Montana Harvest Haven

MSU Yellowstone County Extension, North40Ag, and MetraPark have teamed up to create a unique garden at the MetraPark facilities.

The Montana Harvest Haven is a community garden project initiated in early 2023, measuring 220’ x 72’ to be developed in stages. The space was previously covered with a cement pad for over 20 years, but will someday sustain several Montana crops that are common in Montana as well as specialty crops that may not be grown as commonly in our area. The crop garden will have corn, sugar beets, wheat, and some uncommon crops such as grapes, hops, and several varieties of berries.

This space will be used for education, such as the Ag in The Classroom program, The Soil your Undies event, and Master Gardener and Horticulture classes. In addition to Harvest Haven, Yellowstone County Extension will provide garden space and resources for local youth and their families. The hope is that this space can benefit community members from across the county, with opportunities for agriculture and horticulture education as well as skill building.

Growth of Montana Harvest Haven in Heritage Park

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Knowing this would be a multi-year process, MetraPark staff started off in spring of 2023 by utilizing footing from horse barns to fill the space, with hopes to improve the soil in the future. At the start of 2024, additional nutrients and better materials have been added to build off the soil's productivity and expand into an adjacent garden and planter boxes lining the walkway through Heritage Park which are planted with various flowers, vegetables, and roma tomato plants. Various fruit trees have also been added along the barrier of the garden to add shade, education, and complete the beautification of the area.

This creates a great opportunity for visitors at the MontanaFair to stroll through Heritage Park and Montana Harvest Haven to learn more about agriculture, and the history of the fair and grounds. We will continue to document the process and encourage everyone to go check out the space at the upcoming fair in August of 2024.

Future of Montana Harvest Haven

Roma Row

While roaming through Heritage Park, you'll be guided by rows of flowers and roma tomato plants. These planter boxes have been designed to help beautify the grounds, as well as offer agricultural growth and education. Be sure to check it out and collect a MontanaFair brand sticker for the scavenger hunt found in the daily Fair Guide.

Adopt a Garden

There is a new opportunity to participate in the MontanaFair by donating to the gardens on MetraPark grounds year-round. As an individual, family, business, or other, you are welcome to donate items to be planted in the boxes taken care of by MontanaFair staff or sponsor a box for items to be purchased, as well as an option to plant and care for items in a box of your choice. Contact the MontanaFair office for more information.