This summer PPUG has worked hard to establish five more community gardens in the Colorado Springs area.

• Dorchester Park: offering garden space for Springs Rescue Mission, Marian Soup Kitchen, Urban Peak and Zebulon Pike
• Vermijo Community Garden: offering 17 garden plots for the local residence. Organic practices are used. Open to the public: each 25 ft by 15 ft plot rents for $30 per year.
  
• Youth Ventures: offering gardening opportunities for foster care children and families
• West Side Community Gardens: raised bed vegetable gardening at the old Buena Vista Elementary School.  Open spring, 2011. Open to public: each 4 ft by 8 ft bed rents for $15 per year.
• Iron Horse Community Gardens at Faith Covenant Church : raised bed vegetable gardening at the church on Barnes Rd just east of Oro Blanco. Open spring, 2011. Open to public: each 4 ft by 8 ft bed rents for $15 per year.

Educational Outreach

This year PPUG has offered monthly garden classes  (starting in November, 2009 and running through May).  Tips and suggestions for successful vegetable gardening in the Pikes Peak region were shared. Classes were held in churches and school auditoriums. Up to 400 attended each class.

PPUG gave additional seminars around the region including the ProGreen  Convention in Denver.

This year to date over 3,000 garden folks attended these classes and seminars.

This fall we are a part of Catamount's Sustainability Conference. Our presentation is a partnership with Brook LeVan, director of  Sustainable Settings, a non-profit practicing and studying sustainable agriculture and green development in Carbondale, CO.

Demonstration Gardens at Harlan Wolfe Ranch...2011

Located on the southwest side of Colorado Springs, this 100 year old historic ranch is now home for PPUG's demonstration gardens. On this four acre ranch the public can visit, learn, share, nibble on fresh veggies and even purchase a fresh salad. Gardens will be open from May 15th until hard frost in the fall.

2011 Projects 

In addition to our continued gardening classes,  PPUG will be tackling three ambitious garden projects. 

• Harrison School's Community and Demonstration Gardens: This project is a partnership with Livewell Colorado Springs (Mina Liebert), YMCA (Karen Kovaly), PPUG, Kaiser Permanente, Colorado Health Foundation and Anshutz Foundation. On 1/2 acre of land, PPUG with the help of the community will establish community gardens and a demonstration garden, outdoor kitchen/gazebo, off-the-grid geodesic dome greenhouse,  open to the public. Our plans call for a part-time farmer/teacher/cook to be on-site to offer educational tips, classes and cooking demonstrations. To date (late fall, 2010) we have raised or have pledged  20% of the funds needed for this $56,000 project. 
• Ivywild Community Project: this former elementary school is approved for purchase by Joseph Coleman (owner of Blue Star, Nosh and La' au's Restaurants) and Mike Bristol (owner Bristol Brewery) with plans to open up a brewery, bakery, coffee shop, community center at this site while retaining the historic quality of this school. PPUG will help design and run the on-site  off-the-grid greenhouse projects. These greenhouses will grow food for the community, be a teaching facility for schools, organizations and community members, and demonstrate the practicality of  "green" growing spaces.
• WestSide Community Center Community Gardens: this is also a former elementary school (Buena Vista). It is now a community center that is managed by the Woodman Valley Chapel (WVC). In the late summer of 2010, WVC and PPUG constructed a raised bed garden. With over 70 raised beds (4 ft by 8 ft and 2 ft high), complete with organic soil, they are ready for the community.We have allocated 12 beds (these are 30 inches high and only 3 ft wide) for our wheel chair folks, elderly or other folks that need a bit higher and narrower bed.  Each bed will rent for $15 for the season and that includes water use. For more information or to rent a bed (limit two per family), please e-mail us at: info@ppugardens.org
• Iron Horse Community Gardens: On the northeast side of town, near Oro Blanco and Barnes road, the Faith Covenant Church has opened up some of its land for a community garden. In the fall of 2010 they completed the build of over 40 raised beds, again complete with an organic soil mix. Price for rental per bed is $15. If interested in renting one or more raised beds at this site e-mail us at:  info@ppugardens.org
• Galileo Greenhouse Project: This 42 ft diameter "Growing Spaces" biodome, off-the-grid greenhouse is presently growing a variety of salad greens for the student lunch program in Colorado Springs School District Eleven. PPUG is the managing partner and grower at this site.