COURTESY OF VERMIJO COMMUNITY GARDEN
Vermijo Community Garden sits in the heart of Old Colorado City and is changing the way our local community gardens operate. You won’t find raised boxes or members sticking to their own beds here because in this garden we all work together as a collaborative. We like to think of ourselves as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Project. It’s about doing things together; it’s about amplifying sustainable practices; it’s about learning how to coexist with our direct environment. We bridge the gap between health and food.
“We are only as healthy as the soil we stand on,” Kristie Taylor, land steward of Vermijo, reminds us. This is a chemical-free, organic garden that goes beyond the word sustainable. We utilize practices such as hugelkultur (a traditional German gardening technique that utilizes sloped and raised planting bed filled with topsoil, wood, and organic materials), companion planting (growing several types of crops near one another to enhance crop production), permaculture (a land management design system that mimics ecosystems) and water conservation.
Our vision is to create community spaces using these practices so that each member can apply these teachings in their own lives and neighborhoods, similar to what we’ve done in Manitou with street medians such as Duclo Triangle.
It’s no secret that we humans are being forced to find better ways to live in a more cohesive, and harmonious relationship with our Mother Earth. We have found that when we work in conjunction with the environment we are able to produce more, connect with one another on a deeper level, and learn at a greater capacity.
Reciprocity is the name of the game for our 2025 growing season. The wait for connecting to locally grown, organic food is over. These spaces already exist and they need you!
We challenge our locals to get involved with these amazing green projects and help to identify areas in need that may need a little sustainable love or pollinator support. Go visit some of our allies like Flying Pig Farm, Smokebrush Farm, and Food To Power. Or, consider adopting a trail or public space in Colorado Springs (ColoradoSprings.gov/adoptapark) or Manitou Springs (ManitouSpringsCO.gov/520/Adopt-A-Park-Trail-or-Garden).
Vermijo Community Garden is now accepting new and returning members for the upcoming growing season of May through October. Individual growing plots are $90, other membership opportunities start at $40. If interested, contact VermijoGarden@gmail.com.
