GRAND COMMUNITY GARDENS
ABOUT US
MISSION STATEMENT
The Mission of the Grand Community Gardens is to enrich the individual, social and environmental health of Grand County through gardening education and providing residents the opportunity for learning how to grow their own food to become a more sustainable community.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Merilyn Hunter, President
Patty Alander,Granby Garden Coordinator
Leslie Crosby, Hot Sulphur Springs Coordinator
Olivia Clark, Grand County Extension Director and Agent
and Kremmling Site Coordinator
Mary Williamson, Website
Merilyn Hunter , Facebook
OUR HISTORY
Grand Community Gardens is a not-for-profit organization under CSU Extension Grand County office with cooperation of the Grand County Commissioners. Additional partners include the Town of Granby, Town of Hot Sulphur Springs, and the Fraser Valley Metropolitan Recreation District.
GCG has an executive board comprised of a President, a President-elect, and a representative member from the CSU Extension Office who also holds the position of Treasurer and up to six additional executive members. Meetings, which are open to the public, are held monthly. Check the websie calender for locations.
Grand Community Gardens was founded in 2008 by Carol Morales, Lynn Cassidy, Bonnie Koblitz, Leslie Crosby, Michelle Cowardin and Judith Graham. This group was part of a Kremmling Library book group who had been reading about agriculture and local food systems. After lots of interactions about how to eat more healthy foods, the idea came to the group to provide community gardens to the residents of Grand County. It was decided that three different sites could be built with the help of the County and the towns of Kremmling, Hot Sulphur Springs and Granby. Morales Farms was very instrumental in bringing this dream to life by providing many volunteer hours of labor to build raised beds at all three sites and by securing donations. Soil was donated by the County and by June beds were filled and planted in all three sites. Ever since that small group of people discussed growing our own food, county residents have been gardening at Grand Community Gardens in Kremmling at the Fairgrounds, in Hot Sulphur Springs at the town park and in Granby at Morales Park, and since 2012 in Fraser near the ice rink -- sports fields.
With funds from the 2008 Grand Foundation Grant and support from the County, Town of Granby, Town of Hot Sulphur Springs, and local businesses, GCG built a total of sixty-eight raised garden beds; twenty in Kremmling, twenty in Hot Sulphur Springs, twenty-eight in Granby, and 40 in Fraser, some under a hoop house.
In 2010 Grand Community Gardens became a part of the Colorado State University Extension office located in Kremmling. The alliance with CSU Extension was formed to provide GCG the benefits of insurance coverage, administrative and legal support. Additional benefits of this collaboration are access to extensive educational resources and close ties to the Master Gardener Program, which are administered through CSU.
Led by Debbie Buhayer, work began in 2011 to establish the fourth community garden located at the Fraser Valley Metropolitan Recreation District Sports Complex just outside of Fraser to provide the residents of the Fraser Valley area the opportunity to grow their own produce. This site is fenced and has forty raised garden beds with a hoop house covering many of the beds to extend growing season. With the support of many generous individuals, businesses and organizations the Fraser site became a reality of growing the 2012 season. TODAY, the Fraser Community Gardens is not affiliated with CSU but is a program under the Fraser Valley Recreation District--as of summer 2021.
OUR PRESENT
We are very excited about the possibilities ahead as we enter our 15th growing season in 2022. We have raised beds available at the Community Gardens in Kremmling, Granby and Hot Sulphur . All locations are fenced, irrigated and open to interested gardeners of any experience level.
Grand Community Gardens is a part of Grand County's Colorado State University Extension office.
If you cannot participate in the program this season, but would still like to help with the Community Gardens, we are happy to accept donations! Just send your check, payable to CSU Extension - Grand Community Gardens, to P. O. Box 475, Kremmling, CO 80459. Your help is greatly appreciated!