GROW FOOD
At our garden farm in Nederland, we grow a variety of vegetables and herbs, using regenerative methods and high-altitude growing techniques. Growing at elevation is challenging but it can be done. To protect our plants from pests and harsh conditions, we use raised beds, hoop houses, cold frames, and a greenhouse. This infrastructure also helps to extend the growing season. We also grow pollinator gardens and operate a compost station. Good healthy soil is key to growing nutritious food. We feed our soil compost teas and top-dress with local amendments, using only organic inputs.
Feel free to stop by our garden farm on W. 3rd Street to see what we do!
BUILD LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS
We believe local food security begins with local food production. This can be done anywhere: at home, on business property, at schools, on government property, etc. We encourage everyone–homeowners, organizations, schools, local businesses, and the Town of Nederland–to grow food and get involved in this community-wide effort. If you can’t grown food where you live, you can always rent a growing space at the Nederland Community Garden.
Victory Gardens is committed to building local food systems by creating economic opportunities in the community as a way to support our local economy. In Nederland and environs, we see market opportunities in the following areas: building infrastructure, composting and growing soil, dairy production, grain production, value-added products, etc.
INFORMATION AND EDUCATION
Part of our mission is to be a resource of information for the community. This website is designed to facilitate that goal. Our garden farm (link) is intended to serve as a demonstration facility where local residents can visit and learn about growing food (link to Garden Farm). We are also available for consultations to help with setting up your garden and infrastructure. To advance the goal of education, we encourage local schools to become involved in this community-wide effort. In 2021, we partnered with TEENS INC to build growing operations both inside and outside.
Why We Do It
Growing Food at Altitude
We believe local food security begins with local food production. This can be done anywhere: at home, on business property, at schools, on government property, etc. We encourage everyone–private citizens, organizations, schools, local businesses, and Town officials–to grow food and get involved in this community-wide initiative. Growing at elevation has its challenges, but it can be done. For more information, please go to the articles on the “Resources” page. We at Victory Gardens are available for free consultation on how best to grow food according to your specific situation.
Building Local Food Systems
This requires building relationships within the community among farmers, citizens, businesses, schools, and Town officials. They key is connecting consumers with locally produced food. This can take a number of different forms: home gardens, direct sales, grocers and restaurants, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), value-added products, etc. Every community is unique, and its food systems should develop according to its specific needs and resources. We favor a community-wide approach that rewards the vision and initiative of local entrepreneurs.
Creating Markets and Economic Opportunities
In Nederland and environs, we see market opportunities in the following areas: building infrastructure, composting and soil, dairy production, grain production, sales, value-added products, etc. As time goes on and community food systems develop, other opportunities should present themselves. Victory Gardens is committed to creating economic opportunities in the community (especially for young people) as a way to support the local economy.
Education and Information Sharing
Part of our mission is to be a resource of information for the community. This website is designed to facilitate that goal. (We invite you to visit the “Resources” page for more information about growing food and building food systems.)
Thanks to the vision and generosity of Lyn Hanna, Victory Gardens operates a bio-intensive “urban farm” on W. 3rd Street in downtown Nederland. We intend for this to serve as a demonstration facility where local residents can visit and learn about growing food. To advance the goal of education, we encourage local schools to become involved in this community-wide effort.
Our Projects
To build local food systems, we develop partnerships with businesses, schools, and other nonprofits. In 2020, we partnered with TEENS INC. to build raised beds, a pollinator garden, and a compost station at their Nederland location. From produce grown at our garden farm, we donated hundreds of pounds of fresh vegetables to the Food Pantry and two other food banks. We also advised local homeowners in their efforts to build backyard gardens.
Teens, Inc./Chinook West
Chinook West is a fully accredited contract school housed in the Teens Inc. facility in Nederland. A non-profit organization itself, Teens Inc. provides youth services in the greater Nederland community.
With funds provided by both Victory Gardens and Teens, Inc., we completed a six-week educational class with Sandy Chervenak, science teacher at Chinook West, in which students learned about building garden infrastructure and growing food. By the time the course ended on November 1st, the class had successfully built a compost station, four raised beds (including soil), and a pollinator garden. By all accounts, the class was a tremendous success. Now, we want to develop the operation further so that students can learn about soil ecology, botany, nutrition, tending a vegetable garden, and preparing the harvest to distribute to local families in need.
Assisting homeowners with their gardens and compost
Karelle, a long-time resident of Ward, has gardened at her high altitude property for 20+ years, carefully building soil from compost and worm castings and growing an impressive variety of vegetables. She’s reached the age where more and more tasks are harder to do and in 2020, amid a pandemic, she despaired of being able to complete, by herself, all the modifications and repairs that were needed on her garden and compost infrastructure.
She and Victory Gardens pulled in 6 volunteers, armed with power tools and strong backs, and they completed the necessary repairs in an afternoon. She now enjoys a 3 chambered compost bin, a cleared flower garden, and repairs to her main fenced garden. She added cured alpaca poop to the garden’s soil and some raw-ish horse manure to the 3rd chamber of the compost system, to mix in with the kitchen waste to enhance its microflora and to discourage bears.