A community garden at The Warren County Conservation District is shown here from a previous year.

Community gardens are waiting to be planted.

The Warren County Conservation District has announced the availability of garden plots at the Hatch Run Conservation Demonstration Area located on Hatch Run Road north of Warren. For over a decade, these have been available to the public at a cost of $25 for each plot, which offsets the costs of materials for the layout and preparation of the 25 by 25 feet garden plots.

The plots will be turned over to gardeners as soon as marking flags are in place, which will be no later than Memorial Day weekend. Gardeners can begin planting after that time, at their own convenience and maintained by each gardener, using the honor system.

While many choose to plant produce, flowers can also be planted. Typically a dozen gardens are planted each year.

As the vegetables grow, weeds must be kept under control and there will be a designated location for the weeds and plant material. If there is an excessive amount of stones in the plot, there will also be a designated stone pile near the gardens for the placement of these stones.

Only biodegradable methods of weed suppression will be allowed such as newspaper or straw around the plants. No landscape fabric or plastic will be allowed.

The gardens serve as a place for families to have a garden of their own. This is an excellent opportunity to get your children involved in the outdoors, get your hands dirty, and grow some of your own produce. For those that do not have the space in their yard, or if would like to plant a garden and just don’t have a yard; then this is also the opportunity to begin a garden.

The Conservation District has installed rain barrels among the gardens to provide a water source for gardeners. Keep in mind, water is not guaranteed to be available and cannot be provided in conditions such as drought, but this should reduce the need for gardeners to haul their own water to their garden plot. Plots are assigned on a first come first serve basis with previous renters getting first choice of plot location.

For more information please contact the Conservation District at 814-726-1441.