The Mesa County Libraries Discovery Garden project is a series of interactive and demonstrative gardens that provides education, food, respite, and community engagement. The goal is to promote nutrition literacy, keep up with the needs of the community, and uphold pesticide-free, permaculture-focused methods that help conserve water and build healthy soil. A variety of gardening techniques are modeled, including xeric, raised bed, in-ground farming, pollinator, seed-saving, and permaculture design. The Discovery Garden is by the community and for the community!

The Discovery Garden, occupying library-owned ground at 5th Street and Chipeta Avenue in Grand Junction, is a place where volunteers and organizations have created and maintained a beautiful space for learning and growing. The space can be used for people to gather for educational programs, events, and workshops. Features include a children’s garden, pollinator beds, compost demonstration, food plots, hoop house, xeric landscaping, native plant area, shade structures, a shed, and artists’ benches. The Discovery Garden does not offer gardening plots to individuals. Instead, the garden is a designated space for quiet relaxation and general enjoyment where people of the community can pick their own food and experience educational programs.

Once a CSU community garden, then a vacant lot, now a quality outdoor resource. Since 2018, this plot of land has seem some fantastic progress. Listed below are just a few of the many developments the Discovery Garden has undergone in the past two years with the help of amazing volunteers and community partners.

Built micro basins along 5th and Chipeta

Planted permanent trees and shrubs

Rebuilt and reinforced hoop house cover

Expanded pathways through Wilderness Area and along perimeter

Installed a little free library and musical instruments

Added a wheelchair accessible picnic table

Installed several interpretive signs highlighting demonstration beds

The Discovery Garden is honored to have received grants and donations from organizations and individuals since its inception. The following community partners graciously helped us achieve our goals in 2021:

Friends of the Library – Grant used to purchase permanent trees and shrubs, tools, and irrigation supplies

Walmart Community Grant: Rimrock Location – Grant used to purchase trees and irrigation supplies

Kiwanis Club of Grand Junction – Grant used for programming supplies and child-sized gloves and tools

City of Grand Junction – Grant used for shade structure

Lowe’s 100 Hometowns Grant – Grant used for microbasins on 5th Street, two shade structures, wheelchair accessible picnic tables, expanded pathwork, tools, and irrigation supplies

Green Junction Farmstead – Donated labor and supplies to renovate the hoop house and build in-ground worm bins

We need your help to maintain the Discovery Garden! Please visit the Library’s volunteer page to learn how you can join us at the next Discovery Garden workday! Tools and equipment donations welcome and appreciated – call to inquire what’s needed.

Click HERE to download a PDF of the 2020 Update