OUR IMPACT
Our gardens also places for people to gain self-sufficiency and resiliency by growing food in these tough times.
Through our food access programs, we provide free and low-cost seeds, seedlings, and horticultural training for individuals and families in need.
DUG gardens are also places of learning and connecting to the natural world. Our STEM-focused curriculum in schools across six districts offers kids opportunities to engage with their food, explore the growing cycle from seed to harvest, and learn about the importance of healthy soils.
Being a part of the DUG community is about more than just gaining horticultural training. We train gardeners to become community leaders and share their knowledge and skills with their community.
Our network of 188 gardens is much more than places where people grow food. Our gardens are microcosms of society and are places to build authentic connections and relationships with different types of people.
Our gardens provide spaces for people to relax, restore, and recharge. Many of our gardeners report on the physical, mental, and emotional healing they have found by being a part of a community garden.
Our network of gardens connects the Denver Metro Area.
DUG community gardens comprise the largest garden network in the country. Gardens are more than a place to just grow food; they’re a place to grow relationships.
Food access is at the heart of our work.
Our Grow a Garden program connects individuals, families, and seniors with low-cost and free seeds, seedlings, and education to grow healthy food and build self-sufficiency.
![](https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/e35/c240.0.960.960a/s150x150/122157061_196522658591115_6153648703633952496_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=103&_nc_ohc=YY_YHdkuVsIAX-ZqRmM&tp=16&oh=f019aa4260f38df96b2c52117bcfa6ed&oe=5FBFD213 "“I signed up for a community garden plot at a DUG garden before I ever heard Daniel\'s name. I was excited to grow things and put down roots, as I had just moved back to Denver. When I met Daniel, I found out that he was a super-gardener. On our third date, I asked him to help me in my garden. He humored me while I put random seeds in the ground. I had to leave town, and he asked if he could take care of my plot for me. When I came back, he had cleared out all the seeds and replaced them with seasonally-appropriate starts. And so began our gardening courtship.
Every week, we went to that garden and tended the plants, and our relationship grew. Gardening turned out to be a way for us to date. Our relationship moved pretty quickly. We were engaged within five months of meeting.
In September, Dan told me we needed to go to the garden to harvest our watermelon. We got there, and I ran off to start harvesting. He called me over, “Babe come here! You have to see this!\\" I came running, thinking he had found a squash we might have missed. He turned around with a ring in his hand and proposed. It was the perfect proposal for us because we grew our love in our DUG garden. We were even featured in the New York Times’ Wedding Section (shorturl.at/fjBJM)!
Over the years, we’ve grown thousands of pounds of food in DUG gardens. It has nurtured both our bellies and our hearts. Our family has grown to include two kids who love picking food in the garden and eating it right away.
I learned how to garden in a DUG community garden. I would’ve never had that opportunity otherwise. I can\'t imagine my life now without gardening! DUG offers everyone in Denver a chance to engage with soil and understand the food lifecycle. What DUG does is essential, and I don\'t think the community appreciates it as much as they should.”
--Talia Haykin, Lowry Family Community Garden
Check out Talia and Daniel’s Hard Cider Company, Haykin Family Cider!
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