Gardening hours are limited to between 7 a.m. and dusk.
For time limitations on the use of gasoline powered or mechanized equipment please refer to the Fairfax County noise ordinance.
Traditional gardening equipment should be used to maintain your plot, such as: trowels, hand fork, claw or cultivator, hoe, hand pruner, watering can, shovel or spade, wheelbarrow and gloves. For time limitations on the use of gasoline powered or mechanized equipment please refer to the Fairfax County noise ordinance.
Healthy Garden Maintenance Basics:
- You may need to strip compacted soils. You can use a tiller but should only do so in the spring and fall.
- Apply a layer of organic material (e.g. mulch or compost) after tilling to help prepare soil.
- Use mulch and compost to assist with weed control, soil enrichment, soil moisture and temperature retention.
- Use boxed planting beds and mulched borders to assist with erosion control and maintain soil nutrient quality.
- Prevent erosion along paths between planting beds by using wood chips or heavy geotextile fabric as ground cover.
- Apply commercial fertilizer based on soil test recommendations.
- Apply pesticides according to the label instructions – be sure to use the appropriate product for the specific pest.
- Plant warm/cool season cover crop at the end of a growing season to suppress weeds, add nutrients to soil, reduce erosion and protect water quality.
Additional Gardening Resources:
- Gardening Information (Green Spring Gardens)
- Planning, Planting and Maintaining Edible Gardens Resource Guide (Fairfax Food Council)
- Landscape and Gardening - You and Your Land (Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District)
- Become a Better Gardener at Your Library
Do You Need Some Gardening Tools?
The Fairfax Food Council recently created a Tool Library available to anyone planning to grow edible plants. Located in the garden shed behind Daniels Run Peace Church (3729 Old Lee Hwy., Fairfax, VA 22030) in Fairfax City are a wide assortment of shovels, hoes, rakes, pruners, a posthole digger, a wheel barrow and a small rototiller that are available to borrow free of charge. Make a tool reservation
Check with the Department of Planning and Development, Zoning Permits Branch, Sign Permits Section for the guidelines in your zoning district.
The Zoning Administration Division enforces, maintains and administers the provisions of the Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance and Noise Ordinance.