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Rose Roots Newsletter July 2026: Surviving the Heat Wave

Read on for garden news!


In this Issue:

  • Harvest for the Veggie Van!

  • Water Usage Update

  • What to plant now? (Fall crops!)

  • Coming Up (Live Music! Big Volunteer Event!)/Event Recap

  • This & That


It's Time for the Veggie Van!

The Veggie Van is up and running for the 2026 season!

The Veggie Van picks up donated produce from the Rose Roots Community Garden twice each week:

  • When: Thursday and Sunday mornings

  • Time: 10:00 a.m.

  • Where: Inside the West Barn


What is the Veggie Van? 

The Arvada Veggie Van brings high-quality, freshly harvested local produce to neighborhoods identified by the City of Arvada and Jefferson County as having limited access to fresh food—often referred to as "food deserts." These are areas where residents may not have a fresh food retailer within a half-mile, with geography or transportation creating additional barriers. 


How do I donate?

Harvest extra produce from your own plot, from a designated Veggie Van plot, or from a gardener's plot displaying a "Harvest for Veggie Van" sign and bring the produce to the West Barn.

  • Refrigerate: Lettuce, leafy greens, radishes, cucumbers, summer squash, and other perishable vegetables.

  • Leave on the counter (to the right of the scale): Tomatoes, winter squash, onions, potatoes, and other produce that does not require refrigeration.

  • Vase donations: Gail Gullickson is making flower arrangements for the veggie van and needs vases - especially smaller and shorter vases as the zinnias currently have shorter stems. Drop these in the barn too!


Supporting Our Community

One of the missions of both Rose Roots and Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) is to help feed our local community. DUG encourages gardeners to give back by donating a portion of their harvest each season, with a goal of approximately 10% whenever possible.


Veggie Van Donation Plots

For the 2026 season, the following plots are designated for Veggie Van donations:

Plots 1, 5, 14, 45, 78E (split plot), 99 (raised bed), 109E (split plot), and the stand-alone plot in front of the West Compost Bins.  Water, weed, and harvest from these plots for the Veggie Van. Every helping hand makes a difference!


Together, Rose Roots gardeners have made an incredible impact:

  • 2024: 1,726 pounds donated

  • 2025: 2,607 pounds donated

Our goal for 2026 is to donate at least 3,000 pounds of fresh produce!



Water Usage Update

With apologies to Nelly... it's way too hot out there, so pile on all the mulch. It is gettin' too hot; I'm gonna put up shade cloth. We are currently 4% over our water usage target! Check out tips from DUG here, and look back at the last couple of newsletters for water usage tips. The importance of mulch cannot be overstated - straw, mulch, even grass clippings! Mulching reduces evaporation and keeps soil temperatures stable.

  • Use the water meters from the shed at any time to help you know when your plot needs water. Last year, our garden used a total of 247,000 gallons of water, and with drought conditions we've got to cut that amount by 20%. Now that our plants are established, you don't need to water more than every third night.

  • Be careful to turn your water off when you leave - disconnect your hose from sprayers and irrigation systems so that you know the water is off.



What to Plant Now?

Coming Up

Several exciting projects and events are planned for the coming months:

  • THIS WEEK! Australian band The Heart Collectors will play at the garden amidst their US tour! Their 60’s and 70’s inspired folk and roots music includes atmospheric electric guitar, melodic banjo, bowed mandolin, and haunting cello. You'll want to invite your friends and neighbors! And we'd love to have a huge crowd - just respond to the Evite so we know how many will be there. This is a POTLUCK so bring something delicious to share! And remember to BYO utensils, chairs, and beverages!

    • Arrrive at 4:30 or 5:00pm to help set up! Start eating at 5:30pm.

    • 6:00pm - you'll want to be seated when the music starts!

  • August 18th - We are hosting a youth group - there will not be an Evite but please come out at 8:30am and help these generous young people pull weeds and make bird houses!

  • Remember to reserve Saturday September 19th for a HUGE work day! Volunteers from the LDS Church will be joining us in a massive volunteer day and LUNCH and we are thrilled about their help! Leadership is finalizing details on a work plan to ensure we host a productive and enjoyable day that has long lasting benefits for the garden. We want gardeners to be present for the day to welcome volunteers and work alongside them. Afterwards, we'll relax together with a picnic lunch at the Apex Center!

  • Sunday September 20th will be the last music event of the season. If anyone is interested in financially sponsoring the music events, please reach out to garden leadership.

  • July 11th Workday Recap - Patty Sacks reports that a small but diligent group turned out on the 11th and got much accomplished! There was much weeding activity around the south periphery, children’s’ area was weeded and cleaned up.  Not only that, but volunteers weeded the westside pollinators and troughs, deadheaded and mulched, and watered the westside trees and shrubs.


This & That:

  • We've experienced some theft issues, including veggies, garden decorations, and mulch/straw. If you experience or witness theft, email leadership@roserootsgarden.org or reach out to a member of the leadership team immediately.

  • When harvesting from the community herb garden #89, make sure you're not picking from the neighboring plot, which belongs to gardeners.

  • Check out the updates to the children's play area! Sam and Laurie Shellenberger have been spearheading the improvements to this fun corner of the garden and Don Jordan joined them in hauling and spreading 12 bags of sand there on Friday June 19th. Thanks to everyone involved in this work!

  • Still fighting bugs in your plot? Check out DUG's helpful tips on pest management from their latest post.


And finally!

Q: Why do cabbages win at races?

A: Because they know how to get a-head!


Happy Gardening,

Rose Roots Leadership Team

Laura Bennett, Erin Newton, Tom Glum, Patty Sacks, Aaron Amaya, Gary Williams, Dan Graumiller, Jim Richards, Jack Nix, Osiris Mancera, Beth Green


Please contact Michelle, Newsletter Editor, HERE with newsletter additions, corrections, comments, compliments, gardening tips or humor.





 
 
 

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