Castle Pines community garden finds a home at The Canyons
The City of Castle Pines may soon have a community garden. The Canyons, a mixed-use development slated to be built in the city on the eastern side of I-25, has given the garden a home. The garden will include 50 individual garden plots, as well as parking, a pergola, and composting areas that residents can use to produce their own organic gardens.
“I feel like this effort to build a community garden makes us a little like the pioneers of 150 years ago,” said Ben Lockett, a Castle Pines resident who is leading the effort to establish the garden. “There will be some challenges – we’ll have to deal with poor soil conditions, deer, rodents, sun and wind, but we can make this garden great.”
The Canyons has given the garden space, which lies east of I-25 just off Hess Road. Last month, Lockett hosted an information meeting for residents interested in the garden, and presented plans. Now that land has been secured and the garden has a green light from the city’s planning commission, the next step is raising the $50,000 necessary to prepare the land, build the garden and construct a gravel road out to the site.
“We want this to be built well, kept well, and look great,” said Lockett. “If we could wave our magic wand, we could start the garden right now, but we’ve got to raise money first. We’re looking for support from local businesses – large and small – and developers.”
The timeline for the garden is dependent upon how quickly funds can be raised.
Vincent Archuletta, a college student at Metro State who lives in Beverly Hills, attended the meeting and offered several suggestions for how the garden could be established and managed.
“I think that many of us have lost touch with how our food is produced,” said Archuletta.
“A project like this will allow us to control what we eat, and learn more about where it comes from.”
The garden club will meet at the community center, 7404 Yorkshire Drive, on Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m. Anyone interested in finding out more about Castle Pines Gardens at The Canyons is invited to attend. For more information about the garden, visit www.castlepinesgardens.com.
