Boulder Homeless Shelter Garden

The image for this event shows the template layout for 1.3 vacant acres next to the Boulder Homeless Shelter. The garden was approved by the City of Boulder March 19, 2009 as an adult education facility.

David Ward of Nice-World,org and David Braden of Organic Landscape Design will be there expanding the layout and sheet mulching additional beds and laying out the drip irrigation system. Hands on experience will be available. Bring your shovel and wheel barrow if possible.

Each circle in the image is a ten foot diameter

no weed
no water
no till
deep mulched
drip irrigated

permaculture bed. Once established, we will need significant participation only three times a year:

planting
mulching, and
harvest.

With no till and deep mulching, the soil will improve each year with no weeds. With no tilling, we can include in the design perennial herbs, small fruits, rhubarb, horseradish, bulbs and flowers. With drip irrigation no daily attention is required and we save water. The area not in beds will be planted to

grasses
legumes
trees, and
shrubs

for wind break and to provide habitat for

beneficial insects
native pollinators, and
birds

Many features supporting the productivity of the whole.

The plan for participation is somewhere between an individual growing food for a living, as in community supported agriculture, and many individuals tending a plot in a community garden. In this model anyone can contribute whatever time, materials or money they choose and we will share the produce based on relative contribution. It will be community generated food production.

Every community has unused human potential and unused biological potential. We call these poverty and environmental degradation and treat them as a problem instead of a resource. Lets be clear about what we are trying to accomplish. We are looking for ways for more people, plants and creatures to contribute value to our communities. We hope the City of Denver will be a partner in that effort.