Southwest Ohio - North College Hill (Cincinnati suburb) area permaculture gardeners

I have been transforming the property where I live for the last three years, mostly using permaculture principles that I have absorbed. I would like to find others who are working on shifting their suburban property toward a more natural ecosystem. Would be great to compare notes and trade cuttings or saved seed. Sharing information and learning from successes and failures.

I will be 65 next month, am retired and live with my wife and puppy here on a property that butts up against a small wooded space. Many deer, bunnies, and moles Hope to hear from others who are trying to support the planet through very local action. Thanks.

Welcome to Permies Marco!
Given your location I will first recommend Tikkun Farm
.
They are in Mount Healthy, at 7945 Elizabeth Street, Cincinnati OH 45231.
While they have many programs, they explicitly practice permaculture.
They have nursery and will have a plant sale soon, but they are very into gifting and trading  resources.

The very best source of permaculture plants I've found is Funkes Greenhouse

Al Funke has an amazing collection of medicinal plants, as well as his extensive offerings of peppers and tomatoes.

Growing Value
 is the nursery for the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute


I myself am an avid gardener living in Price Hill, tending 5 plots scattered across the city .
While terribly enthusiastic,  I am also rather unreliable,but I do know permaculture enthusiasts across Cincinnati.

Hi William,
Thank you for all the resources. I am very familiar with CPI and Growing Value Nursery. I have not found either Tikkun or Funke's Greenhouses, so I am eager to check them out.
Best Wishes.

I just left the Civic Garden Center, with a load of free plants.
They were giving them out to community gardeners, and I have a couple of paid for plots with Cincinnati Urban Promise.
No perennial's but two kinds of amaranth that should readily self seed.
I was thinking I should isolate them from each other and save the seed, buuut a land race starting with these varieties and the inevitable lambsquarters cross pollination seems like a better choice.

Hi William,
I think I see amaranth in my annual beds on occasion, though not sure because I don't let them grow there. Other veggies take precedence. I don't see them out in the meadow, which could be due to deer and rabbit dietary habits. Same can be said for lamb's quarters. I have seen them outside of my enclosed garden space, and they are browsed heavily. Our deer have interesting tastes. I planted a buttonbush in the open, hoping it would be safe since it has some toxicity. Well, it was pruned a bit the other day. Maybe the deer that grazed it will get a tummy ache and associate the discomfort with the plant. I can always hope.

Hi! I'm new to this group, but we are in Finneytown, so super close! We are hoping to learn more and find land to grow on and learn with our students in our microschool. Would love to learn more about what you've done and resources in Cincinnati. I'm from Chicago, and my parents have a permaculture farm in Illinois, but we're looking to grow more connections here.

Well hello. I am currently traveling out of the country, so my clock is 12 hours ahead of Ohio. I would gladly connect and share thoughts about my approach to transforming the property where I  live. Also would gladly share seeds and cuttings of anything I have in excess. I return to Ohio in early February. I will reach out again when I get back. Be well.
Marco

Sounds great! Looking forward to  it. Safe travels.

Hello Erika,
I have returned from my trip and am available to discuss how I have approached the property where I live. If you are still interested, let me know how you would like to engage in the discussion. There isn't a lot happening outside at the moment, though I did see some green happening under the fleece row cover in the hoop house. I got home with a head cold, so doing too much out in the cold will need to wait for a full recovery. Still, at some point not too far off, I will be beginning seedlings indoors for annuals and might start some late winter pruning on a few fruit trees.

I live on a long narrow suburban lot, so a lot of what I am able to do is limited by this aspect. Still, I have a nice wooded space that is not developed off the back of the property, and the lot next door is empty for some reason. The deer love it. I am attaching a view from my kitchen out the back.

If you look through this thread, you can see the suggestions made by William Bronson regarding local resources and connections. His thoughts are valuable.

Let me know what you are thinking going forward. Take care and talk soon.
Marco

Cool! I sent you a message.