CPI News

Food Champions of Cincinnati: Q&A with Heather Sayre

In 2024, CPI received a generous grant award from the City of Cincinnati's Boots on the Ground program and set about growing and nurturing ten “Food Champions" around the west side of the city. This year, we are inviting our Food Champs to share their stories.

This month, meet Heather Sayre and learn about her project “Endaknorr” in South Fairmont:

About Heather:

I have experience in urban agriculture, occupational therapy, and community organizing. I completed the permaculture design course in 2008 with Braden and Ande’s first cohort in Cincinnati, grew vegetables for Enright Ridge Urban Ecovillage and various WWOOF opportunities, led garden classes at Parker Woods Montessori, started a resident garden at Brookside Intermittent Care Facility, supported community integration groups gardening at Village Green, and worked for Wildwood Flora flower farm. I currently work at Working In Neighborhoods, where I coordinate Beekman Community Market.  I studied occupational therapy to become an educated advocate for my daughter who has CriDuChat and feel that my work with food is a branch of the philosophy of occupation. I believe that participation in food producing activities is an essential component of the human experience, and that everyone deserves to have access to the opportunity to interact with the life forms that give them sustenance. I enjoy making brooms, baskets, bouquets, and preserving bunny furs, attending my son’s music and theatre performances, and helping my daughter participate in be well programs.

About Endaknorr:

Endaknorr is a Food Playground located on a 5 acre property at the end of Knorr Avenue in South Fairmount. The goal is to provide a public space where kids can play in the company of food bearing plants with shared community supervision. The site has been subjected to dumping for generations, so the plum terrace, berry grotto, and persimmon bank are all no dig installations. We used logs, bramble, and chips that were harvested in the neighborhood as well as purchased compost to build up the soil. There is room for additional installations as more honeysuckle is harvested.

What motivated you to do this?

I love this property because I grew up eating mulberries and looking for treasures in the dump as I walked past. The closest playground or park is over a mile away in any direction, so kids play in the street and come over to my house to play in the gardens, visit rabbits, read, and play piano. I love the privilege of teaching the kids in my neighborhood. I have wanted to create structure so that I can expect when to see them, and they can expect when I am open to supervising them. The location of the food playground on the curb gives play space to the kids, gives my home more privacy (because sometimes I need to rest), and gives more adults the opportunity to participate in line of sight supervision. As much as I like finding treasures in the dump, I hope that the installation results in less dumping, because I would rather spend my time planting, weeding, and harvesting.

Who is your audience? Who helped out?

Twelve kids between the ages of 2 and 11 who live up to four blocks away (plus kids in my family) have participated in garden projects at Endaknorr in the past year. Their attendance is sporadic and unpredictable. A newly designed structure uses prizes to reinforce communication with caregivers and skill building.

The installation of the new zone was assisted by Susan Vonderhaar, Krystal Gallagher, Jules Brookbank, Chad Reed, Renu Bakhshi, Anna Taylor, and Bill Heibroch (of South Fairmount Community Council). Working In Neighborhoods assisted with directing the focus of the demonstration project toward the curb. Growing Value supplied plants, and Hafners’ supplied soil.

How did the project help grow community?

Our neighborhood lacks adult gathering places as well. I enjoy waving and chatting with neighbors while working on the project. A few neighbors have asked what I was doing, and one offered to help! I am planning to host a block party at the food playground this summer so that everyone can come out and learn what it’s all about and how to enjoy the space. 

Adopting the framework of a permaculture demonstration site has allowed me to feel comfortable asking for help implementing my design. Neighbors from former residences came to work with me. I connected with a professor at UC whose students need places to study browsing patterns. I’m excited for the whole property to be a demonstration, and am getting better about talking about it.

How did the project help grow food?

Endaknorr replaced invasive honeysuckle with a diverse selection of perennial plants that produce fruit, nuts, berries, biomass, and more. The food playground makes the skills related to food production a normal part of the environment as our youth mature, and provides prizes for learning new skills. I have been able to add one or two perennials to the property each year since I moved here. The support of the CPI project allowed me to plant 27 new plants as well as purchase tools so that I can work at the same time as guests.

