Boulder County Resource Conservation Division

To end our International Compost Awareness Week celebration, we wanted to highlight the role compost has in hyper-local, sustainable food systems by returning nutrients to the soil and helping grow healthy crops for the community.

Our sustainability partner, Eco-Cycle , helped build a six-bay compost system for the Boulder Jewish Community Center's (JCC) Milk and Honey Farm. The compost produced in this system is used on their quarter-acre farm, which grows food for the Boulder Food Rescue and the Boulder County Public Health Farm to Early Care and Education program.

Adding compost to soil helps retain moisture, reducing the need for irrigation and improving drought resistance. By increasing the soil’s ability to absorb and hold water, compost supports smarter water use, reduces runoff, and builds more resilient landscapes.

It’s a simple solution that Wes and the entire Growing Gardens team use with a powerful impact, from conserving water to strengthening the health of our soils and communities.

Growing Gardens has its Annual Community Plant Sale on May 9-10, and 16-17 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1630 Hawthorn Avenue. Discover organically grown and bee-safe herb and veggie starts, 40+ heirloom and hybrid tomato varieties, blooming annuals and perennials, native plants, water-wise plants, and more!

video description: Wes is kneeling next to a row of crops. The Flatirons are in the background, and it is a cloudy day. There are some leafy greens peeking out of the soil. Wes uses a tool to take out weeds from the crop row.