At the corner of Seventh and Reserve Streets, Benson’s Farm serves the Missoula community as a nursery/garden center and a crop farm.
Open May 1 through June 30, you’ll find annuals, vegetable starts, herbs, container gardens, hanging baskets and Memorial Day and many other types of planters.
We close in July and part of August to tend to the crops in the field. As soon as the sweet corn is ripe in mid-August, we reopen with a summer harvest of freshly-picked produce.
In the Fall, you’ll also find pumpkins galore along with mums, Indian corn, gourds, apples, carrots, winter squash and cornstalks.
A Little History
Orchard Homes Dairy/Benson’s Farm was established in 1900 at the corner of Grove and Third by Otto Benson. He was one of the founders of the Orchard Homes Country Life Club (located across the street from his house) in 1911 and was the fourth Club President. His son, Otto E. Benson (right), helped with Orchard Homes Dairy at a young age.
Otto E. Benson moved Orchard Homes Dairy to the 2418/2424 South Seventh West location in 1946. The Dairy is gone, but the land is still currently farmed as Benson’s Farm. The milk house shown (left) is now a private residence.
While Orchard Homes Dairy was still in operation, sugar beets were raised. The photo shows the beet harvester moving along the East side of Reserve Street.
Benson’s Farm now doubles as a nursery and a crop farm. Open May 1 through June 30, the Farm offers annuals, container gardens, hanging baskets, vegetable starts and herbs. Mid-August through mid-November, the Farm sells freshly picked produce grown in these same fields.
