Lance Keiko, president, founder and co-leader of Longmont Community Garden, stands at his garden plot at 11th Street Community Garden on Monday. Longmont Community Garden will receive an $86,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)
Longmont Community Garden officials announced Monday that the garden has been awarded an $86,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Seventeen urban agriculture and innovative production projects have been selected to receive a share of USDA’s $5.2 million commitment, and USDA received more than 620 applications for the program this year, nearly double the number from last year.
Longmont Community Garden currently has 42 dedicated organic garden plots on 11th Avenue, just east of Baker Street, all of which are available for lease.
Lance Keiko, president and founder of Longmont Community Garden, said Monday he was surprised to receive the grant, given the number of applicants and the fact that it was the nonprofit's first time applying.
“We're very excited, we're excited to expand urban gardening opportunities in the city of Longmont,” Keiko said. “It's very much needed. We have double the demand right now and we think we can easily meet the expansion.”
The grant will allow the garden to expand to two additional locations: one on land leased at no cost from the City of Longmont just south of the existing garden, and one on land leased at no cost from Longmont Christian School about a half mile away.
Keiko said 23 plots are planned for the land just south of the existing garden, and 31 plots are planned for land leased by Longmont Christian School. Both new gardens are expected to be ready for use by spring 2025. For more information on fees and how to rent a garden plot, visit longmontcommunitygardens.org/join.
Garden plots range in size from 32 to 400 square feet.
“Anyone can grow anything except marijuana,” Keiko said. “People grow a wide variety of vegetables. Pretty much everything is grown on this farm. It's 100 percent organic. No pesticides. No herbicides.”
Longmont Community Garden was founded in the fall of 2020 to manage a community garden on 11th Street in Longmont. Their mission is to provide an organic garden area, tools, water, and a place to share gardening knowledge.
