With support from a USDA grant, the nonprofit is more than doubling in size, creating new opportunities for gardeners to grow
In the next couple of months, the plots that make up the Longmont Community Gardens will be bursting with color. Rows of sunflowers, marigolds, zinnias, and wildflowers will bring in bumblebees and other pollinators. Tomatoes will ripen in the summer sun, leafy greens will climb trellises, and gardeners will tend to their growing summer bounty.
And this year, there’s even more space to grow. Thanks to an $86,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant awarded last summer, Longmont Community Gardens has expanded its footprint, more than doubling the number of gardening plots across its two locations, giving even more community members the opportunity to curate their own gardens.
“This is a dream come true,” says Lance Cayko, the founder and president of Longmont Community Gardens. “For the last couple of years, it’s been on my vision board to expand the garden.”
The nonprofit organization decided to apply for the grant because the 43 plots at the original garden at 11th Avenue and Baker Street were in such high demand that requests were more than double the availability, says Cayko. The expansion adds 25 plots to the 11th Avenue Garden and 31 plots at a new location on 15th Avenue and Collyer Street on the property of the Longmont Christian School. This winter, Cayko says they were getting at least one inquiry per day about the plots. All are now reserved for the 2025 season.
The 11th Avenue Garden was started around 2009 by Boulder’s Growing Gardens organization. Cayko got a plot the next year and became a garden leader in 2011. In 2020, Growing Gardens decided to relinquish control and asked if Cayko would take it over. He eagerly accepted, and Longmont Community Gardens was born.
The nonprofit has a small team and a board, plus all the plot leasers help out to improve the gardens. Every person with a plot must commit to at least four community service hours per year. During community-garden workdays each month, growers pull weeds, paint garden structures, and clean up the sheds. Each garden also has two leaders to help manage the gardeners. Cayko says there’s a great sense of community among the group that creates a nurturing environment for newcomers.
“Seeing first-time gardeners be successful is so rewarding,” Cayko says. “Even if they’re only successful at growing one thing. There’s almost nothing as empowering as being able to grow your own food.”