What do you see as future impacts? What kind of vision do you have for this or other sites going forward?

The youth of Endaknorr are going to grow up experiencing food forests, not dumps, as the norm. They are going to know how to grow food. There is going to be a diverse seed bank for them to propagate from and take to their property, where they will teach the next generation.  Cincinnati can be a food paradise where all the extra little spaces are planted with food crops. Endaknorr can become an example for that. I have a nice notebook of ideas for play features that engage all of the senses (not just the 5, but also temporal, vestibular, etc.), train motor and cognitive skills, and direct food production skills. I’m looking forward to continuing to create as well as plant as more honeysuckle moves. 

Based on your experience, what can you advise to mentor a new, budding food, champ?

Advocate for your idea as much as you advocate for others’. Focus on one spot at a time. Dream big, work small. Start, and then keep going. Plan the start time as soon as you plan to do the project- time goes by really fast. Additional planning can come after starting, especially if you have invasives to harvest. They need to get harvested so you can really see the space. Design is a lot about planning the end point, make sure to design micro phases.



Implementation Follow-Up: Nora & David, 2024

In 2024, CPI selected one of the final designs from the year’s permaculture design course as a candidate for implementation. That site belonged to then-students, now-grads Nora & David of Florence, KY. This spring, we asked for an update on their site and anything they have learned.

What they shared was that they were faced with unexpected setbacks, in the forms of life-changing losses and health events, that changed the trajectory of their permaculture dreams. Though time spent in the garden was limited, there were still lessons learned, which Nora shared with us by email in March:

“Things have settled down a little since this January and we've been able to assess the needs of our plantings. Most of everything survived and all sorts of valuable lessons learned which, for the sake of brevity, I will list:

  • Accepting our limitations... circumstances and physical challenges caused us to re-evaluate what we could actually do.

  • Adjust and overcome: move EVERYTHING closer to the house and a water source. Incorporating edible bushes and plants into my already existing flower beds.  (There was a mental block all these years in my head from doing this. hahaha. BUT, I'm not alone in thinking this way.)

  • Water access is a BIG DEAL. 

    • Having just one hose to reach everywhere was a little challenging.

    • I put several barrels around our back shed and was quite impressed with how much water was able to be collected! But... in the dead of summer, a 55 gallon barrel was only enough for 1 bed!

  • Wood chips and deep mulch REALLY helped.  I'm convinced that this is what kept most of our plants alive when we couldn't get around to watering.

  • The raised beds that we installed around some old locust trees created a problem.  We underestimated how even mostly dead locust stumps would send up all sorts of thorny little branches!!!!!  I have begun to move plants from the raised beds to other locations, pulling back soil and cut off those branches.  I plan on burning the stumps to avoid using chemicals to kill them. Once I can be certain that this has fixed the problem, I will probably reinstall raised beds, but use something like metal raised beds.

  • Deer pressure was unrelenting... even in the suburbs.  I used netting around several bushes and trees and they still somehow were able to reach through and nip some down!  Taking extra steps to protect everything including Irish spring soap and "Scram" (blood meal).

  • Making low cost fertilizer without the typical manures. This has become something I've given a lot of thought to.  I don't trust buying manure from unknown sources due to what cows and horses are eating these days (Graze-On herbicide can be ingested by these animals and pass right through to their manure!).  I'm also not allowed to keep chickens in Florence. While I do purchase some organic fertilizers, this can get expensive.  So, I've focused on comfrey tea as well as fermenting other plant material (inspired by JADAM - a low-cost sustainable organic farming method that originated in Korea).  I've also started growing cover crops like clover and daikon radish.

“I am so grateful to CPI and all those who came out to help,” Nora adds - and we’re thankful to her for sharing her lessons learned this first year post-implementation.

To keep up with our ongoing implementation days, see the full schedule here.

