Biddeford Campus Community Garden

The Biddeford Campus Community Garden was founded in 2009 by a group of students in the E-Pod, a living and learning community in Padua Hall focused on environmental passions. There were originally six plots in the garden, each 12’x15’ in size. Topsoil was purchased and partially donated by Dubois Livestock and placed on top of weedcloth with a log perimeter to create a raised bed.

At the time of founding, the students understood the importance of maintaining the garden annually and the unpredictability of student presence over the summers to farm the plots. For this reason the students agreed that five of the plots would be available for faculty and staff “owners” and one plot would remain available for students to use on a first-come, first-served basis. Over the years the student plot has been farmed by students when there was interest, or farmed by an additional faculty/staff member on a one-year term if there was no student interest.

The garden was expanded by three plots in 2015 with a grant through the Maine Hunger Dialogues. The understanding is that these plots will be farmed by students for their own use and surplus will be donated to local food pantries. The intent is to maintain this arrangement whenever there is student energy to do so.

Garden members agree to:

• Attend an annual meeting at the start of the planting season to meet fellow garden members and discuss plans and concerns.
• Keep track of the storage shed key and return it when relinquishing the garden plot.
• Understand that gardening in the community garden is on personal time and that the university is not responsible for any injury that may occur at the garden. A liability waiver must be signed and is kept on file with the Sustainability Office.
• Understand that organic practices, heirloom, and GMO-free seeds are preferable and encouraged and agree to not use synthetic pesticides or herbicides in the garden, unless with express permission by all garden members and notification to the Sustainability Office.
• Agree to maintain designated plot for the entirety of the growing season and perform proper “clean-up” to remove dead plant matter at the end of the season; failure to do so may result in being asked to relinquish garden plot.
• Understand that the cost of deer fencing, hoses, tools, etc. may be shared by all the garden members, and is not the responsibility of the university, and agree to maintain all of these materials to minimize the need for replacement and incurred costs by members.
• Collaborate with the other garden members to develop a watering plan. This may involve the use of a timer or a rotating schedule and will be developed cooperatively.
• Communicate my plans to continue using my designated plot the following gardening season by January 1 each year, or sooner if I know that I will not be returning.

The Community Garden Application can be downloaded, signed, and emailed to the Sustainability Office.