Community Garden Commission 10/20/26

AI-generated summary. Written by gemini-3-flash-preview from the transcript below, which is the record. It may be incomplete or wrong; it does not report votes. Every item links to the moment it began.

The Community Garden Commission voted to cap the number of gardeners at Winthrop Street for the upcoming season and reviewed garden rule models from other cities. The commission also discussed potential locations for new 'pocket gardens' and off-season planning.

0:36 Garden Updates — Members discussed compost progress at Winthrop Street and the recent installation of a new storage shed at Berry Park.
1:17 Compost Tumbler Disposal — Mark Lalli offered a rodent-proof compost tumbler for use at another site, leading to a discussion about placing it at the Tufts or Berry Park gardens.
3:55 Pop-up Garden and Future Locations — The commission discussed removing the pop-up garden fence and potential future use of the beds at the West Medford Community Center.
5:43 Pocket Gardens and Site Planning — The body discussed forming a subcommittee to meet with city officials to identify small 'pocket garden' sites that would not require Parks Commission approval.
9:10 Winthrop Street Capacity Cap — Approved a motion to cap the Winthrop Street garden at 62 gardeners for the 2027-2028 season. The garden steering committee will determine the method for distributing the remaining full-sized plots.
19:21 Rules and Infractions Discussion — Liz White presented a summary of community garden rule structures and infraction policies from Somerville and other municipalities to guide future local revisions.
25:59 Future Garden Planning — Discussion focused on utilizing small city parcels and contacting the MBTA regarding green space near Wellington Circle for potential community use.
28:55 Meeting Schedule and Off-Season Activities — The commission agreed to return to a Tuesday meeting schedule and discussed collaborating with other local organizations for winter educational programs.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: Well, introductions, but we all know each other. Elyse.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: We're all members of the commission. for those watching us in the future. Garden updates was next.

[Laura Swan]: Yeah. This year, we've really tried to make the compost into soil. And so a couple of weeks ago, a few people turned the compost yet again. And we're really hoping to be able to use it in the spring. So that's what we've done most recently.

[Mark Lalli]: Speaking of compost, completely unrelated to what we have on the agenda, but I have a tumbler that I'm trying to get rid of. Would any of the gardens want it?

[Laura Swan]: I would have to say we have a tumbler that we wouldn't mind getting rid of. OK.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: If we could ask permission or forgiveness, we could put it. Yeah, I wonder about Tufts. Actually, they're the most out of the way one, or do they have compost.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: They don't have compost. Winthrop Street is the only one that has compost.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: I would say Tufts or Berry. But how do you guys want to handle that? Because I imagine if we ask, the answer will be no. if we just do it, then they can always take them away.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: Yeah, I feel like the tumblers too are more secure than yeah, the piles on the ground, right? They're not on the ground. They're usually latched. Is it in good shape?

[Mark Lalli]: Yeah, mine's in good shape and I reinforced the vents with hardware cloth. So it is tried and tested that it's rodent proof.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: All right, maybe we'll ask Tufts if they're interested.

[Laura Swan]: It's in decent shape. I think because we have the five other compost bins, people don't really use it, and a lot of people don't really know how to use it. Yeah.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: It's a little tricky. It latches. The latch is difficult.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: Unlatch and then latching it. So I tend to avoid it just for that, because I don't feel like fiddling with it.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: Well, if Tufts doesn't want it, I wouldn't mind having one that I could actually turn at my house. Oh, OK. So I can back up if that's. We'll ask Tufts first.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: OK. All right. Okay, I can give a quick, Berry Park, the shed went in, which is so exciting. So it's got a cute little shed. I know they are, it should be painted before winter. So they have, Laurel, the coordinator has sent out a survey to choose a color. So I haven't heard the latest if something's been chosen, but I know she's planning on getting that done before the end of the season. That's great.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: The pop-up's still going. Oh, I need to give Amanda a date for the fence. I mean, honestly, it can probably come down whenever.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: And I haven't done it. Has anyone asked the city about, have you talked to anyone in the city about that? About what's happening with that?

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: They don't have any more information yet, but the plan, as far as I know, is to leave the, Leave everything where it is. I would like to build the shed so we have something sturdier for the winter. And then depending on when they think they'll break ground, maybe we can get an early season planting in before they break ground and then tear it up. All right.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: I'm so going to say, oh, I had an idea. I don't know if the West Medford Community Center was still interested in having garden beds behind their place. But I wondered if maybe that could be the next location for the pop-up or some of the pop-up beds. Since it wouldn't be a permanent thing, maybe we could get around the whole DCR business and just like kind of wing it. That's a good idea. I don't know who runs that, but try and find out.

