For a more resilient
food system.
Perennial Integration Pilot
2026-2029+
After four years of sequenced regenerative practice, DAR is transitioning the Food Solidarity Garden at Yellow Barn Farm from an annual production system into a perennialized food landscape. Beginning in Spring 2026, ten 100-foot hedgerows of productive perennial shrubs will be established across the one-acre garden, initiating a long-term shift toward a lower-input, ecologically stable food system rooted in community relationship. Through careful documentation and honest measurement, we hope to provide scaffolding for other Front Range farms looking to reduce input costs and increase production, drought tolerance, and food system resilience.
Why Perennials, Why Now
Annual cropping systems produce food, but they don't accumulate ecological capital. In semi-arid landscapes where moisture is the primary constraint, perennial plants build soil structure, deepen infiltration, and reduce input dependency over time. After four years of soil-building at Yellow Barn Farm, this field is ready.
Pilot Objectives
Beginning Spring 2026, DAR establishes ten hedgerows of productive perennial shrubs across the Food Solidarity Garden's full acre. The goal is a managed annual-to-perennial succession that reduces irrigation and labor inputs over time while sustaining food and medicine production for the community.
Learning & Accountability
DAR will track plant survival, soil moisture response, input reduction, and harvest volumes as the system matures. Results — including setbacks — will be shared as a transferable case study for Front Range farms considering similar transitions. Honest documentation is the commitment, not a fixed endpoint