Food Champions of Cincinnati: Nate Hale

In 2024, CPI received a generous grant award from the City of Cincinnati's Boots on the Ground program and set about growing “Food Champions" around the west side of the city. By working with leadership already present in these neighborhoods, we were able to assist in launching ten inspiring projects, each one unique to the group of individuals who conceived and orchestrated it. These folks brought their vision, goals, friends, volunteers and hard work, and CPI helped guide and finance to establish significant food production. This year, we are inviting our Food Champs to share their stories.

Nate Hale, in his own words…

I want to thank the folks at CPI so much for the support over the past year. The fruit-producing trees and shrubs you provided were of exceptional quality, and the planting event, where we added over 20 trees to our growing orchard, was truly inspiring. 

My family and I have immense gratitude for the opportunity to live on and steward this land. We've been transitioning large parts of it from a landscape dominated by a few opportunistic species to a more diverse and balanced ecosystem and incorporating food producing plants. 

Our hope is that this space will continue to become a place for sharing, learning, and building community. My background in production agriculture has instilled in me the importance of integrating annual and perennial food production for a sustainable future. For the past several seasons we have been working on the first phase of the design - to establish a productive market garden where we produce annual and perennial fruit and vegetable, and enact practices to improve overall soil health. 

The recent planting of orchard trees marks a significant step in realizing our vision for a larger orchard as a part of the whole site design. We're also implementing water management techniques, planting nut trees, and reintroducing native species. 

I am incredibly grateful for this partnership in helping us realize this vision and move towards a more resilient way of living and working with the land. I am excited to see how our partnership evolves in the coming years. Food is a beautiful and inspiring aspect of life, and I am grateful for the opportunity to interact with it in this way. 

Food Champions of Cincinnati: Ellie Suggs' Story

In 2024, CPI received a generous grant award from the City of Cincinnati's Boots on the Ground program and set about growing “Food Champions" around the west side of the city. By working with leadership already present in these neighborhoods, we were able to assist in launching ten inspiring projects, each one unique to the group of individuals who conceived and orchestrated it. These folks brought their vision, goals, friends, volunteers and hard work, and CPI helped guide and finance to establish significant food production. This year, we are inviting our Food Champs to share their stories.

Ellie Suggs

In her own words…

I’ve lived in Cincinnati my whole life - when I was born my family lived in Cheviot, and we’ve always identified as proud West Siders, so taking the job as Director of Agriculture at Cincinnati Urban Promise (CUP) in Westwood felt like coming full circle!

My overarching interests are in human food security and ecological restoration, so I have loved learning about permaculture’s applications in edible landscapes through CPI!

My journey with growing started in college, where I majored in Biology and researched population genetics of native plants to support the habitat restoration efforts of Great Parks. Since then, I’ve shifted my efforts to focus more directly on making food and outdoor education more accessible to urban areas.

At CUP, my job is to provide local preK-12th grade students with agricultural and conservation education so they can grow up to be food-independent residents who care about the ecological wellbeing of our city. To aid in this, we are striving to create an almost entirely edible landscape on our property, with plantings of native perennials and annual vegetables along with some pollinator plantings for education (and aesthetics!).

When I saw Susan VonderHaar’s gardens at Dater Montessori, I just knew I needed to collaborate with her! Sure enough, CPI has been an invaluable partner thus far as CUP now has a fruit tree orchard and berry patch where we used to have lawn and weeds. We are so excited to see what the rest of 2025 brings!


Stay tuned for more Food Champion stories!

Spring 2024 Volunteer Opportunities

Want to help Cincinnati Permaculture Institute prepare for the spring season and maybe learn some new gardening skills along the way? Below is our volunteer schedule.

NURSERY

Saturday, February 10, 11-2:

Saturday, March 9th, 11-2

Saturday, March 30th, 11-2

Wednesdays, April 17 and 24th, 4-dusk

Tuesdays in May: May 7, 14 and 28, 5 PM to 8 PM

Our nursery manager Howard Zuefle will be onsite for all volunteer days providing instruction and access to our tools and materials. Come dressed for the weather, whatever it may be! Our nursery is at 824 Enright Ave. Price Hill Cincinnati (in the back of the lot, behind the greenhouse) and parking is available on Enright and Terry St.

