The Jovial Garden Initiative
The goal of Jovial Gardens is to help food insecure neighborhoods meet their own produce needs, educate communities about nutrition and sustainability, all while strengthening the community. Your garden will lower the amount you spend on produce, feed families in need, and provide school credits to local youth while teaching them valuable life skills.
By hosting a Jovial Garden your family will learn how to grow healthy food, have access to fresh organic produce, and also help provide food to families who need it most.
Jovial Gardens will provide you free gardening and cooking classes, community potlucks and parties, garden care experts to set up your garden, seedlings, garden boxes, and instruct you on garden maintenance (turning, weeding, watering, and harvesting).
Garden Host Responsibilities:
- I understand this is a 2 year commitment to learning about gardening, nutrition, and participating in neighborhood sustainability.
- Jovial Gardens will build my garden, provide seeds, host classes and pot lucks, and will teach me how to maintain a garden.
- As a Jovial Garden Host, I agree to spend ~10 minutes per day in my garden.
- I will pay for my own materials or donate to Jovial to cover the cost. If I cannot support financially, I will volunteer for 32 hours each year in other gardens or at The Co-Op at 1st.
- I will water according to the schedule provided to me by Jovial Gardens, I will regularly check the irrigation system, and notify Jovial Gardens if there are any leaks or watering issues.
- I will do my best to keep my garden free of disturbances and notify Jovial Gardens immediately of any pest or destruction to my garden, this includes: unhealthy looking plants, animals terrorizing the bed, destruction of any kind, etc.
- I will not use any chemical sprays or additives on nearby lawn, trees, or other plant life in order to ensure the quality and safety of the organic produce being grown in my garden.
- I will record my volunteer hours and the lbs of produce we harvest from my yard.
Agreement to Participate:
Jovial Gardens is an education program that aims to make neighborhoods more self-sufficient. As your family feels more confident in the garden, we hope you will continue to produce your own food and share the gift of sustainability with your neighborhood.
Your garden will cost Jovial Concepts around $700 over 2 years AND 115 volunteer hours.
As a Garden Host, you reap the benefit of harvesting fresh produce from your garden at any time and can even swap produce with your neighbors. We ask that you agree to match our financial and time commitment with your own financial and time commitment to your garden and education. Outside of the garden we hope that you will make time to attend events, classes, and join in with neighborhood and volunteer activities.
Garden Host Waiver and Release:
By marking the box below, I hereby release, waive, discharge, covenant not to sue and agree to hold harmless for any and all purposes Jovial Concepts, its officers, employees, successors, assigns, sponsors and volunteers from any and all liabilities, claims, demands, personal injury including death, or property damage that may be sustained by me while participating in the Jovial Gardens Program, including injuries or damages sustained as a result of the negligence of Jovial Concepts.
By marking the box below and submitting this application I agree to allow Jovial Concepts to document the progress of my garden on the website www.JovialConcepts.org, newsletters, and on social media via photos, videos, and descriptive text about my garden (your name and address will never be publicly disclosed).
By marking the box below and submitting this application, I affirm that the facts set forth in it are true and complete. I have read and agree to the above statements. I understand that if I am accepted to have a garden built, any false statements, omissions, or other misrepresentations made by me on this application may result in my immediate termination of garden and services.
Non-Discrimination and Cancellation Policy:
It is the policy of this organization to provide equal opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual preference, age, or disability.
Garden Hosts may cancel any time during off season (December-May) via email to info@jovialconcepts.org. Cancellations during harvest time will result in a prorated cancellation fee of $58 per remaining harvest month up to $350. Jovial Concepts may end this contract at any time if Host fails to meet the Host Responsibilities. Host will be provided with 2 weeks written (email) notice before any cancellation takes place.
