4th Community Garden Unveiled In Howard County Town

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — A new community garden has been unveiled at Old Montgomery Road in Ellicott City, marking the fourth such garden to be built by the county recreation and parks department in partnership with Columbia Gardeners.

The other locations are in Elkhorn, Long Reach and West Side.

“Our community garden sites have more interest than available plots for a number of years now with many residents on the waitlist eager to participate. The new community garden site will meaningfully reduce the waitlist and give more residents the opportunity to grow their own food and connect through gardening,” said the president of Columbia Gardeners, Inc., Amod Bhide, at the news conference.

The 16.22-acre community space in Ellicott City will feature 126 garden plots where Howard County residents can grow fresh produce and flowers. Additionally, 25 of the 126 garden plots will be Americans with Disabilities Act accessible. These 25 plots will feature raised garden beds to allow wheelchair bound individuals, or anyone unable to comfortably bend down to the ground, the opportunity to plant, tend and harvest alongside their neighbors.

There also will be an adjacent parking lot and storage area at the site, which is located on Old Montgomery Road, just north of the MD 100 overpass and Maryland School of the Deaf.

“With the addition of this community garden, we now have a remarkable 699 garden plots in Howard County. That is nearly 700 families and residents who have access to fresh food they grew with their own hands and hearts, while building a stronger connection to our planet,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball at the news conference. “Our Community Garden at Old Montgomery Road will be more than just soil and seeds. It will be a place where we promote sustainability, access to nutritious, fresh and affordable foods, endorse community and provide community members who don't have backyards the opportunity to farm the land.”

The site also will be used to test new improvements rolled out by the county recreation and parks department, including surrounding the property with deer fencing that has a thicker mesh at the bottom to also stop rabbits, rodents and other wildlife from damaging crops.

“These gardens will support the well-being of local residents by offering a self-sufficient, low-cost way to grow fresh, healthy foods—chosen and cultivated by each individual gardener,” said Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks Director Nick Mooneyhan at the news conference. “It’s about more than just vegetables - it’s about empowerment, sustainability and a sense of pride in what we grow.”

Construction of the Community Garden at Old Montgomery Road should be done by September of 2026.