And I'm still supposed to meet with Teresa, but haven't yet about sites around the city. Do we want to do like a committee of the whole or people interested in being in on that for other pocket garden possibilities in the city? Or do we want to see if she can come to the meeting next month?

[Laura Swan]: I'm I can go either way. I mean, I'm not big on the enthusiasm part for this. It's OK.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: This was an invitation, not an expectation. I want people to feel welcome, but I don't want anyone to feel like, you know, that they have to.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: Yes, I definitely would like to be involved with that. I figured as much. Yes.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: Ah, so a meeting of the whole, it still has the same requirements. It can have like a specific topic outside your normal monthly or whatever your normal scheduled meeting is. So it's usually if you have to do an additional meeting or if you have some kind of subcommittees, or we could have a subcommittee on garden planning. It's just without designating it one way or the other, we are not supposed to meet with more than two of us in one spot without the public meeting things. And, you know, so just trying to, abide by that incredibly frustrating rule.

Okay, so I can reach out to Theresa. I still haven't gotten a date with the mayor. I haven't tried recently, so I will address both of those in the email to her. Marie, how have things with the gardener that was having trouble? Has she been participating the rest of the season?

[Laura Swan]: No. No. She's had overgrown things and all the items that we have listed as don't plant these are in her plot. You know, calendula, mint,

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: So I mean, in fairness, I thought there, there wasn't a strict prohibition on those, but that it was discouraged from letting them go to see.

[Laura Swan]: Right. You're right. Yes. But they comprise the majority of her plot right now. And that's not okay.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: All right. Any I guess that's it for updates. Yeah. Um, so then the. Uh, the 3rd, um, agenda item is, uh, discussion voting on setting max number of gardeners for Winthrop streets. Um. I have no problem with setting a max. You and Susan have done a great job handling the number that we have now. So I know it's been a lot on your plate. So I'm fine with moving forward with what you suggested, which I think was like 60 max. I can't remember the exact. 62 max.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: And I guess the question is, do we, just the people who have the full beds now, let them stay in the full bed? Or do we rotate it? I don't know.

[Mark Lalli]: OK, and we're saying 62? Yeah. So there'd be, is that six that are unsplit?

[Laura Swan]: Six full size, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so there would be six full size. And what I'm trying to remember is if that includes the two easy access beds or if it does not, I have to search for another piece of paper to find that.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: I know I have that number somewhere as well. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I mean, we could just say, you know, we're slowing the process down because at this point we don't have the pressure of the waitlist. We're in really good shape right now. So we could just be slowing that process down, see how the next year goes.

[Laura Swan]: Right. Yeah, this doesn't have to be a permanent, forever change. Right, just for next year. I think I like the concept of slowing the process down, because it really speeded up over the last few years, and that has made things a little more tough for us. So would that... Sorry, go ahead, Mark.

[Mark Lalli]: I was going to say, I'm also on board with putting the max. I think I have the same concern of just from the equity perspective, how do we handle those six? I like the idea of a rotation. It could be that the people that are staying on to the next year, maybe it's the people that Yeah, either like a lottery or, you know, maybe most service hours committed or something, but that way it's seen as being fairly distributed and not just, oh, these are, you know, these people had the largest, you know, they had the full-sized bed and just made it in before the cutoff that we, you know, stopped splitting them.

[Laura Swan]: Right, and Mark, we've considered both of those options, large number of hours and possible lottery. And I do think that both Susan and I, if this goes through, would be given full-size plots for next season. And possibly also one of our other, the woman who leads the compost and soils coordination has worked very hard this year. So she may also be given a full-size plot. And then we talked about making a lottery for other gardeners if they're interested. We'll talk more about it. We wanted to get your approval first for the number.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: With setting that number, would that mean any beds would be divided next year?

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: Yeah. Great. I think that's great. Is the plan to have the gardeners, like, can you have your gardeners vote on the method or are you going to do it through the steering committee?

