PITTSBURGH, PA (April 28, 2020) – The City, through the Departments of City Planning and Public Works, have announced guidelines for the public for using community gardens while maintaining CDC health guidelines.
Community gardens and Adopt-A-Lot sites are open, but the first priority is to keep each other safe at all times. To ensure that community members stay healthy while using public gardening spaces, the following guidelines have been established:
- When in doubt, stay home. Do not come to the garden if you or someone in your home is sick, if you are a member of a vulnerable population, or are a senior.
- Do not hold group volunteer days, no matter how small.
- Visit the garden alone or with members of your immediate household.
- If several people are at the garden, come back later. Limit the garden to 1-3 people at a time.
- For collective duties, make an online task list. Work done individually can still be shared by the community.
- Post signage with these guidelines and rules in public.
While at the garden, it is important to:
- Maintain social distancing by staying at least an arm and shovel length away from others.
- Wear a mask or cover your mouth and nose with a cloth.
- Be aware of high-touch surfaces and disinfect handles, water spigots, shed doors, etc. Avoid using community tools and bring your own.
- Remove all personal items and trash you bring to the garden.
- Thoroughly wash all produce you harvest from the garden.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Wash your hands regularly.
More information about Adopt-A-Lot sites can be found at https://pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/programs/adopt-a-lot/index.html.
More information about community gardens can be found at https://pittsburghpa.gov/dpw/garden-plots.
For More Information:
Shelly Danko+Day
Department of City Planning
shelly.dankoday@pittsburghpa.gov
