2015 Garden Survey Results
Please note that as all questions were optional the total number of responses may vary from question to question.
| Is the volunteer requirement of 7 hours per plot too much? | |
| Yes | 4 |
| No | 12 |
| Clear Button | 1 |
| What should the hourly volunteer requirement be? | |
| 5 | |
| 5 | |
| 2 | |
| 7 | |
| 5 | |
| 7 | |
| 7 | |
| 5.5 | |
| What is the biggest obstacle for you to meet the 7 hour volunteer requirement? | |
| That it has to be done over multiple days. | |
| Disorganized | |
| health | |
| Busy schedules, volunteer commitments elsewhere. | |
| The scheduled times because my schedule changes week to week Although I understand that it helps for planning purposes | |
| none | |
| nothing! | |
| Not being able to come to the Tuesday or Saturday work parties,and not knowing what needs to be done on other days | |
| The opportunities to meet the requirement are well communicated. The weekly emails have made it easy to know what needs to be done. My only comment would be more organization about what needs on a given day would make the volunteer experience more effective. | |
| Is the Plot Rental Fee? | |
| Just about right, Goldilocks | 12 |
| Too High | 3 |
| Too Low | 2 |
| How much should the Plot Rental Fee be? | |
| $50 | |
| $75 | |
| $30 | |
| $60 | |
| $40 | |
| Should we continue to operate the Communal Garden so as to maximize the amount of produce we can donate to local community service organizations? | |
| Yes | 15 |
| No | 0 |
| Should we separate the Communal Garden and the Plot Rental Garden and no longer seek volunteers from the latter to support the former? | |
| Yes | 3 |
| No | 14 |
| Should part of the Communal Garden be converted into plot rentals? | |
| Yes | 3 |
| No | 10 |
| Should all of the Communal Garden be converted to plot rentals? | |
| Yes | 1 |
| No | 15 |
| Alternately: What use could we make of the Communal Garden? | |
| The Cornucopia/communal garden model has not proved very successful, in large part due to the horrendous amount of volunteer time needed to administer it. To convert it to plot rentals would be a large undertaking and add to ongoing maintenance needs. A community orchard may be option? Maybe the city would support an orchard with funds or labor? | |
| Why would we want to do that? | |
| Should the mounds in the Plot Rental Garden continue to be gardened by the same gardeners year after year or should they be assigned through some other system? | |
| Gardeners should be able to keep mounds year after year | 8 |
| Use some other system to assign the mounds. | 6 |
| Clear Button | 1 |
| Should the mounds be converted to standard plots? | |
| Yes | 9 |
| No | 5 |
| Clear Button | 2 |
| Should the mounds be converted to growing produce for donation to local community service organizatiions? | |
| Yes | 1 |
| No | 12 |
| Clear Button | 2 |
| Alternately: What use could we make of the mounds? | |
| I’m not sure, they seem to be well used right now. | |
| I don’t mind how the mounds are assigned. I believe they were originally constructed as mounds though (vs. boxes) in case the city ever needed to access the underground lines that run beneath them. | |
| More berry bushses | |
| Should positions on the Board of Directors have term limits? | |
| Yes | 7 |
| No | 8 |
| Clear Button | 1 |
| If you think that there should be term limits to board positions, what would you suggest the limit should be [in years]? | |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 5 | |
| 4 | |
| 1 | |
| 3 | |
| If a board position was vacant after the Annual General Meeting would you agree that the position could be filled by drawing lots from amongst the plot renters? | |
| Yes | 2 |
| No | 11 |
| Clear Button | 2 |
| Who is your favourite Beatle? | |
| John | 4 |
| Paul | 5 |
| George | 2 |
| Ringo | 1 |
| Should the garden restrict plot rental applications to residents of Inglewood? | |
| Yes | 1 |
| No | 15 |
| Should members of the Board of Directors of the Garden Path Society continue to receive $50 discounts on the yearly rental of their plots? | |
| Yes | 11 |
| No | 4 |
| What should we have asked you? … and … What would you have said? | |
| Should Inglewood residents have PRIORITY for plot rentals? | |
| Your Comments | |
| I have difficulty understanding how to obtain any community garden produce despite many hours of volunteering there. While I would have liked to experience one tomato or potato, I haven’t figured how to obtain anything for personal use. But I value the charitable side, yet I am curious about the split in the community garden between charity and gardeners’ take. | |
| – Consider a discounted plot (money and or hours volunteered) for those with proof of fixed income and or disabilities. – Consider moving the compost bins to an unused section, or an area further from rental plots. ie near first shed at gate. – Consider the choice of slightly higher rental fee for those not able or wanting to volunteer. – Perhaps a 3rd garden party day to help get hours in. | |
| Effort should be made to simplify the community garden. Grow crops that are easy to manage, and suit the simple tastes of the needy. Grow things that produce abundant amounts and are easy to plant, maintain, and harvest. | |
| I understand that there is an exchange of volunteer hours for produce. But sometimes it seems everyone is just concerned about getting fresh vegetables not about helping out. I volunteer because I’m giving you my time (but also because we have comitted to 7 hours). Maybe this helps to encourage people to volunteer and I get that. But a volunteer is “a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task” and to volunteer is “freely offer to do something”. Anyway, just thought I would share. 🙂 I’m guessing your volunteer hours this year were the highest to date so maybe my opinion is irrelevant. | |
| I believe that donating produce to local groups is very important but so is enjoying the fruits of your own labor. The system is fine with me. | |
| Generally, the vibe at the garden is not quite as pleasant as it was in years past. I think its incredible what has been accomplished through the tireless work of some individuals who put in a lot of hours and my hat is off to them. But the general feel at the garden is more tense than it was and there is this drive to achieve great things and be the best community garden around. I preferred the more relaxed setting of years past and if the cost of having a friendlier and more enjoyable space is to scale back ambition, than I think that it is probably worth it. We all have jobs that create stress, the garden shouldn’t feel like a job. It should feel like a welcoming community where one can escape the rigors of everyday life in a peaceful setting. Instead its starting to feel a bit like work. | |
| The garden is very professionally organized with very knowledgeable gardeners and weekly news letters are fantastic loaded with exciting and informative information for up coming week. I really appreciate all the great effort everyone puts into keeping this garden running smooth and productive, works like clockwork! | |
| It seems lots of good work is being done in the communal garden, but I am not sure what is the the long term plan for the area. It might help to develop a plan to communicate what needs to be done. | |