Denver Urban Gardens Promotes Sustainable Gardening with Residents at Independence Residential Community

Elbert County Partnership is proud to highlight a special partner in Elbert County who is doing amazing work encouraging sustainable gardening and helping local communities all over Colorado establish their own urban garden.

Denver Urban Garden (DUG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers local residents in communities like Independence by creating sustainable, food-producing neighborhood community gardens. The organization currently oversees 200 community gardens, including 66 school-based community gardens and 24 food forests.

The Independence community garden was established with the founding of the community five years ago and has quickly become a staple amenity in the neighborhood. Residents request their own plots to grow food, work together to maintain the garden, and build a sense of community through gardening culture, and sharing farming best practices, food and recipes.

Over time, the DUG program at Independence has flourished under its community-appointed Garden Leaders. Farming residents sell their own produce at weekend Farmers Markets and within the community’s Facebook group. Over time, the program has even generated a unique marketplace where residents aren’t only selling their grown produce, but expanding offerings with their own products like sour dough bread, homemade pies and more. The farming sustainability program closes out yet another bountiful season with a final farmer’s market on Sept. 27, 2025.

In the words of Nessa Mogharreban, Senior Director of Partnerships for DUG, “We’re so honored and humbled to work with developers across Colorado, like Craft Co. and Continuum Partners, to bring urban gardening, sustainable growing practices, and pollinator friendly plants together in a lasting and impactful way for their residents and communities at large.”

Over time, the Independence DUG program has expanded to include a community greenhouse. Built by Colorado Greenhouse Builders, the greenhouse allows for community residents to grow produce even when the temperatures drop and the outdoor urban gardening program has commenced for the season.

Colorado Greenhouse Builders is owned by Annette McFadden, who also sits on the executive board of Elbert County Partnership. We thank her and her team for expanding the DUG partnership at Independence! We are also proud to share that Elbert County Partnership member Tim Craft sits on the board of directors for Denver Urban Gardens as well.