People's Garden Harvests First Crops at MetraPark

Schools and community groups have adopted all 24 plots in the Billings garden built on a former building site.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Gardening

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of a wooden raised garden bed with ripe red tomatoes and a cabbage against a prairie horizon. — Schools and community groups adopted all 24 plots at the People's Garden at MetraPark in Billings, which harvested its first crops in 2026 after flood damage. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The People's Garden at MetraPark in Billings, Montana, completed its first successful harvest in 2026 after being built on the former site of the Sandstone Building. Schools and community groups adopted all 24 plots this year.

Why it matters

The garden shows how a community space can be restored after flood damage and depleted soil, with local donors and seed companies contributing materials. Its results may encourage similar shared-growing projects in Billings.

Organizers report all 24 plots were adopted by schools and community groups, with adoption free but requiring participants to supply their own labor and materials. Soil on the site had been depleted after roughly 80 years, and the source does not report the harvest volume.

The players

MetraPark

MetraPark is the Billings, Montana event and fairgrounds complex where the People's Garden is located.

Yellowstone County

Yellowstone County is the Montana county whose master gardeners donate produce nearby.

The details

Organizers added organics and nutrients to the soil and installed drains after heavy rain caused flooding in 2024. Local seed companies and participants grew crops including artichokes, tomatoes, and cabbage.

2020-2021: Buildings on the site were removed during renovations.
2024: Heavy rain flooded and damaged the garden.
2026: The garden completed its first successful harvest with all plots adopted.
March (next year): Plot sign-ups are expected to reopen.

Season Trajectory

The People's Garden follows the USDA-backed community gardening model in which public partners and volunteers share responsibility for shared plots. Its first harvest after flood repairs gives Billings a working example of that model on a former building site.

Residents who want a plot can expect sign-ups to reopen in March, and adoption is free but requires providing your own labor and materials. Participants can grow crops such as tomatoes, cabbage, and artichokes in the shared beds.

The takeaway

Shared community plots can recover from flooding and depleted soil when donors, volunteers, and local partners contribute materials and labor. Residents interested in similar projects can watch for new sign-up dates.

What happens next

Organizers are considering donating produce to nonprofits and food banks and discussing a small farm stand, and plot sign-ups are expected to open again in March.