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.