Hudson Gardens is known as a place to enjoy beautiful and diverse flora and wildlife but, did you know it provides more than just a beautiful landscape to the community?
For the past 20 years, Hudson Gardens has had the distinct privilege of working with Master Gardeners of the CSU Arapahoe Extension Program to plant and maintain the vegetable demonstration gardens. These gardens are great opportunities for members of the community to learn about gardening in Colorado and how to deal with common garden problems. Master Gardeners present free educational programs during the summer months covering topics from fertilization to fighting common garden pests.
But, what happens to all the vegetables that are grown in the demonstration gardens?
That’s the best feature of these demonstration gardens! Hudson Gardens and the Master Gardeners participate in Colorado State University’s “Grow & Give” program. Created to address food insecurity in Colorado, “Grow & Give” connects backyard and community gardens to local food banks and donation sites, providing their clientele with locally grown, garden fresh, organic produce. Produce donations range from leafy greens, like lettuces, and savory herbs, like dill, to everyday staples like tomatoes, beans and even potatoes. In 2022, the Grow & Give program donated over 32,000 lbs. of fresh produce to local food banks and donation sites. All the produce grown at Hudson Gardens is donated to Integrated Family Community Services in Englewood, Colorado, and is provided to low-income or no income community members through the “Market at IFCS”, a free grocery store.
For more information about the Arapahoe County CSU Extension and the Hudson Gardens Demonstration Vegetable Gardens, please visit: https://arapahoe.extension.colostate.edu/hudson-gardens-demonstration-vegetable-garden/
To learn more about Integrated Family Community Services, the services they provide or to get involved, please visit: https://ifcs.org
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- Master Gardener Volunteer
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- Master Gardener Volunteer