Tour de Farms showcases Durango, Colorado’s urban gardens

Dozens of riders participate in the 12th annual event

By Bret Hauff
Durango Herald
Aug. 17, 2019

Excerpt:

“I have a little garden and I wanted to ride around town,” he said. “I’ve done this for several years, I’m looking for some fresh ideas.”

Christy Schaerer said she rode the Tour de Farms for the third time this year in hopes of seeing “gardens that you don’t even know are there.” She once mountain-biked, and she has gardened all her life, Schaerer said.

“Watering systems are always interesting,” she said.

Diane and Gordon Maller don’t farm – “it’d be a battle,” Diane said, to garden where they live near Purgatory Resort. They rode the Tour de Farms “for the riding more than anything else,” Gordon said.

But the focus on exercise didn’t stop the Mallers from appreciating the work of each gardener they visited.

“Clearly, these are people respecting their environment and taking care of the land,” Gordon Maller said.

Chad Cheeney’s 1½-year-old daughter and 3½-year-old son were “pumped” for the ride – “they like the adventure,” he said. They’re a biking family, but they’ve also got a garden. Cheeney said he hopes one day to take it from a “practice garden” to a plot that can produce enough food for a full dinner.

Read the complete article here.