About Us
This is the fourth year that Grow Girls' Farm has been growing food for the Arvada Community. Our growing practices focus on the health of the soil using only organic practices. Grow Girls' Farm builds soil through organic amendments, cover cropping, crop rotation, companion planting and mulching. We use drip irrigation to conserve water. Denise Ery and Elaine Silburn have come together to collaborate on the CSA program. Together, Denise and Elaine grow a wide variety of wonderful nutrient dense food!
We invite you to learn more about the people of our farm.
Denise Ery- Master Gardener
Denise grew up in Belpre, Ohio. As a child she learned to garden with her grandmother. Some of her earliest memories are snapping beans in the garden with her. It was here that she learned to love and care for the soil and crops- instilling in her a compassion for things that grow. A seed was planted that would help her begin to understand the impact it has on us all. This compassion runs in her family. Her father, 83, still works a local garden community that puts out tons of food for people in need in the Belpre area. Denise has a passion for sustainable and organic produce, the quality of the soil and helping others discover this love of the soil from the young to the young at heart.
Elaine Silburn
Elaine is a native of Colorado and grew up under the influence of the Rocky Mountains in beautiful Golden. She grew up learning to appreciate nature, creativity and what it means to be family. Working in the family business, she learned how to lead and grow a business. The more Elaine learned about our issues as a planet, the more she saw the need for stronger communities where food is produced locally and with the greater environment in mind. Part of her dedication to this movement is to make this world a better place for her eleven grandchildren.
Patrick Cheetham
Patrick is our Farm Manager. He grew up in Syracuse, NY and spent a number of years working in numerous restaurants in Boston, MA. While working at a concept focused on serving local, seasonal vegetables and establishing connections with local farmers, he earned a degree in environmental science with the hopes of working towards small-scale solutions to our environmental issues. Patrick hopes to work towards increasing access to quality organic foods for underprivileged communities and creating a more just and equitable food system.
John Bauman
Hope for Heroes: How Farming Is Helping Veterans Find Purpose
When the Gulf War erupted in 1990, John shipped off to Kuwait. Four years later he left the Navy and earned a degree in mechanical engineering. Finally in 2013, John landed in Denver where he was diagnosed with PTSD and a caseworker suggested the local agricultural training program Veterans to Farmers.
John volunteers at different farms in the Denver Metro Area. He will be working at Grow Girl Organics Farm for the 2022 season.
Digging in the dirt may not heal the emotional wounds of war, but for some battle-scarred veterans, farming sure helps.