Thumbs Up!

Last year’s inaugural public vegetable demonstration garden, planted in Civic Center Park by Transition Denver, was such a success (not to mention a Westword Best of Denver recipient) that the concept should spread like, well, a weed. Under the aegis of the Grow Local Colorado Campaign and Denver Parks and Recreation, demo gardens will pop up this year in four local parks: Civic Center, Berkeley Lake, Highland and Highland Gateway. Later in the season, produce harvested from all four gardens will be donated to organizations like Food Bank of the Rockies and Gateway Battered Women’s Shelter.

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More About

• Transition Denver
• Dana Miller
• Berkeley Lake
• Denver Parks and Recreation

“There are three goals for this project: to inspire cities to grow edible gardens, to demonstrate how beautiful they can be, and to provide food for local folks who need it,” says Grow Local’s Dana Miller. “It’s good for the city, and it saves them a little money by not having to plant flowers. We hope that next year we’ll be able to expand to even more parks.”

That’s where you come in. Grow Local is soliciting volunteers to adopt and help plant, maintain and harvest this season’s crop of demo gardens. If you’d like to offer your green thumb, visit www.growlocalcolorado.org or call 303-300-3547. Or show up at 11 a.m. on May 8 at 3222 Tejon Street for a volunteer orientation. For details, e-mail bmasoner@aol.com.
April 1-May 7, 2010