Rooted in Community, Designing the Future

From Tank to Table

This spring, the SOIL Lab transformed into a high-stakes kitchen and processing facility. Students from the Durango High School Culinary class joined us for a two-day "Deep Dive" into our aquaponics system.



• The Harvest: Students harvested and fileted tilapia raised right here in the Grow Dome.
• The Menu: Grilled tilapia, fresh-made pasta with SOIL pesto, dutch oven herb bread, and garden-fresh salads.
• The Sweet Finish: Hand-cranked ice cream flavored with ingredients foraged from the garden.

This is "Farm-to-Table" at its most literal, teaching students the true cycle of food production—from nutrient-rich fish water used to grow herbs and veggies to a finished, gourmet meal.

Top right: Students fillet tilapia fresh from the Grow Dome

Bottom Right: A Tank to Table plate, featuring salad, tilapia, roasted potatoes, pesto, and focaccia bread

Top: DHS Engineering students present their designs for Phase 3

Above: Phase 4 designs by DHS Graphic Design students

Cucumber Trials

We are putting our "Lab" name to the test this season with a rigorous Soil Health Experiment.

We’ve established four test plots to see which soil amendment reigns supreme for growing cucumbers: biochar, worm castings, a combination of both, or a control plot. We are looking at water retention, growth rate, and yield to help our community gardeners grow more with less.

Stop by later this summer to see which plot produced the most!

Water Stewardship: Gardening in Times of Drought

In our high-desert climate, every drop counts. SOIL has collaborated with the City of Durango to develop a summer water plan, ensuring that our program serves its mission of providing garden education to the community while leading the way in conservation and drought-resilient practices.

Save the Bees!

To ensure our season is successful, we need pollinators! We are partnering with beeswarmed.org to ensure our local honeybee populations are healthy and managed safely.

Swarmed is a free public resource that connects you with local beekeepers to safely relocate honey bees. Visit their site to report local swarms!

Community & Growth

On May 1st, we kicked off our 4th Season as 53 families and individuals began "digging in" to their community garden beds. Welcome back, everyone!

Upcoming Workshops:

Join us for our free community series

• May 12: Gardening for Pollinators
• June 9: Edible Wild Plants
• July 14: Garden Pest Management
• August 11: Growing & Arranging Flowers

Volunteer with Us!

Our next Volunteer Work Party is June 16th! Whether you're interested in garden maintenance or helping with future construction, there’s a place for you. Sign up for our volunteer email list to hear about other volunteer opportunities!

Summer at SOIL

The Lab won't slow down when school lets out!

• Powerhouse: We are thrilled to host The PowerHouse Museum for their STEAM summer camps, bringing high-energy science to the garden.
• Seed Studio: Local artist and gardener Jen Beyer will lead her art camp at SOIL, where students will harvest dye and pigment plants grown right in the beds to create natural works of art.

Please Support our Business Sponsors and Partners!

Everything that you see at the SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab (The Community Garden with almost 100 garden beds, The Grow Dome where food and community will flourish year round, and The Hub which will again transform the space in 2026) was all funded and made possible by individual donors, business sponsors, local grants, and countless volunteer hours. Please join us in thanking the following businesses and organizations for their support of SOIL:

The SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab has both Instagram and Facebook accounts. Follow us to stay informed on what's happening in the garden!