The changing of summer into fall means many things — cooler days, leaves falling, the return of football and, most importantly for Rose Roots Community Garden, the harvest.

Rose Roots, at Alkire Street and 84th Avenue, opened its gates to local gardeners in May and hosted its first harvest celebration on the first day of fall, Sept. 22.

The celebration honored the community garden’s first year with live music from the Pickabillies, square and line dancing, food made with ingredients from the garden, visits with alpacas and activities for children.

“I think we’ve done great; it’s been very successful,” Melody Epperson, a gardener with a plot at Rose Roots, said. “We’re definitely getting to know our neighbors. I feel much more connected. It’s really fun.”

As about a dozen children, many donning cowboy boots and hats and flannel shirts, learned how to square dance and line dance in the parking lot, some members of the garden continued their summer-long task of tending for their plots, which for many included harvesting.

“We live across the street, and our yards are really small, so this is a good opportunity to have room to have a garden,” said Laura Johnson, as she and her daughter Lexi, 6, harvested her favorite vegetable, carrots, from their plot.

For many, including the Johnsons, Rose Roots was their first try at having a garden, so it was a learning experience, but one that was fruitful nonetheless.

“I’ve never had a real garden, but we were excited about fresh vegetables and excited about it,” Johnson said. “It was a good kind of experience as we figured out what to grow.”

Gina Schley, one of the founders of Rose Roots, said all of the plots, which totaled about 70, were rented this year, and there’s already a waiting list for next year when the garden will hopefully be expanded.

“When I ask people what their favorite part is, it seriously is meeting their neighbors,” Schley said. “I think Rose Roots has brought people together and starts conversations about where does our food come from. It helps us get back to heirloom skills, it helps revive them and people get excited about that.”

Schley said she and the other founders of Rose Roots are beginning to plan for phases two and three of Rose Roots, which include adding about 60 more plots to the community garden and adding about an acre-worth of orchard space in collaboration with Star Acre Farms, who uses part of the land to grow organic produce, Denver Urban Gardens and the city of Arvada.

Schley said the hope is to have the next phases ready for the next growing season, but it all depends on funding and having the plans approved by the city of Arvada.

For more information about Rose Roots or to be put on the waiting list for a plot, visit www.roserootsgarden.org.