Pocatello, Idaho is about to transform an overlooked patch of land near the Water Department into a gathering place for food, friendship, and community pride. After more than a year of planning, Portneuf Valley Partners broke ground Thursday on a new community garden at King Street and North Arthur Avenue, marking a turning point for a city that watched neighboring towns like Idaho Falls, Blackfoot, and Twin Falls develop their own garden spaces for years.
The one-acre garden will launch with 34 plots in its first phase—a mix of spaces designed to serve different needs. Four plots will be maintained by volunteers and kept open for public harvesting, ensuring anyone can access fresh produce regardless of whether they have a plot of their own. The remaining 30 plots will be available to rent for the season, ranging from 10-by-10 to 10-by-15 feet, with sizes to fit various gardeners' ambitions and experience levels.
Brittani Hobson, co-chair of the initiative at Portneuf Valley Partners, and her team recognized something their community was missing. Rather than looking for the perfect lot, they found opportunity in an unused space that the city was ready to reclaim. Organizers are pairing the garden with classes to help newcomers learn how to plant, tend, and harvest their produce—lowering barriers for people stepping into gardening for the first time.
The garden's vision extends beyond individual plots. Six neighborhood associations have each committed to donating a fruit tree, creating a small grove where residents can pick freely. A protective fence will surround the entire garden to keep deer and other wildlife from foraging the plants. The Ifft Foundation provided essential seed funding with a $10,000 grant, while Mayor Mark Dahlquist—who was involved in Portneuf Valley Partners before his election—has championed the project as part of his commitment to beautifying the city and building community.
For Karl Petit, the other co-chair, the deepest value of this garden lies in connection. "The beauty of the community garden is that it's bringing people together," he said. "There's also the need in our community for good, sustainable resources for food. Having some healthy products they can manage and grow themselves is huge." When neighbors garden side by side, something shifts—relationships take root alongside tomatoes and squash, and the simple act of tending soil becomes an act of belonging.
The timeline is ambitious but grounded. Both phases of construction are expected to be complete by spring 2027, allowing residents to harvest their first crops that fall. Mayor Dahlquist acknowledged the weight of the work that's brought them here: years of research, fundraising conversations, and a core group of people who saw a need and answered it. "Next year at the same time, I think people are going to walk by or drive by here and see some great, beautiful garden spaces," he said.
What makes this garden matter for Pocatello extends far beyond what grows in the soil. It's about reclaiming unused land, creating access to fresh food in a community that recognizes this as essential, and building the kind of everyday encounters that transform a city into a true neighborhood. Portneuf Valley Partners is still accepting suggestions for the garden's official name—an invitation for residents to literally plant their stake in what's coming. For more information or to reserve a plot, visit www.portneufvalleypartners.org/community-garden.