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Did you know that Chatfield Farms has two herb gardens? For years we had a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) herb garden and a Denver Botanic Gardens Guild production garden. After years of working their herb garden, the CSA relinquished its prime spot in front of the Hildebrand house in 2024. The horticulture team took over management of this space and the Guild took over maintenance.

In the fall of 2024, I started developing some concepts for a new herb garden. This new garden needed to serve multiple purposes, including producing herbs for the Guild, creating a learning space for our Education Department, and enriching the guest experience. We wanted it to retain a kitchen garden feel, befitting its location right outside the historical homestead.

I met with the Guild at the end of 2024, and they generously donated funds for this new project. Earlier this year, we finalized the design and got bids for construction. By April, we were demolishing the old, tired row herbs in favor of raised beds and accessible pathways. We partnered with a company called Earth Love Gardens to install our new raised beds. They specialize in permaculture and edible gardens.

On May 28, members of the Guild, Aaron Michael (owner of Earth Love Gardens) and some of Denver Botanic Gardens’ staff came together to install all the plant material. We planted more than 1,500 plants! With another generous donation of planter pots and a beautiful bench from one of our volunteers, we were able to create a destination garden where anyone can browse our herbs, take a rest and enjoy Hildebrand Ranch gardens.

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Herb Garden Renovation at Chatfield Farms

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