For the third year in a row now, the Healthy Archuleta-sponsored Seed to Supper Gardening Education classes have begun in Pagosa Springs, being offered to those in the community wanting to learn how to grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables.
The Seed to Supper garden education program, developed by Oregon State University and adapted to our region, in partnership with Healthy Archuleta, is dedicated to teaching about growing fresh food.
Healthy Archuleta supports local food production by holding yearly gardening classes, sponsoring and supporting local community gardens, and engaging our youth in the future of local food production.
The first two of five consecutive classes took place at the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association (PLPOA) community garden beds, where the students worked directly on the beds, learning about soil health, structure and amending the beds with composted materials provided by the PLPOA.
These vegetable beds, which are maintained and managed by the Vista Lake Community Garden Committee, a subcommittee of the PLPOA Board of Directors, will begin growing fresh produce over the next several months and then donate the harvested vegetables to local food pantries by way of Healthy Archuleta’s food distribution center.
The Seed to Supper classes continue this month, the third class to be held at the newest part of the Vista Lake Community Garden community beds, near Vista Lake, where PLPOA residents can access raised garden beds to grow vegetables for their families. This community garden was established in 2022 with the help and sponsorship of Healthy Archuleta.
The remaining two weeks of the Seed to Supper classes will be held downtown at the Pagosa Springs Community Garden and will focus on transplanting, direct sowing, garden maintenance, pests, weeds, fertilizing, etc. and, finally, end-of-season harvesting, how to cook what has been grown, preserving the harvest and putting beds away for winter.
These classes have become an important part of Healthy Archuleta’s involvement with the Pagosa Springs community. Over the last few years, local expert gardeners and farmers have offered their time and expertise as class instructors to help educate about growing in Archuleta County.
Additionally, these classes have also been offered in English and Spanish to support our community in their gardening efforts.
Hydroponic farming
Last month, Healthy Archuleta harvested 35 two-ounce bags of hydroponically grown Italian basil. These were then distributed to our local food pantries.
How was this done? In April 2023, Healthy Archuleta began growing fresh lettuce greens in a vertical hydroponic grow tower that is housed locally indoors. Since then, this hydroponic grow tower has grown more than 1,100 heads of lettuce, with all donated to local food pantries. Additionally, three more towers have been purchased and are now fully operational.
Having access to several of these hydroponic towers is providing enough produce to harvest on a biweekly basis. Soon, there will be a harvest of loose-leaf green lettuce. There is also a quantity of Italian basil and onion chives that will be ready for harvest soon.
As it becomes warmer, it will eventually become too warm to grow lettuce, even indoors. However, instead of shutting down the towers over the summer, Healthy Archuleta is attempting to grow some warm-season crops, such as cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers. This hopefully will happen with the benefit of appropriate plant food, enough grow lighting and some air circulation. Within a few months, if successful, there will be some tomatoes and peppers to be harvested. This growth will be able to continue well into the fall season, when all other outdoor gardening has ceased.
In between these plantings, there will be fresh greens such as chard, kale and beet greens grown in the towers to supplement donations for the community.
It is vital that fresh fruits and vegetables be accessible to everyone in our community. Healthy Archuleta seeks to continue supporting the local food pantries by offering fresh produce through its hydroponic growing system, and also by sponsoring educational opportunities to empower local gardeners to grow their own fresh food to share with their families and friends.
To learn more about the efforts of Healthy Archuleta, please visit our website at www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org or send us an email at fsfearchuleta@gmail.com.
