Rules

Rossmoor Garden Club
Rules

These Rules are established by the Rossmoor Garden Club (Club) Board of Directors to set standards for garden use and member conduct for the safety and benefit of all members.

1. Letter of Acknowledgement.
Applicants for membership must acknowledge and agree to abide by these Rules by signing a Letter of Acknowledgement and submitting it with the application for membership to the Club’s Membership Director.

2. Voting.
Members have the right to vote for candidates for the Board of Directors at the annual Fall meeting. Members may also vote on proposed amendments to the Bylaws. Members who are unable to attend membership meetings may vote by proxy at www.rossmoorgardenclub.com.

3. Communication.
  a) Member communication will be primarily via email. For those members without email, copies of club emails will be posted on the Club bulletin board by the parking lot for at least two weeks.

  b) Members and assistants are responsible for reading the Club emails and complying with any directions, rules changes, and notifications.

  c) Members and assistants are responsible for notifying the Membership Director of changes in contact information including email addresses, phone numbers, and home addresses.

4. Garden Hours.
Members may access the garden weekdays from 7 am to dusk and weekends and holidays from 8 am to dusk. These hours are set by the City of Walnut Creek and must be observed.

5. Speed Limit.
The posted signs indicate the speed limit in the garden as 4 MPH. Maintaining slow speeds will reduce noise, dust, and danger to other gardeners.

6. Garden Security.
a) The car gate code and the walk-in gate code may not be given to anyone including visiting friends, family members, and any hired workers who are not on the Club roster as members.

b) Only one car at a time may enter through the gate after entering the gate code. Each member must enter the gate code before going through the gate.

7. Common Resources.
a) Garden tools such as rakes, shovels, and wheelbarrows are available to members of the Club. They may not be removed for personal use outside the garden and they must be returned to designated storage areas before the member leaves the garden at the end of the day.

b) The deck under the Heritage Oak tree is a common area and may be used by members for social events. To reserve the deck area, members may contact the Social Director at www.rossmoorgardenclub.com.

c) Members may help themselves to berries in the common berry patch and herbs in the common herb garden.

8. Maintaining Garden Lots (including orchards and berry/flower patches.)
a) Members must maintain an orderly garden lot including surrounding pathways.

b) Members must actively cultivate their gardens and must plant their lots for the season by May 1.

c) Weeds must be removed before they set seed.

d) Exposed, standing water must be removed. If a member wishes to store water for irrigation, the water container must be covered.

e) Debris such as broken garden furniture, unused or discarded garden supplies, broken pots or pails, or any debris that could be considered a health hazard may not be stored on a member’s lot.

f) Overripe/rotting fruit and vegetables must be removed to avoid rodent problems.

g) Members may plant dwarf trees in garden lots that either do not grow more than five feet tall or are pruned to five feet and do not shade neighboring lots.

h) Tools and equipment including compost bins, tool boxes, etc. may not be placed in common pathways or against fences.

i) TRELLIS by Pulte Homes (Trellis)

The Trellis homes are adjacent to the lower garden lots. The fence, which belongs to Trellis, creates a border between the homes and the garden. Members whose lots are located along the fence between the garden and Trellis must:
a. ensure their equipment, supplies, and plants do not touch or lean against the fence.
b. ensure that leaves and debris are raked away from the fence. Leaving plant matter to decompose against the fence will cause deterioration.
c. keep equipment and supplies stored neatly so they do not create unsightly conditions for the owners of the homes.

j) In orchards, the trees must be pruned annually to no more than 10 feet high and one orchard row may not contain more than 5 trees. Branches may not extend beyond individual orchard boundaries. Trees must be kept free of pests and disease, and fruit must be harvested in a timely manner and may not be left on the ground to rot.

k) Berry/flower patches. These garden areas are assigned to members for planting berries or flowers. They are not to be used for storage.

l) Any proposed construction that will exceed four feet in height must be pre-approved by the Board.

9. Maintaining Common Pathways.
Common pathways must be kept clear. Hoses, tools, weeds, wheelbarrows, and pots, etc. must be kept clear of the common pathways. Members are urged to work with their neighboring gardeners to keep a layer of wood chips in common areas around their lots.

10. Dumping Garden Waste.
The dumpster located near the entrance to the garden is for biodegradable garden and orchard debris only. Members may not place lumber, branches over 1” in diameter, plant tags, fencing, pots, etc. in the dumpster.

11. Other Garden Debris.
Once or twice a year, there will be a dumpster designated for all nonorganic refuse. This dumpster is in the garden for a limited time and will accept all debris from the garden.

12. Construction.
Compost bins, tool boxes, sheds, etc. may not be higher than four feet and must be placed within the member’s lot. No items may be attached to the fence between the garden and the Trellis Community homes or any fence surrounding the garden. Bean poles and wire frames may not be higher than six feet and may not shade another garden.

13. Annual Membership Dues.
a) Annual membership dues per lot, effective Fiscal Year 2022, are $55/full lot; $30/half lot; $15/senior lot; $25/orchard; and, $15/berry/flower patch.

b) Members will receive an email on or about November 1 each year regarding dues that must be paid by December 1. Unpaid dues are delinquent on December 15. A second email will be sent requesting payment by December 31. Members who do not pay their dues by December 31 will forfeit Garden Club membership and relinquish the assigned lot.

