Plains Conservation Center Demonstration Garden

Come visit the garden!

Address: 21901 E Hampden Ave, Aurora, CO 80013
Master Gardener Hours:
- April 16 – October 15: Tuesday and Thursday 8:30am-10:00am.
- Saturdays on following dates: June 6, 20; July 18, 25; August 1, 22 from 8:30-10:00
Stop by to meet the master gardener volunteers who can show you the Plains Heirloom Garden.
Contact us by Email or phone at 303-730-1920.
Visit the Plains Conservation Center website for public hours and more information.

The demonstration vegetable garden is located near the southeast corner of the Plains Conservation Center (PCC) at the intersection of E. Hampden Ave and S. Picadilly Road. The Plains Conservation Center is an 1100-acre nature preserve on ancestral tribal lands of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe (1500-1860). It houses replicas of a homestead village and Tipi camp that showcase pioneer and Plains Native American life in the late 1800s. It is under West Arapahoe Soil Conservation District Protection and part of the City of Aurora Open Space. It is free to the public and there are many educational programs (school field trips, kid’s programs, canning and pickling, tea and soap making, gardening classes, cooking classes and compost classes). There is plenty of wildlife to enjoy (pronghorn, birds, coyotes, foxes, badgers and even bald eagle nests). Vegetation is of the Shortgrass Steppe. No dogs or bikes are allowed but there are plenty of hiking opportunities to do on 14 miles of trails.

The demonstration garden is part of a unique partnership between The Denver Botanic Gardens, the City of Aurora, and CSU Arapahoe County Master Gardeners with all three playing roles in planning, maintenance, and food distribution. The no-till garden is period appropriate with 1800s heirloom cultivars for use for culinary and medicinal purposes. No spraying of herbicides or pesticides is allowed. All unwanted vegetation must be pulled out.

Produce is used and given away during educational programing. The remaining produce is donated to local food bank locations in southeast Aurora. 560 pounds were donated to local food banks in 2025.

Composting has been going well here at PCC. In 2025, we were able to make enough compost to spread a thin layer of mulch in every growing bed. We grew potatoes and onions in the compost. The plants were very green but the harvests from both were minimal.

This year we will be growing Blue Hubbard squash in our bins. There are several reasons for this. First, we have a lot of squash bugs in the garden. Hubbard squash are a trap crop for squash bugs, so we are hoping to lure them away from our garden squash and into these plants that will be outside the garden. Secondly, squash loves rich and fertile soil, which the compost bins will be able to provide. And lastly, we think it will be beautiful. Make sure to check these bins out if you are near the garden.