[Laura Swan]: To begin with, I think we'll, our monthly meeting is tomorrow night. So I'm sure that this will be a topic of conversation and so we'll figure out how to go forward. But I do think the concept of how many hours we've put in is gonna be one of the big indicators. Yeah.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: I don't know. I don't think so. I mean, we let the gardens run. You can set your volunteer hours. You can make other decisions.

[Mark Lalli]: I'm trying to remember if we put it in the language when we refreshed the bylaws. So I think like, just to cover our bases, I think that we should probably put it to a vote. And if we're saying, you know, we're not saying that this is a forever, we're not codifying it. But if we don't have the pressure of the waitlist right now, so we don't have you know, like this time last year, we had a large responsibility to the community to diffuse the waitlist. So if we don't have that big pressure right now, we could just say, we're gonna, you know, we're not gonna split any more beds, or we're gonna cap it at 62 for this year, and we'll revisit, you know, this time next year. And I would say that we should leave it to the garden to decide, right, if, If we were to quote unquote like approve the plan. And then as a result, Marie is getting, you know, a larger plot, I would be concerned about the optics there. So I would just say that it should be up to the garden. And if you're having your meeting tomorrow and you're gonna you know, run it by everyone and everyone can agree if it's, you know, hours worked and that means that you happen to be getting one, then that's, it's fine and equitable to everyone. And then it doesn't look like we are, you know, passing a measure in order to give you a full size bed.

[Laura Swan]: Right, right, right, right. Yep. I'll go with that. Since this item concerns me, Will you three vote?

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, well, do we have four? There's five of us, right?

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: But we only have, technically, we only have three commission members total.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: Well, no, because no. Oh, because the other. Actually, what's considered quorum?

[Mark Lalli]: I think, let me pull it up. But I think that if we're separating it from, capping the number and leaving the distribution to the garden, then I think that Marie can vote without any problem.

[Mark Lalli]: Motion to vote to cap Winthrop Garden at 62 gardeners for the 2027 into 2028 growing season. Seconded. Hold on. Hold on. So to cap.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: All right, the motion was by Mark, seconded by me. All right, all in favor? Aye.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: All opposed? Excuse me. Motion passes. OK. How do we see the waiting room?

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: I think it just pops up. All right, yeah, I know I'm surprised no one has come in. I've kind of looked around a little bit, but I feel like it would pop up if people weren't in. I also think they would have texted or emailed if they were waiting.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: Yeah. Okay. Okay, I'm glad my husband texted me because I totally forgot where I was at next. Okay. Okay. So, all right. Where did the agenda go? I have it. So the next thing was the rules discussion. However, I think, should we?

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: I, we can not discuss it because I think we do want more people. One thing I will say, I did a little research and I looked and I meant to, well, I mean, no one's here in person, so it's not that big of a deal, but I did pull out what Somerville, their rules. And so it was Somerville, like Lowell and Wellesley that just random, you know, from around the state. And just let me pull that up. Oh, maybe I should try to share it.

But I may need help. How do I screen share? How do I screen share? Oh, right here?

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: So we are technically not a quorum. That's not what I want.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: So voting membership includes the representatives for each garden, so Barry Winthrop Well, we have more. So Tufts McNally. Those are the four. Oh, and then they're supposed to and then we have Oh, no, maybe we're only at seven right now, even with those folks. Right. So sorry, we are we are quorum. Okay.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: Sorry, I'm a little slow with this stuff. Yeah, I have no idea how to share. How do I share from my, can I share from my Google Drive, or? I feel like you should be able to. Are you guys seeing stuff, or am I?

[Laura Swan]: No. OK. I printed what you, oh, there we go. No, that's not, but I'm not.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: Of course, the bar is. There we go. OK. Can you see this? No. You don't see the Somerville? No. OK.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: okay i'm not sure why it's not no i like the way somerville does theirs or yes summary of no this is exactly how somerville does this i don't why is this not showing me is debris turn off netflix i did oh oh here we go here we go there we go

[Laura Swan]: Can you see it now? No, it still says net. Oh, there. OK, great. Yep. OK. Failure to clear plot by May 15th. Begin gardening by June 1st. Same. Failure to keep a healthy condition. Yep. Failure to participate. Care of common spaces. Yep.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: So the only thing that I feel like, unfortunately, we need to specify is failure to fully utilize.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: Yeah, no, this is just, you know, I like the way they do this. I couldn't, the other ones don't like it's, I like that you You know, they have very specific things, what an infraction is.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: I like the way it's worded. I like, you know, it's like, these are the infractions and we can add more if we need to. And then, you know, it's over the tenure. You get three strikes, you're out over the tenure of having your plot.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: It could be over years. It could be over years. And some of these, like, the whole, like, begin gardening by June. If someone comes to a coordinator and says, I can't do it by June 1st, you know, that's fine. But if you're chasing someone down, that's strike one. And the discussion, just, you have an infraction, strike one. And the whole, I think we should leave language out about contacting them because I think we just got into trouble with that this year.

