Freedom Gardens is a non-profit organization, working to develop a food production and education center in the heart of urban Missoula, MT. Our goal is to demonstrate innovative, climate-adaptive agriculture, while providing low-income families with freshly harvested, locally grown produce and nutrient dense value-added products.



Freedom Gardens is developing an innovative, climate-adaptive agricultural model that will serve concurrently as a food production and education center. We strive to exemplify community building and the positive health benefits associated with soil interaction. Our income-based classes teach individuals innovative and sustainable methods of seed sprouting, transplant/grafting, harvest, food preparation, food and seed preservation, seed storage, composting, aquaponics, and animal husbandry. The success of our ongoing program lies within our many volunteers - no hand is too nimble and no mind too feeble. While our success stories continue to grow, our top three to date include: teaching simply by doing, receiving a 4800 gallon aquaponics system donation, and developing over 2000 square feet of underutilized urban space into productive edible landscaping. Perhaps the greatest success story of all is that we’ve done this in under a year and our entire infrastructure to date has been 100% volunteer driven!

If you are interested in lending a hand, we offer volunteer nights every Wednesday evening, 6pm to 8pm. Freedom Gardens is located on the south west corner of the Missoula County Fairgrounds - follow Russell just south of the fairgrounds and turn left by the daycare (before the YWCA). Once you've made your turn, you'll notice a big yellow school bus - park and wonder over by the water reservoir, you can't miss it!

For more information or a private tour, please contact Heath N. Carey at hncarey@gmail.com or 406.396.5147

Sounds like an amazing project, Heath!

Would you call the Freedom Gardens a food forest? If so, it would be cool to put a link in the Community food forests thread, too.

Did Heathen mention that if you come volunteer on Wednesdays 6-8ish, you go home with a bag full of produce and a smile on your face?

If you live in the Lewis and Clark area, we would also love your compost or yard waste come fall. There's a lot of compacted soil needs healing out there.

It is not yet a food forest, Jocelyn, but that is the long term view. There are some permanency agreements to be nailed down before making the full investment.

See you out there on Wednesdays!



Freedom Gardens at the Fairgrounds