Orchard Gardens Farm, an affordable housing development, started with a vision far from the flourishing community space it is today. Initially, the land was designated for a conventional parking lot. Fortunately, a revised plan prioritized underground parking, opening up the ground for what has become a vibrant small farm, deeply rooted in community engagement.
Many envision sustainable farms nestled in tranquil rural settings, filled with the sounds of nature. While Orchard Gardens Farm experiences moments of peaceful quiet, particularly in the mid-afternoon when traffic slows to a crawl on Reserve Street, its location is anything but isolated. Situated at the end of the bustling Milwaukee bike path, the farm is a visible landmark for cyclists, dog walkers, and passersby navigating their daily routines. Stuck in traffic, people can’t help but notice the striking red building adorned with pigeons, and adjacent to it, the unexpectedly lush green space of Orchard Gardens Farm.
For some, this lively setting might seem unconventional for a farm. However, this dynamic location is precisely what makes Orchard Gardens Farm so special. It thrives as a community hub, drawing in a diverse cross-section of the Missoula population.
The essence of Orchard Gardens Farm is best captured by the term “community agriculture.” To understand this concept, consider the traditional family farm. The primary goal is often straightforward: produce enough food to sustain a livelihood, ideally while upholding personal values. Many family farms in Western Montana successfully integrate these principles.
Orchard Gardens Farm shares similar production goals, including providing 50 families with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares and donating 5,000 pounds of produce annually to the Missoula Food Bank. The farm also operates a low-cost market, offering Orchard Gardens residents half-price vegetables.
However, community agriculture extends beyond mere vegetable production. The core mission is to actively involve the community in the growing process. This often means working alongside adult volunteers who may not have extensive farming experience. In fact, many volunteers are new to the area or seeking deeper social connections. They are drawn to the farm as a place to build community and find belonging.
For the residents of Orchard Gardens, the farm plays multiple roles. Farm staff often assist with minor issues like jump-starting cars, or pause their work to listen to residents sharing neighborhood concerns. Gardening advice is frequently sought, and some residents actively volunteer on the farm or maintain plots in the community garden. Even unusual requests are met with compassion; on occasion, the farm manager becomes an impromptu caretaker, respectfully burying deceased pigeons brought in by residents.
From March to October, the farm is a constant presence in the community. The weekly market is a heartwarming scene, where families, often utilizing SNAP benefits, can purchase bags of fresh, high-quality produce that rivals anything found in upscale grocery stores.
The overarching goal is to cultivate not only beautiful, nutritious food but also an environment where everyone feels welcome, valued, and empowered to learn and contribute. Orchard Gardens Farm aims to be a place where individuals can make a tangible difference by dedicating their time and energy.
This commitment to community building is balanced with a strong emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices. The farm prioritizes land health and productivity, employing methods like carefully sourced manure, crop rotation, and avoiding pesticides to ensure the highest quality, locally grown produce. Creating pollinator habitats is also a key focus, promoting biodiversity and ecological balance within the urban farm setting.
Extensive cover cropping is another essential practice. Seeds are planted not for harvest, but to enrich the soil with organic matter and vital nutrients, demonstrating a long-term commitment to soil health and sustainability.
As Josh Slotnick, a founder of Garden City Harvest (GCH), eloquently stated, “in community agriculture, growing food is a context and a vehicle for creating culture and community. It’s not the end product itself.” This profound idea highlights that while producing food is essential, it serves as a means to a larger end: fostering community bonds and cultural connections.
Children are a vital part of the Orchard Gardens Farm community. A lively group of kids, mostly the same age and close friends, are constant fixtures at the farm during the summer months. They have formed a special bond with Graham, the farm dog, a friendly shelter mutt who greets everyone with enthusiastic tail wags and playful rolls, as if each visitor is there solely to see him.
For many of these children, home life presents challenges. Many come from single-parent households or live with relatives at Orchard Gardens. One poignant example illustrates the farm’s role as a safe haven: a child once arrived at the farm, explaining he was locked out of his house, his mother was asleep, and he hadn’t had breakfast. Without hesitation, the farm manager paused the CSA harvest to offer the child carrots and a safe space to stay until he felt secure. These moments, while sometimes challenging, underscore the farm’s commitment to being present and supportive, recognizing that community care is as crucial as food production.
Two children, in particular, have been involved with the farm for longer than the current manager. Now ages 10 and 8, they are well-integrated into the farm community. Their artwork even adorns the barn walls, including a remarkable drawing of Graham. Through casual childhood conversations, snippets of their lives – a mother who is absent, periods of housing instability – have been revealed, painting a picture of resilience amidst adversity.
Their father is a regular and valued customer at the farm stand. The children themselves are adventurous eaters, enthusiastically enjoying kohlrabi and salad turnips, often displaying a willingness to try new vegetables that could inspire even seasoned CSA members. They also take on mentoring roles, guiding newcomers, explaining farm etiquette, and emphasizing the importance of asking before harvesting.
While their integration hasn’t always been seamless, years of gentle guidance and consistent boundaries have helped them learn to respect the farm space and its rules. Like all people, they occasionally make mistakes, but today, they embody the farm’s values, naturally demonstrating responsible engagement.
A particularly memorable summer afternoon perfectly encapsulates the magic of Orchard Gardens Farm. In mid-August, under a hazy sky, Reserve Street was unusually quiet, allowing the gentle clicks of the irrigation lines to be heard. The cover crop stood tall, creating a verdant maze of buckwheat, crimson clover, and oats, easily concealing children and a dog in what must have felt like a secret jungle. Watching the children play hide-and-seek within this green sanctuary, a volunteer aptly observed, “Dang, that’s what forming core memories looks like.”
Reflecting on these children, so young yet already carrying complex life experiences, it’s powerful to consider that they are also building a different kind of core memory at Orchard Gardens Farm. In a space that could have been a parking lot, amidst a field of cover crop intentionally planted to nurture the soil, they are creating joyful, foundational memories. This growing space becomes a backdrop for experiences so pure and formative that they might later seem dreamlike in their simplicity and beauty.
These memories are not just personal; in a sense, this place belongs to these children, and to the wider community. It is a safe and nurturing environment, embodying the ideal of a welcoming backyard for all.
The key takeaway is that community impact often extends far beyond initial expectations. Meaningful food access transcends nutrition and soil health; it flourishes when people are invited to actively participate in shaping their community. When people value and support spaces like Orchard Gardens Farm, the work transforms into a powerful vehicle for community building. On a practical level, this manifests as creating lasting memories, fostering a shared history, and cultivating a deep love for a place and its inherent integrity through the simple yet profound act of growing food together.
This transformative power was evident when one of the children asked last March, with palpable anticipation, when the cover crop would be tall enough to hide in again.
This kind of impact is not accidental. It is the result of the collective efforts of children, residents, volunteers, staff, and countless others in Missoula who connect with Orchard Gardens Farm, find meaning in its mission, and contribute their unique mark. These individuals are the true agents of transformation. By embracing the dual nature of Orchard Gardens Farm – both an agricultural endeavor and a community hub – the possibilities for its positive impact expand far beyond the immediate beauty of growing food for the community.
Join us in nurturing this vision and helping Orchard Gardens Farm continue to grow food, cultivate connections, and build lasting memories for the community.
