FYI

WHAT: Growing Gardens

WHEN: Tuesday through Thursday

WHERE: 1630 Hawthorn, Boulder, 80304

INFO: 303-413-7248 or www.growinggardens.org

At the intersection of 16th and Hawthorn in Boulder, the road takes a gentle curve. The asphalt and urban noises give way to verdant fields and gardens. The hum of traffic is supplanted by the soft buzzing of bees, and zucchini and carrots and a bounty of vegetables grow in the well-tended soil.

Stop and watch, and you’ll see members of the community arrive, tools in hand, to nurture the plants. Keep watching, and you may see young children, decked out in protective suits and veils, marveling at the wonder of bees working industriously in their hives. Watch long enough, and you’ll witness the harvest of the honey and the produce, tangible results of the care invested.

Less visible, but just as vital and life-giving as the roots that feed the plants, is the spirit of community and hope that rises from the sun-baked fields.

It’s not Nirvana, but something close. You’ve stumbled onto several acres tended by members of Growing Gardens, a nonprofit association that promotes community gardening.

“It’s a little Shangri-La back there,” says Ramona Clark, the organization’s executive director.

Clark, who was raised in Golden and spent time in the Northwest, was originally an artist, but her career was transformed by a fateful encounter with a tiny seedling.

“I think your life can turn on a dime, and my life turned on a tomato,” she says, laughing.

It was over a decade ago when her life changed course. She was working as a glass blower then, and volunteering with Seattle Tilth’s agricultural program.

Her task on that particular afternoon was to plant tomatoes.

“I picked up one of the seedlings and a shock went through me – like a Eureka moment,” she recalls. “Literally, I could feel this wave of electricity go through my whole body and I thought, ‘Oh, so this is what I’m supposed to be doing.’ From that point on my life took a 180.”

When Clark returned to Colorado, she was determined to bring a dose of urban agriculture with her. With 11 acres from Long’s Gardens and five or six partners, Clark founded Growing Gardens in 1999. Today she’s the last of the original founding members, but the nonprofit organization flourishes with eight community gardens and several programs.

“What Growing Gardens does, in a nutshell, is we create gardens and a curriculum that complements those gardens for people,” says Clark.

Along with the community gardens, Growing Gardens runs the Cultiva Youth Project, the Children’s Peace Garden, a neighborhood compost program, and the Able Garden.

Through its various programs, members of the community have the chance to connect with the earth, and children gain an appreciation for fresh produce and sustainable lifestyles. The Children’s Peace Garden, which is geared to children ages 4 to 11, sponsors a four-week summer program and field trips throughout the year.

The Cultiva Youth Project, for young people 11 to 18, supplies gardening and job skills. The youth work in the fields and tend the hives, and then sell the produce and honey they harvest at the Boulder County Farmers’ Market.

Adults can participate in the community gardens, where plots may be rented annually for a small fee. Although most of the plots are spoken for, applications will be accepted in February for the 2009 growing season, and people are always welcome to volunteer.

“We love people with dirty hands,” Clark says. If you’re interested in volunteering you can contact the site director, Julie Finley, at Julie@growinggardens.org, or just stop by the Hawthorn site Tuesday through Thursday.

There are other ways to get involved, as well. You can sponsor a beehive, which Growing Gardens will maintain for you, or just start a garden in your own backyard.

“We say starting a garden or bee keeping is a very simple solution to a complicated world,” Clark says.

Donations are always needed to help the organization thrive. Currently, Growing Gardens is working to meet a donation challenge issued to the city of Boulder by musician Jack Johnson’s All At Once foundation. Johnson, who’s appearing at Red Rocks on August 17, will match up to $2,500 in funds donated to Growing Gardens through September 1.

His organization believes that one person making a difference multiplied by a thousand makes a global change, which mirrors the mission of Growing Gardens.

“When one person decides to make a difference,” Clark says, “that difference has a huge impact. With Growing Gardens, a lot of people are following their bliss and really connecting in a direct and deep way with the planet and with each other. It makes a big difference. I’m very happy and hopeful about our world.”