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Idaho Springs community garden grows veggies, camaraderie
BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Ursula Cruzalegui wants people to smile when they look at the community garden in Idaho Springs.
“It’s a good central space,” Cruzalegui, president of the nonpro t Scraps-to-Soil, said of the 20-plot garden across from Courtney-RileyCooper Park. “I want people to stop by not just because they have a plot but because they can come in and enjoy the shade and the benches. People think it has a fence and gates, so you can’t go in, but everyone is welcome.”
Cris Slaymaker, the garden leader for Scraps-to-Soil, which operates the garden, said the community garden was really important.
“We encourage gardeners to grow vegetables,” Slaymaker said. “It’s incredibly empowering to grow your own food, and the garden provides a sense of community. People who would never run into each other connect over gardening together.”
Since Idaho Springs provides the land, 51% of the gardeners must be Idaho Springs residents, and the remainder come from around the county, Slaymaker said.
In 2010, Scraps-to-Soil asked the Idaho Springs City Council to provide land for a community garden, and the garden opened the next year
