Growing food at 10,000 feet isn’t easy—but you don’t have to do it alone. C4 is proud to provide Lake County gardeners with the resources and support to grow food, build skills, and strengthen our community.
Learn more about resources C4 and Cloud City Farm offer local growers, including:
Cultivating Community
Community Garden
The 2026 Community Garden Lottery is NOW OPEN! Apply by April 15th
Because we have limited community garden plots, available plots will be assigned via a random lottery. Please fill out this form by April 15th to enter the lottery for a plot at Cloud City Community Garden for the 2026 season.
Raised Beds
In partnership with Colorado State University Extension, C4 is excited to offer a limited number of free raised bed gardening kits to eligible Lake County residents.
What’s included? Each kit includes a fully assembled raised bed, complete with a cover and enough soil to fill it up!
The goal? To make backyard gardening easier, more accessible, and more affordable for our community.
Who’s eligible? Lake County residents whose income falls under 120% of our Area Median Income (AMI; guidelines in application ) are invited to apply.
Gardening Workshops
Cloud City Farm’s gardening workshop series is back for the 2026 season! We’re excited to offer the following Saturday workshops:
High-Altitude Gardening (4/25)
Container Gardening (5/23)
Construction Basics & Power Tools for Women (6/13)
Garden Upkeep and Problem Solving (7/11)
Backyard Garden Tours (8/8)
Other potential topics include pollinators, fire-resistant landscaping, and house plants. Stay tuned for details.
All workshops are free, but registration is required and space is limited - sign up today to secure your spot!
Plant Sale
Join C4 for our annual plant sale:
Friday May 29th, 2026 from 3-5pm
Saturday May 30th, 2026 from 10am-2pm.
📍Cloud City Farm (440 McWethy Drive)
Featuring a variety of high-altitude-ready seedlings grown at Cloud City Farm and prepared for life in our challenging climate.
Stay tuned to our event page for more detailed updates about offerings.
Soil & Finished Compost
C4 offers compost at pay-what-you can prices. Suggested donation $3-5 per gallon bucket. Make your donation here.
The Soil Bank is self-serve and open 24/7; just look for the donation box and pile of compost along the Cloud City Farm driveway (440 McWethy Drive).
BYOB—please bring your own bucket to fill up!
Other Recommended High-Altitude Gardening Resources
Garden Planning Tools
Seeds
Lake County Public Library Seed Bank
Lake County Conservation District
Colorado Seed Companies
Raised Beds
Fabric pots: smartpots.com; geopot.com; aurorainnovations.com
Also consider asking at distilleries for used barrels/totes
Wood: best to use untreated lumber
Redwood & cedar are naturally rot resistant, but most expensive
Ace Hardware, Leadville: Limited stock, but can order
Alpine Lumber, Buena Vista/Summit: Lots of options; delivers
Fabric & Plastic Coverings
Recommend fabric 1 oz and up. 1 oz and less can be left on during the day. Higher than 1 oz may be too much shading for some plants
Greenhouse specific plastic or UV protected plastic is best to use
Ace Hardware/ local garden stores may have smaller sections
Larger seed companies and greenhouse supplies online stores
C4 may have used fabric and plastic when available.
Soil & Compost
Neil’s Lunceford (Silverthorne)
Elements Compost (Salida)
ACA Products- topsoil (Buena Vista)
Summit County Landfill
Garden Stores & Businesses
Ace Hardware and Big R
Merrifield’s Garden Hut, Buena Vista
Mountain Grown Gardens, Alma, CO
Hydroshack, Frisco
Alpine Earth Gardens, Silverthorne
Neil’s Lunceford, Silverthorne
