A new trend in the local food movement is bringing people into their yards to harvest heirloom tomatoes and leaves of rainbow chard. Homeowners are increasingly growing their own vegetables right in their backyard, driven by a desire for nutritious and fresh tasting seasonal food.
It’s a concept that Bryant Mason, owner of The Urban Farm Company, and Coby Gould, Executive Director of the non-profit the GrowHaus discussed at the GrowHaus’ aquaponic greenhouses in North Denver.
The two organizations have partnered to make gardening as easy as possible in residential backyards, while simultaneously attacking issues of food access and employment in two low-income neighborhoods in Denver.
The Urban Farm Company installs raised bed organic vegetable gardens for homeowners using a rich soil mix, easy gardening method, and continual education and support through the growing season.The GrowHaus offers a similar educational program to residents in their local neighborhood who lack access to healthy organic produce. Both aim to make gardening as simple as possible for beginner and intermediate gardeners.
“It’s fairly simple, we’re helping to promote The Urban Farm Company’s service around the Denver area. 10% of each garden sale comes back to help subsidize garden installations for residents in our neighborhood who historically haven’t had easy access to fresh vegetables,” explains Gould.
The Urban Farm Company plans to employ residents in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood part-time to help install gardens in backyards around their community.
The area has experienced significant unemployment rates in recent years, a trend that Mason and Gould believe can be partially reversed with innovative food “micro-‐enterprises.”
“To us, urban food production is the obvious one,” explains Mason. “This is collaboration that we’re incredibly excited about. We believe that the GrowHaus can help us spread the word about our garden services around Denver, and we can help employ community members around the GrowHaus. It addresses food justice and unemployment, while helping The Urban Farm Company grow.”