Volunteers put finishing touches on East Missoula community garden

EAST MISSOULA — Volunteers gathered in East Missoula on Thursday to put the final touches on a new community garden.

People got their hands dirty working on a native pollinator garden and community berry patch at Lion's Park.

Garden City Harvest has been working with Missoula County Parks, Trails, and Open Spaces and East Missoula United over the past two years to bring what they say is a much-needed amenity to the area.

There will be eight raised beds so people who cannot work bent over or on the ground can still use the garden.

Garden City staff and volunteers have built this garden in East Missoula intentionally, seeing that it can bring produce to an area without a grocery store.

"There's actually no grocery store except in Missoula at Albertson's. And so this will provide people an opportunity to grow their own food," Community Gardens Director Emily Kern Swaffar told MTN.

"We also offer all of these plots on a sliding scale or we offer scholarships. So, we want to make it as affordable as possible for people to grow their own food," Swaffar continued.

Anyone interested in gardening can apply for one of the 43 plots by March 2025. Visit Garden City Harvest online to learn more.