But I'm going to share this with everybody else. I like the way that they do this. I feel like it's very clear. And of course, you know, we would come up with their own or, you know, modify these as needed.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: Like the mayor is not going to go for the last one. The terminations of the discussion.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: So anyway, so that's Somerville. It was a little bit more, you know, it looks more like what what interrupt has had. Yes. And it's like, okay, then we're gonna, it has to go to a board. And then you have like, that's a lot, you know, it's a little bit more involved. And then Lowell was just, it's pretty, you know, vague. You know, most likely provide a spoken warning. Oh, yeah. City reserves the right to terminate use of the garden for cause or no cause. I mean, other places have this. It would not be.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: So I will send it out. And that's we don't need to talk more than that. No, I think that because we do need to have a lot more people. Yeah. You know, in at our meeting when we just have a have a bigger discussion about that. Yeah, but yeah.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: I think that can be on hold. Well, I mean, I talked about maybe for the pop up of the possibility. Yep, Teresa. So when I say pocket gardens, these will be gardens that would not require the Parks Commission's permission for us to build. So the trickier part there will be water.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: Yeah, you're you call the pocket. Is that what you're calling them pocket gardens?

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: Oh, that's what Teresa called pocket garden. So they're just like, they're basically small plots within the city that aren't buildable in the city has access to and we could use for so we could in theory, like split up the we could split up the pop up garden into two smaller gardens if they were smaller spaces. Yeah. Other than that. I don't have another planned project. Well, I had, so one thing I should tell you guys that I had reached out to a couple of people about, but I hadn't heard back from was, so the MBTA has taken over that bottling plant property across from the Wellington Circle. Stop and shop and whatnot. Oh, there's some pretty large swaths of green space in that area. And so I had reached out before to the modeling people to see if they might be willing to do a joint garden for their, like, employees and local residents. And it was a hard no.

But I thought maybe we'd have more luck with the MBTA. Maybe. Not sure. It's at least down in that more populous area. There's some of those big high rises down off of closer to the Wellington Tee that would have easier access there than some of our other gardens.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: That's the only other. Mark, have you got any other inspired thoughts about where we could build?

[Mark Lalli]: Not really. I mean, every time I see a business that has a lawn in front, I'm just like, could there be something there? Yeah.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: All right. Sorry for the low energy tonight, guys. A doozy of a few weeks. So I have a new commitment on Monday nights. So if you guys are OK with us being back to Tuesdays, then I think we should just keep it to Tuesday and call it good. OK. Works to me.

[Mark Lalli]: I will be traveling. I'll be in Florida that day. I might be able to call in, might not be, but we're doing an early Thanksgiving. I don't know if I've told the folks here, I have a daughter on the way at the end of January. So we're getting in Thanksgiving before my wife is too pregnant to fly.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: Wow. That's right, you've had bedtime duties sometimes. Okay, sorry. Okay. All right, that's okay. If you have any specific thoughts about what Liz has put together or anything else about rules that you'd wanna share, if you weren't able to join in, please feel free to shoot those to us ahead of time.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: But hopefully with enough notice, we can get a bigger crew. So for agenda for the next one, are there other specifics that we need other than future garden and rules revision? Any other specific topics people can think of?

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: The only other thing that came to me was maybe off season, like planning an off season activity. Yes. So talking about it then. And seeing if anybody wants to volunteer or like how we're going to.

[lq25S5HOVFA_SPEAKER_10]: Maybe we could try partnering with some of the other. Yeah, I feel like there are a couple, like a handful of things that are already happening. So maybe we can kind of identify who's doing it and reach out to them. That sounds good.

[bq-gVu-g8qk_SPEAKER_01]: Yep. OK. And if you haven't voted yet, because I know it's just started. I did, on Monday. Please reach out to family members across the country and ask them to vote, too. Yeah. All right. All right. Yeah, we got seconded. I think we're supposed to do that.