Growing Spaces Fall Fest 2026: Greenhouses, Gardening & Community

’Twas the day before Fall Fest, and all through the campus,

EVERYONE was stirring, from the office to the gardens.

The banners were hung around campus with care,

In hopes that a crowd soon would be there.

Meanwhile, I was in the kitchen chopping vegetables, making dips, and arranging tray after tray of food with the help of Laura and Destiney. At some point, I looked around at everything we had prepared and thought, “I think I did too much. I really hope people show up.” Well, they definitely showed up.

At one point during Fall Fest, we had more people at Growing Spaces at the same time than we ever have before. By the end of the day we were running out of food. One of our vendors completely sold out. We welcomed neighbors from right here in Pagosa Springs and visitors who traveled from multiple states away just to spend the day with us. Somewhere in the middle of all that happy chaos, I remembered exactly why we do this.

More Than a Greenhouse Open House

We can talk about Growing Domes all day long, and believe me, we do. But Fall Fest is about much more than greenhouses. Our goal is to bring gardeners together and make sure everyone leaves knowing something they did not know when they arrived. Whether you are planting your first garden or have been growing food for decades, whether you grow inside a greenhouse or outside under the Colorado sky, there is always more to learn.

This year, our classes covered worms and vermicomposting, soil, food preservation, and greenhouse ponds. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who shared their time, experience, and knowledge with our guests. Those classes are what turn Fall Fest from an open house into a day of learning and connection.

Our vendors were a huge part of that too. Paonia Soil Co., Backyard Boxes, 4 Corners Worm Farm, the Archuleta County Extension Office and Rio Bravo Nursery brought products, expertise, conversations, and enthusiasm to share with everyone who stopped by.

We truly could not do this without the people who are willing to show up and share what they know.

Greenhouse Questions, Gardening Lessons and Conversations

Last year, Matt and I introduced a morning Q&A session, and we brought it back again this year. It has quickly become one of the highlights of Fall Fest for both of us.

Between our own Growing Domes and our years of working at Growing Spaces, we each bring a lot of personal experience to those conversations. We get to answer questions from both sides, as gardeners who use these systems ourselves and as people who have spent years helping other gardeners succeed.

For me, as the Marketing Manager, it is also one of the most valuable opportunities I get all year to hear directly from the people we serve. I get to learn what questions keep coming up, where the information gaps are, what we could explain better, and where there may be opportunities for us to create better resources or even better solutions.

Ponds are always a hot topic, which is exactly why we added a pond class this year. This time, rodent protection came up again and again too. You shared questions, frustrations, and experiences that definitely got our wheels spinning. More to come on that later, but just know we heard you, and we are thinking about it.

That is one of my favorite things about Fall Fest. We may be there to answer questions, but we always leave having learned something too.

Celebrating Our Gardening Community

The bouquet competition was a new addition this year. We grew a good amount of the flowers ourselves and supplemented them with some store-bought blooms so everyone had plenty to work with. Then we let the friendly competition begin. Watching people choose flowers, compare colors, cheer each other on, and take the competition just seriously enough was wonderful.

Gardeners have a way of bringing optimism with them, and that spirit was easy to see throughout the day. We plant something because we believe in what comes next. We learn from the seasons that do not go according to plan. We celebrate the things that grow, and more often than not, we are excited to share them with someone else. Seeing that spirit around the bouquet table was one of my favorite moments.

Growzebo™ Greenhouse Excitement at Fall Fest

Of course, there was also plenty of excitement surrounding the Growzebo. Throughout the day, visitors stepped inside, checked out the beds and benches, asked questions, and experienced our newest greenhouse in person. Then came the moment many people had been waiting for: the Growzebo raffle. One very lucky guest went home as the winner of a Growzebo greenhouse kit valued at approximately $8,000.

Congratulations again to our winner, and thank you to everyone who entered. Watching so many people experience the Growzebo for the first time made an already special day even more exciting for our team.

Why Gardening Community Matters to Us

Events like Fall Fest are a lot of work. There are classes to coordinate, vendors to organize, flowers to cut, tables to set, signs to hang, food to prepare, and about a hundred little things that suddenly seem very important the day before everyone arrives.

Then the gates open. I get to look around and see people laughing with someone they just met, taking notes during a class, asking questions about their gardens, carrying bouquets they made themselves, touring a greenhouse, or standing around a vendor table deep in conversation. Seeing those smiles is the reason I love doing what I do.

Thank you to everyone who came from across town, across Colorado, and across state lines to spend Fall Fest with us. Thank you to our instructors, vendors, team members, and everyone behind the scenes who worked hard to make the day possible. And thank you to every gardener who showed up ready to learn something, share something, or simply enjoy being around other people who love growing things as much as they do. This is the gardening community we hoped to bring together.

And thank you for eating all the food. Next year, I’ll make more.

Join Us for Future Gardening Events in Pagosa Springs

If you missed Fall Fest this year, make sure you’re signed up for The Happy Grower newsletter using the form below, and keep an eye on your inbox. That’s one of the first places we announce upcoming events, classes, open houses, and other opportunities to grow with Growing Spaces.

We also share event updates on social media, so follow along there too. We would love to see you at the next one!