Season (lucky number) Seven

The UC Urban Farm looks to be going strong with a great start to (lucky) season 7!!!

I can't believe it was seven years this past spring that we cleared the plot, constructed the fence, built the storage shed, set up the greenhouse, and developed a strategy for on-site water.  I'm thrilled to see tomatoe plants in the ground and folks enjoying another year of gardening.  A neat legacy!

Celebrating year five, and going strong: lessons learned: 1 soil is critical; 2 water is critical

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of visiting the Urban Farm in Westside, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.  Guess what?  Its going strong!  I'm so impressed with the positive, long term impact of this urban farming effort.  Who would have guessed five years ago that a summertime partnership between the City of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati would turn into a long-term, sustainable opportunity for producing fresh veggies in a formerly vacant City lot?  Wow.  This is truly something to celebrate!

 Installed five years ago, this green house is used each year to start seedlings.  It is also used during the winter season to house materials for planting.  At an initial cost of nearly $3,000, this facility has withstood substantial weathering and I would highly recommend this product.  In addition to a greenhouse, we also have learned the importance of improving the soil over time.  We started with a field of clay over construction debris, and over five years a healthy soil has been created.  Soil is critical.

 Water is a critical part of a garden.  Who knew?  Certainly we didn't fully grasp the importance of water when we first started.  Originally, we had water trucked-in and stored on-site in a large tank (right).  This proved costly, and required a high degree of coordination.  Our second approach was to perform rain water capture off the roof of our shed.  While this was a great approach, the placement of the shed and subsequent water distribution remained a challenge.  Our final (and permanent solution) has been the use of a yard hydrant.  While this is not the ideal solution (ie using drinking water for irrigation), it does provide a high degree of reliability.  Currently, the yard hydrant is used as a backup when rainwater collection proves inadequate.  Water is critical.

UC Urban Farm 2012 summer update

I visited the UC Urban Farm twice in the summer of 2012.  The first visit in the spring left me wondering if there would be a successful farm... the second visit just this past week convinced me that this was a great summer!  Despite all of the very hot, and very dry weather, the UC Urban Farm has been thriving.  Veggies are growing, the stewards are happy, and looking forward to the autumn harvest.  Its a wonderful blessing to have been able to have helped contribute to the creation of this local, community garden in the Westwood neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Next year will be the fifth year, and I'm left wondering if we should do something 'special' to celebrate?  Five years of a community garden is a milestone, and it would be a shame not to celebrate!  So, perhaps next year the UC Urban Farm blog will be updated a bit more... with some stories of success (and challenges) over the past five years.

In 2012, we started a community garden in Rolla, Missouri

Four years ago, a group of us started five community gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The largest was a one acre plot that we entitled, "The UC Urban Farm!"  Sponsored with funding from the University of Cincinnati, and (loved and) cared for by UC students, staff, and faculty our 'farm' has continued to thrive.  This year, the summer of 2012, marks a landmark for me.  Another team, working in Rolla, Missouri created the Rolla Community Garden.  Again, we have about one acre.  What's improved dramatically is the diversity of our team.  Rather than spread our resources to create five gardens as we did in Cincinnati, the RCG is a joint effort of the City of Rolla, two Universities, and numerous local organizations.  The benefit of this approach is that we have not only created a local garden within a community, but we have also created a local garden that is maintained by the community.  We have approximately 50 small plots (10 ft x 15 ft), and each plot is used by a different individual.  While this has been one of the hottest and driest summers in years... we still managed to have a successful first year.  Details about the RCG and the great work of this diverse team can be followed on the Facebook page (@rollagarden) or on the Wordpress blog (http://rollagarden.wordpress.com/).

The UC Urban Farm has a third owner for summer 2011

And it just keeps going, and going, and going year after year! It's very exciting to witness something started in the summer of 2009 continue to the summer of 2011. This project has enjoyed tremendous positive impact on the Westwood Neighborhood!

The UC Urban Farm has a new owner for summer 2010

Check out the blog by Kate Cook who took over the UC Urban Farm as the new owner for summer 2010! She did a great job, and invested a lot of her self in the project!

