Plotting a growth strategy

“Gardening requires lots of water — most of it in the form of perspiration.”
— Lou Erickson, author

Two years of cultivating an idea for a place where locals could grow vegetables came to fruition Sunday with the grand opening of the Scraps-to-Soil Community Garden.
Empire resident Eileen Wheelock managed to secure one of the garden’s 15 plots, which were allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. The garden is in the area known as the Idaho Springs Triangle, near where Miner Street and Colorado Boulevard converge.
“I think it is great,” Wheelock said of the opportunity to garden. “We live in Empire, so at 8,600 feet we don’t have much opportunity to grow too many things.”
Wheelock said she plans to work on the plot with her daughter, and both are coming to the venture with varying levels of gardening experience. She added that Scraps-to-Soil turned an essentially worthless piece of city property into something amazing.
“(Scraps-to-Soil) has been awesome. They work as hard as I’ve ever seen anybody work. They have such passion for it. It’s just awesome,” Wheelock said.
Scraps-to-Soil co-founders Cameron Marlin, her cousin George Marlin and his wife, Ursula Cruzalegui, started the organization as a community-focused composting effort in the fall of 2009. Their plans quickly grew, and with a recent $10,000 grant from the Clear Creek Metropolitan Recreation District, things have shifted into high gear.
Days leading up to the grand opening saw a group of diligent volunteers working in the rain, cold and mud preparing the garden for Saturday’s celebration.
Before using a pair of pruning shears to cut a ribbon across the garden entry, Idaho Springs Mayor Pro Tem Kate Collier said the land that Scraps-to-Soil is leasing from the city will help foster a spirit of neighborliness.
“We’re re-creating what Idaho Springs was about 150 years ago. To me, this is the essence of what we can do in a small town,” Collier said. “This corner is way more beautiful because you guys (Scraps-to-Soil) are in the town.”
Cameron Marlin said community gardens across the country provide many benefits to surrounding neighborhoods.
“Peppered across the nation, community gardens have proven to invoke numerous social, economic and environmental benefits,” Marlin said. “Community gardens stimulate neighborhood and community development. They encourage social interaction and intergenerational connections.”
Marlin said it took dozens of local individuals and organizations to help bring the garden about, and because of its success, Scraps-to-Soil has big plans to create similar gardens across the county.
“We hope to bring a community garden to Georgetown, Empire and to other towns in Clear Creek County,” Marlin said. “We envision a community greenhouse to extend our short growing season, and much, much more. This is just the beginning.”

Contact Ian Neligh at couranteditor@evergreenco.com, and check www.clearcreekcourant.com. for updates and breaking news.