Please read the entire page so you will be fully informed.

• Anyone who is interested in a garden plot can submit their name into the lottery; giving everyone an equal chance of getting a plot.
• Those who don't get a garden in the Spring lottery are put on a waiting list. Should gardens become available, they are given out in waiting list order.
• At the end of the growing season, the waiting list is annulled and those who were on the wait list must enter the lottery again next year.

Gardens require work. Turning soil. Adding compost. Planting. Weeding. Watering. Weeding. Maintenance. Did I mention weeding? It takes a lot of work for those flowers to fill the beds, and for those vegetables to ripen. It's a rewarding experience, but a long and fun road to get there.

We're not trying to discourage anyone, but each year we have our share of gardeners who win a plot, and then give up after they realize all their ambitions take hard work. By the time they turn their plot back in it's too late in the growing season for someone else to start planting. That ends up being unfair to everyone. 10-20% of first time gardeners do not return after the first year because tending a garden was more work than they thought it would be.

• The Lottery takes place during the Spring garden cleanup in the garden itself.


• Please arrive a half hour before lottery time, so you can fill out the required paperwork (name, address, etc), familiarize yourself with garden rules, and check out the gardens. It's our big Spring Cleanup, so you'll get a chance to meet many gardeners and start becoming part of the community.


• You must be present at the lottery drawing to get a garden!!!


• Fees are due when you win a garden. If you do not participate in garden community maintenance & cleanups during the year, you will be assessed an additional $100 fee before you can renew your garden the next year.


• Once you receive a garden, you get to keep that same garden every year, provided you pay all fees and follow the garden rules.


• If you receive a garden in the lottery, we encourage you staying and helping with cleanup for the afternoon (Rather than just saying "thanks" and going home)


• If you do not win a garden, you are placed on a waiting list. We often have additional gardens opening throughout the growing year, and will go through the wait list as gardens open up. Again, this wait list is kept until the end of the growing season. If you never got a garden, you will have to enter the lottery next year again.


• And, given we have a waiting list of gardeners:


• If you get a garden and decide it's not for you, let garden leadership know right away so another gardener can begin work.


• All gardens must show some activity by June 1, or you will lose your garden.

If it's past lottery time, and you'd like to be added to the wait list, please send a message to lottery@berkeleygardens.org and ask to be put on the wait list for a garden for this season.