens may set specific conditions for erecting structures in individuals plots such as:

• compost bins;
• those which support growing plants eg trellises; and
• those which support approved bird netting to protect crops, provided that concrete footings are not used.

Structures in communal areas which do not require specific individual approval by the Committee are:

• a communal lockable shed;
• pergolas;
• green/glasshouses;
• trellises and bird netting support for communal crops.

Sheds, pergolas and green/glasshouses must comply with the appropriate Australian Standards, eg footings for pergolas must comply with AS2870 and timber members must comply with AS1684.2.

Any structures, other than those listed above, require approval by the COGS Committee before construction begins. All structures must be safe and must not pose any risk to other gardeners or the general public.

All structures must be of an aesthetic standard appropriate for the surrounding neighbourhood and of sufficient standard not to bring COGS or the garden into disrepute. The final arbiter of the acceptability of the aesthetic standard of any structure will be the COGS Committee.