CRMPI was one of those places that people we met on our travels couldn’t stop raving about. If we were going anywhere near Carbondale again, we knew we’d have to stop here and check it out. Though it was a harrowing, windy drive up a mountain in the snow, I’d say it was worth it!

CRMPI (folks say it like “crimpy”) is an experimental, educational permaculture institute very high up on a mountain outside of Aspen. The day we went, it was snowing, windy, and generally pretty miserable (southerner speaking). But when we walked into one of their unheated, passive solar greenhouses, it was a world apart! There were tropical plants blossoming and fruiting everywhere! Our guide Callie kept picking us the sweetest fresh fruit to eat–pomegranates, figs, kumquats–while I just couldn’t get over the fact that it was snowing outside.

One technique they were using that I think is so neat is creating worm bins underneath the walkways of their greenhouse. They use the unused space of walkways to produce amazing compost this way! They dig a pallet in the ground, put worms in it, then feed it newspaper shavings and food waste every once in a while, and voila! Like magic, compost appears underfoot.

Callie said sometimes they scoop it out to use in other parts of the garden, sometimes they sell it to other gardeners, and sometimes they just let the goodness seep out into the soil around it.

We also enjoyed sneaking snacks growing out of the compost pile and sharing them with friends we met along the way.

Thanks to CRMPI for the tour and greenhouse inspiration! You can learn more about their work, and read the founder’s book on forest gardening, here.