Mild Summer Weather Impacts Yield

The UC urban farm is rolling through the summer making tremendous progress. We've established a routine for caring for the farm and bringing our produce to market at the Green Corner in Pleasant Ridge as well as the Northside Farmers Market. In many ways, we've entered the long haul of the farming process... watering, weeding, tending, and production. Its gratifying to witness such tremendous progress in such a short time. Its been an interesting summer time weather pattern - to say the least. Mild temperatures, overcast skys, and regular rain have dramatically reduced typical farm yields throughout July and into early August. None the less, we are moving ahead with the preparation of autumn crops in our green house. Seedlings have been started, and fields have been prepared for autumn planting. As we transition from the summertime highs of August to the beginnings of autumn in September, the farm will begin the transformation for winter. We've started plans for autumn visits from schools and for farming exhibits for our Westwood neighbors. At this mid point, its fair to say that the City of Cincinnati Urban Farming initiative has been a rousing success, and that the UC urban farm is a pioneering leader in how to move rapidly from an empty field to a productive farm in a period of just a few months. Its said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step... and the farm has taken a very successful first step.

The Greenhouse Goes Up and First Profits Roll In!

Its been a productive week for the UC Urban Farm. Teams of volunteers are constructing our hoop house (green house), and even more exciting we participated in our first farmers market on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 in the Northside neighborhood. Our first customer was Mark. He was very pleased to hear that UC had started an urban farm project. Kudos to everyone for great work! David is doing a great job organizing the green house, and Debbie was very proud of everyone when we counted up the first days earning of $43.

Progress with Infrastucture

Here are some more photos of the farm, including the newly roofed and painted shed, security lights, the site of the future farm stand and the graded area for the hoop house.

Amazing Progress in June

I've been away working in Tanzania, and when I returned I visited the UC Urban Farm. What a transformation! In just a couple of weeks, the piles of mulch have been spread around the site. The crops have grown by leaps and bounds. Materials for the hoop house have arrived and are being assembled, and we are ready to move forward with the green roof on top of our store. We're just waiting for the solar panels and wind mill to arrive to provide on-site electricity. Its very, very exciting! Schedules have been made for regular volunteer opportunities. Please contact us if you'd like to participate in the farm. All the best.

Ahead of Our Times in Cincinnati

The City of Cincinnati isn't always known for being ahead of the times... For example, Mark Twain once remarked, "When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always twenty years behind the times." Imagine when watching the evening NBC nightly news to witness a story about urban farming, and how urban farm programs across the country are positively impacting neighborhoods. Imagine that the City of Cincinnati and the University are early adopters of this trend. Imagine that the Civic Garden Center has a long and storied history of encouraging gardening throughout the City. This is a very exciting project, and its gratifying to be part of a progressive movement to improve access to healthy, whole foods in Cincinnati.

Planting Complete - Now the Growing is in Full Swing

Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31, teams of volunteers worked hard on the farm to get the last of our plants in the ground. We have tomatoes, peppers, herbs, sunflowers, beans, and other assorted goodies enjoying the sun and rain of late May/early June. The 'barn' received much needed shelves today. Signs were placed around the site, and construction of the 'store' is well underway. We've ordered a windmill and photovoltaic panels to provide DC power (with AC available through an inverter). And the community garden plots have been subleased to neighbors who will begin planting in the next week. We've also recruited students from Western Hills Design Tech as well as students from the Summer Academy at the University of Cincinnati to work on the farm this summer. Finally, we've ordered a remote web cam that should arrive in the next couple of weeks. This system will allow anyone to watch the farm 24/7/365 - if you look closely enough you can actually see the plants grow!