14. Membership.
a) Membership is established at time of lot acquisition and payment of annual dues and lot fees. Co-members may be spouses/partners or any resident.

b) If one co-member leaves, the lot reverts to the remaining member in its entirety.

c) An existing member may add a co-member after initial acquisition of the lot only if the prospective co-member is within the top five people on the Waitlist.

15. Lot Acquisition.
a) Upon acquisition of a garden lot, members must pay the annual dues for their lot and the one-time lot acquisition fee, which includes the $100 initiation fee. Fees shall be set by the President and the Membership Director and shall be based on the size and condition of the lot.

b) Members may be assigned only one lot.

16. Garden Assistant.
a) Members may not be designated as assistants. If a fellow gardener needs occasional help, members may provide that help, but they may not cultivate their own crops in another’s lot. Members who wish to share their space or who need assistance may find their own assistants and go through the application process below, or they may contact the Membership Director. The Membership Director will contact those on the Waitlist to determine interest in being an assistant.

b) Assistants do not have succession rights to a garden. If the member leaves the garden, the assistant approval is void.

c) A member may apply for one garden assistant by completing an Assistant Application form found on the Club’s website at www.rossmoorgardenclub.com. The form must be sent for approval to the Club’s Membership Director. All Assistant approvals expire on December 31. If a member wishes to continue with the help of an Assistant, a new application must be filed and approved annually.

d) Assistants may work alone in members’ gardens and must follow all usage Rules.

e) Assistants must have their Letter of Approval with them while working in the garden and must present the Letter if requested to do so.

17. Trading lots.
Available lots are first offered to existing members who wish to trade before those lots are offered to prospective new members. The Membership Director will maintain a list of those wishing to trade.

a) Available lots are offered in the order the applicant’s name appears on the trade waitlist.

b) The Membership Director will schedule a day for members to tour available lots and make their choices.

c) If the trade involves upgrading from a basic lot to one that has improvements such as raised beds, a lot fee will be assessed based on the condition of the lot.

d) Members must leave their original lots in good, clean condition within 15 days of leaving the lot.

18. Relinquishing a lot.
A member who wishes to relinquish a lot, orchard or berry patch, may do so by sending an email to the Club President or Membership Director. Members may not sell or transfer their lots and will not be reimbursed for any improvements made to their lots.

19. Water Use.
Water for the garden comes mostly from wells and the wells depend on underground streams to fill them up. During drought years, water is in short supply in the garden and all members must follow requirements in order to ensure there is water for all. Mandatory water rationing may be established yearly on a date-specified by the Board.

Members must:

a) notify the Water Committee or a board member immediately of any leaks to their system if they are not able to repair the leak. Contact numbers are posted on the bulletin board next to the parking lot.

b) attach a nozzle or shut-off valve on the end of their hoses.

c) ensure that the faucet is turned off.

d) adhere to the requirement to water only on their assigned days. Drought conditions require rationing – assigning specific days on which members may water their gardens. If members are unable to water on the assigned days, they may not choose another day to water, but may ask another member or approved assistant to water for them on their assigned days.

e) ensure that hoses are not left on or running unattended.

f) not water by flooding their garden lot, berry patch, or orchard.

20. Irrigation Systems.
Automatic irrigation systems may be installed in a member’s lot at the member’s expense. Before installation, the member must obtain approval of the design and materials from the Water Committee.

21. Garden Inspections.
All lots are subject to inspection by the Board. Lots will be inspected for the following: weed abatement, wood chip placement, clear pathways, debris, water leaks, hose nozzle and valve shut off, trees/vines pruned and size appropriate, standing water, encroachment on another lot or common pathways, overuse of water/excess moisture in beds. Members will be sent a Notice of Violation with a deadline for corrections. Failure to make required corrections may result in relinquishment of membership and surrender of the garden lot

22. Emergencies.
The physical address of the garden is 2121 Tice Valley Blvd, Walnut Creek 94595.

a) Security emergencies, such as unauthorized people in the garden: call Securitas at 925 988-7843.

b) Health or fire emergencies: call 911 and then Securitas at the above number.

c) Gate issues: call Securitas at the above number.

d) Water leaks: contact a member of the water committee or a board member. Phone numbers are listed on the bulletin board in the parking lot.

23. Pets.
Well behaved pets on a leash are welcome in the garden. Owners are responsible for cleaning up after their pets.

24. Assessments.
If operating costs or necessary capital expenses exceed revenue and/or reserves, an assessment to cover these expenses will be charged to each lot proportionately. Full lots will be assessed at full share, half lots at half share, berry patches and orchards at one-quarter share.

25. Member and Assistant Conduct.
Members and Assistants:

a) must obey all Garden Club Rules.

b) may not take anything from another member’s lot without express permission.

c) must show respect to others in the garden by refraining from loud or inappropriate language, threats, or other conduct that could cause fear or harm.

d) May not use well water to irrigate on days not assigned to them and must not overwater.

26. Result of Violation of Rules.
Violations of the Rules may result in verbal requests for compliance, formal warnings, and/or action taken by the Board to cancel membership and require relinquishment of the garden lot.

Immediate revocation of membership and relinquishment of the lot may result for the following violations:
• Tampering with the wells or irrigation system
• Theft of tools, plants, flowers, or produce
• Disorderly verbal or physical conduct that endangers the safety of others or causes fear in others
• Repeated overuse of water or using well water on unauthorized days
• Failure to pay dues within the required time limit