OTHER PROJECTS

Sunday, February 18, 2-4 p.m.: Button Making at the Reading branch of the Cincinnati Public Library - Help our events & marketing committee make buttons to use at our events table this year. All supplies provided. Kids welcome!

SIGN UP

Registration is not required, but signing up helps us communicate with you in the event of a change, cancellation, or other details for each volunteer date. Use this link to be added to our volunteer roster!

QUESTIONS?

Contact us at info@cincinnatipermacultureinstitute.org

Raising a Toast: Ten Kinds of Gratitude for 2023

It is said that success results when opportunity meets preparation.

This is meaningful to me in my first full year as Director of Cincinnati Permaculture Institute. Nothing comes about in a vacuum. It’s always a number of people and events that align for a path of success; that help you prepare, that bring opportunities.

It seems my primary duty this year was to observe and interact with the exciting energy that has been channeled to CPI. In 2023 we welcomed five new guest teachers into three PDC classes that were filled with warm, eager learners. The PDC courses have delivered the five newest board members to us and they keep us moving forward. Our founders remain and provide sage guidance.  Our deepening relationships with committed communities and individuals hold great promise for future developments.

At times I have felt pushed to my personal limits when presented with decision-making and the discomfort of growing pains. But I know we are on very solid ground and well prepared for the opportunities that await us. After all, we create our own success, yes?!

Susan VonderHaar

Together We’re Better: Ten Kinds of Gratitude for 2023

Growing Value Nursery gets some TLC before spring plant sales start

October Harvest Festival Potluck Dinner

Making art with compostable veggies at the Summer Solstice party

Westwood Grows bed installations

Learning about soil at the July 2023 PDC at Antioch

Our 2023 Yearlong PDC Graduates + Lead Teacher Doug Crouch

  • New “Neighbors” : We welcomed 12 new members, or as we like to call them, Neighbors, through our membership program that sustains and supports us. We look forward to seeing them at the Growing Value nursery, where members enjoy additional discounts and special shopping hours.

  • OneSource gave us a nonprofit wellness check-up and found our organization to be dedicated, effective, transparent, and responsible stewards of our resources. Their suggested strategy is to build our capacity to increase impact. Maybe you or someone you know would be interested in joining our board or working with a committee? 

  • Expanding Beyond Cincinnati: Antioch College in Yellow Springs asked us to partner in offering a summer intensive PDC in July. This partnership continues with the second offering scheduled for Spring of 2024. 

  • Record-Breaking Growth: The flagship Year Long Permaculture Design Course saw a record number of registrants, growing our total number of graduates to over 300 in 15 years.

  • Clear the Nursery: Growing Value Nursery nearly sold out of stock this year! We were able to source some stock locally and organically from growers in the bioregion. New plants arrive in April. 

  • Neighborhood Impact: Thanks to the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Urban Agriculture grant funding, we partnered with Westwood Grows and Lincoln Heights Community Development Council and installed perennial, edible plants in nine different residences, schools, and churches. 

  • Bringing the Party: We hosted or joined several events, including Spring and Fall Plant Sales, a Harvest Celebration at the Price Hill Greenhouse, the Monarch Festival at Christ the King Church, and a beautiful Summer Solstice gathering at Treasure Lake.

  • Getting Our Hands Dirty: We broke ground on our newest continuing education program, “Permaculture Implementation,” on December 9 in Florence, KY with 17 volunteers.

  • We Are the Champions: We join many other Green Cincinnati Plan Champions working on six action steps, including “Training farmers and gardeners to increase success, including adaptation to a changing climate.”

  • All Aboard: We extend a very special thanks to our board and committee members who work tirelessly to improve CPI and strengthen our community web.

We can’t say it enough: THANK YOU for being part of our mission to create a resilient permanent culture in Cincinnati. We are here for you, with you, and because of you, whether you’re a PDC student, a teacher, a community leader, a nursery customer, a volunteer, a neighbor — you are part of this ecosystem and your contribution matters!