Planting is Well Underway

Thanks to all those who helped out on Saturday, May 16 and Saturday, May 23 for two solid weeks of planting. We've secured a water storage tank that has been placed onsite. The seedlings that were growing in the Biology Department Greenhouse have been transplanted. And a chicken wire fence has been constructed to keep out rabbits and raccoons. Four of the six community plots have been leased by local neighbors. Overall, the UC Urban Farm is really starting to take shape. In the next few weeks, we anticipate installation of solar power as well as a hoop house (green house) and a storefront for selling produce. Members of the greater UC community and neighbors are encouraged to stop by for a visit.

Successful Barnraising Attended by 20+ Supporters

More than twenty administrators, faculty, students, friends, and family met from noon until 6pm at the UC Urban Farm. Three large raised beds were constructed and six community garden plots were created. In the coming weeks, ten additional beds will be created from an innovative process using biodegradable plastic as a means of drip irrigation. While some workers created a large sign for the property, others began construction on a tool shed, and still others spent the day hauling mulch, top soil, and stones. In the evening, a cookout was enjoyed by all. Special thanks to Stephanie McBride and Larry Johnson for their 'above-and-beyond' contributions to the cookout.

Cincinnati Urban Farm Efforts Highlighted in Enquirer Articles

Cincinnati Enquirer reporters for local government, Jane Prendergast, and food, Polly Campbell, have recently highlighted efforts within the City of Cincinnati to provide fresh, whole foods for local consumption. The effort, known as urban farming (or urban gardening) is loosely based upon the successful program developed by Will Allen in Milwaukee and his not-for-profit, Growing Power. In particular, the article by Campbell discusses collaborations between farmers and local restaurants to bring produce from the urban field to the dinner table.

"Barn raising" on Saturday, May 9

The UC Urban Farm is hosting a work day and social on the farm on Saturday, May 9. We'll be hauling mulch, tilling soil, barn raising (constructing a shed) and other fun from Noon until 4pm. We'll enjoy a cook out from 4-6pm. Please RSVP to debbie.moll at gmail.com so that we can maintain a headcount. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Celebrating a successful cleanup on Saturday, April 25

About thirty students, staff, and faculty from UC were on-hand from 9am through noon on Saturday, April 25 as part of the Great American Clean Up sponsored by Keep Cincinnati Beautiful. Major accomplishments included: collection of old tires, recyclable and disposable trash, clearing of brush, collecting stones, and trimming weeds and grasses. To finish the event, we enjoyed a lunch of locally purchased pizza from Scarlatto's on McHenry... sure to become a tradition for those working at the site. Current plans are to meet at the site for a picnic on Saturday, May 9 and for a planting party on Saturday, May 23. For more details about upcoming events, please contact debbie.moll at gmail.com.

Westwood Embraces the UC Urban Farm

At the monthly meeting of the Westwood Civic Association, Dan Oerther provided an overview of the UC Urban Farm program to an audience of approximately 50 community members. In general, the audience was very excited about the idea of UC's work in the neighborhood. Questions were fielded about the ability of local organizations to work on the site (e.g., schools for field trips, and neighbors to cultivate 10x10 or 5x5 personal plots), the plans for security (i.e., would UC install a fence?), and the positive feelings about community engagement (e.g., a community meeting would be welcomed). The presentation and Q&A lasted for approximately 20 minutes as part of the regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Contact information was left, and many in the audience indicated their willingness to help with communication throughout the community.

Planting Seeds!

Its real! On Tuesday morning, April 21 a team of urban farmers met in the UC greenhouse located on the roof of Rievschel Hall to plant 450 seeds. Gwen, Debbie, Joel, Joan, and Dan planted egg plant, tomatoes, herbs, peppers, and a number of other vegetables. The current plan is to cultivate these seeds in the greenhouse, and to transplant them to the farm in the middle of May.

Press Coverage for UC's Urban Farm in the News Record

The UC Urban Farm program was highlighted in a front page article by Taylor Dungjen in the Monday, April 20, 2009 issue of The News Record. Taylor reported that the farm will be hosting a cleanup event as part of the Great American Cleanup from 9am until Noon on Saturday, April 25, 2009. Please meet us at the site - 2291 Westwood Northern Blvd - or send an email to Shawn Tubb at if you need help coordinating a ride from campus.