McAuliffe International's Garden - The Next Phase

The largest garden that SustainEd Farms presently supports is in the Park Hill neighborhood on the corner of 26th and Kearney. The growing space within the garden beds totals 2,013 sq. ft. - that's a lot of growing space! This year our staff member, Lauren, has been managing the space and helping it thrive despite the myraid of irrigation issues that the space has faced. While the irrigation updates have happened below ground if you have driven past or live in the area you may have noticed that there is a visible project underway.

If you see Lauren working at McAuliffe, make sure to praise her hard work!

Garden Inspiration

Andrew Irvine was an award-winning landscape architect and urban planner, whose work spans the globe. He was the senior principal and leader of the urban design discipline within Stantec and believed in designs which promoted happiness & health because he knew the impacts design can play culturally and socially. Andrew and his family lived in Park Hill and to carry on his memory and impact his family has committed to creating a healing, sensory garden on the westside of McAuliffe’s existing garden space.

Design Process

SustainEd Farms staff, UCD College of Architecture and Planning students and professors, DPS Office of Sustainability, and McAuliffe Garden Club collaborated to draft the garden design below, which will be built over the next two years.

Summer Progress

With the help of generous donors and volunteers, we have begun the garden build out! We have removed the rotten beds on the westside, amended compost, added mulch, planted out the vegetable beds, and started irrigation repairs.

Projected Timeline & How to Support

Winter 2024 - Initial planning, stakeholder interviews, and design charrette

Spring 2025 - Volunteer events with the Rotary Club and Ceres Greenhouse Solutions to demolish the old westside space and plant the existing middle vegetable beds

Summer 2025* - Repair the existing irrigation system, install pathways and natural seating

Fall 2025* - Restart weekly middle school enrichment in the garden with students. Plant perennial flowers, grasses, and trees

Spring 2026* - Complete westside redesign with a rock garden, nature play space, sensory garden, and benches

Summer 2026* - Begin revamping the existing middle vegetable garden beds and eastside outdoor classroom

Fall 2026* - Project completion and harvest celebration

(* indicates projected dates, pending funding)

The Reality of Garden Projects

The McAuliffe garden holds a special place for many SustainEd Farms staff as well as our community partners. In an ideal world this project would be funded and executed within the 2025 growing season. However, unforeseen project barriers and navigating community funding partnerships have pushed it to a two-year timeline, but these variables are just the nature of fundraising for larger infrastructure projects. Finally, we also have 46 other garden sites that are all deserving of attention, so we are always thinking about the equity of time and funds as we budget and schedule. We are honored to have been brought in to extend Andrew's legacy and want to respect the impact of his work by putting in the same amount of thoughtful intention that he would have.

We cannot complete this project without community support! Consider joining our newsletter, attending a volunteer event, or making a donation. Learn more ways to support at www.sustainedfarms.org