Cloud City Farm: Growing the Impossible at 10,000 Feet

Cloud City Farm: From Superfund Site to Community Gardens, Thriving High Altitude Farm and Year-Round Growing Dome Greenhouse

With only 28 frost free days a year, and living 10,000 feet above sea level, they are growing what at first might seem impossible.

Cloud City Conservation Center (C4)

Cloud City Conservation Center (C4)  is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization based in Leadville and Lake County, Colorado.

Their mission:

“Cloud City Conservation Center fosters pathways to a healthier planet and community through initiatives that inspire the conservation of our natural environment.”

Their current and on-going programs include:

  • Environmental Education and Infrastructure in the Schools
  • Residential Energy Efficiency Improvements
  • Lake County Recycling and Waste Diversion Infrastructure
  • Zero Waste Events and Event Recycling
  • Lake County Clean Energy

Cloud City Farm

C4 maintains an impressive list of programs in Leadville and they’ve been hard at work in Lake County. But it was their involvement in local schools that eventually led to Cloud City Farm. As part of their environmental education and school infrastructure program, they implemented recycling and compost programs. The schools started recycling and composting their lunches and food scraps, and the compost started piling up.

The teachers and students realized the rich asset on their hands and requested a farm! They recognized an opportunity to close the loop, put the compost to work, and grow food. Therefore, upon the school’s request, C4 started the fundraising that would lead to the creation of Cloud City Farm.

Cloud City Grow Dome from Growing Spaces

Cloud City Farm:

“The goal of the Cloud City Farm is to address healthy food access challenges in Lake County and inspire stewardship of our natural resources through local food production, educational opportunities, and community engagement.” The Cloud City Farm will provide outstanding educational opportunities for our youth to become farmers, scientists and stewards of the Earth.

Fighting an Unhealthy Food Swamp

It made sense to make a farm. Also, the request came in the midst of a growing awareness of a serious issue for the residents of Lake County.

Cloud City Conservation Center Grow Dome from Growing Spaces

“The LiveWell Leadville Community Food Access Assessment (2014) found that healthy foods are not adequately available and affordable to local residents. Lake County is an unhealthy food “swamp” with not enough healthy food outlets.” – C4

With only one grocery store, the cost of groceries is 18% more expensive than the national average, and 12-14% higher than surrounding counties.

The addition of a farm to provide access to healthy food easily fits into the philosophy and mission of C4’s already impressive list of environmental services. With a short 28 day frost free growing season, and possible snow any month of the year, growing local food is challenging. The seeming impossible task of creating a healthy food web in Leadville gets even more complicated by the repercussions of Leadville’s mining industry that have left a lasting impact on the land.

From Superfund Site to Thriving Farm

The Cloud City Farm sits on what was once a Superfund site. Deposits of heavy metals litter the land and settle in the soil. In order to create the farm that will scale to the promise of their mission, C4 is reclaiming the land.

Cloud City Farm

First, they scraped away 6 inches of top soil from the entire farm site. Now, they are in the slow, but rewarding process of rebuilding healthy soil.

The growing farm currently consists of:

  • A 42′ Grow Dome®, the production workhorse of the farm.
  • Outside community garden beds, educational and experiential places for community members to get their hands back in the soil, and back into growing.
  • And a weekly market where they sell all of the produce they grow.

Next Steps for Cloud City Farm

The farm is small, but it’s growing. With vision, dedication, community support, and appropriate technology, they’re growing food.

In addition, they’re successfully distributing fresh produce every week through their market to the highest incorporated town in the United States. Meanwhile, a full-time gardener continually tends the Growing Dome towards maximum yield. And there are no signs of slowing down as Cloud City Farm reaches toward their mission of addressing healthy food access in Lake County.

Next year will find them atop a tractor.

Cloud City Farm's outdoor raised bed garden

Fundraising starts soon for the machinery and infrastructure to expand their outdoor community garden beds, move more soil, and shape permaculture design principles into the landscape.

Moreover, their tractor will enable them to work at the scale the task demands.

“Who is supporting it? Over 100 Lake County residents have given money or volunteered on the project. In addition, the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation, Copper Environmental Foundation, the Freeport-McMoRan Community Investment Fund, the Summit Foundation, Gates Family Foundation, and New Belgium Brewing have also given grants to support the project. Donate your timedonate your moneydonate your expertise to creating healthy, local food systems.” – C4

To join the ranks and help raise the funds for the continuing development of Cloud City Farm, consider donating your time, money, or expertise.

Visit their website at Cloud City Conservation Center and support their efforts of healthy food and healthy communities.

Next Steps for You

If you like the idea of a thriving foodshed in your own community, and indoor growing would help your endeavor, then look into the benefits of a Growing Dome. Its passive solar design, strength and durability, and use of appropriate technology place it on the leading edge of greenhouse growing.

Cloud City Farm Grow Dome

To find out more about the Growing Dome and how it would help develop your healthy community, give us a call at 800-753-9333! We are open Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Mountain time. We are closed for major holidays and the last week of December.

author avatar
Jason Stuck
For three days in March 2008 Jason Stuck shoveled gravel into a Growing Spaces’ 33’ Growing Dome. That was Jason's first “project” working for Growing Spaces. Jason easily fell in love with the product, the people, and the philosophy of helping the earth by helping others grow their own food. Jason wore many hats at Growing Spaces over the years. Shovel slinger, metal fabricator, shopkeeper and author. Jason wrote many articles for our website and newsletter.

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