Free Local Food since 2008
Mill Creek Greenway Trail ORchard:
Est: 2008
Leads: Mill Creek Restoration Council (Design Install) & Marvin’s Organic Gardens (Plant material)
Expanded: 2015
Leads: Groundwork Cincinnati (Alan Edwards - CPI PDC 2015) & CPI’s Growing Value Nursery (Plant material)
Location: Along the Mill Creek Greenway Trail, just north of the Ludlow Ave. Bridge and where Old Ludlow Ave. dead-ends into William P. Dooley Bypass. The trail is between the WPD Bypass and the Mill Creek. The Orchard runs north from the Old Ludlow Ave. Crosswalk for about 100 yards on both sides of the trail.
About: The first public orchard was planted by Mill Creek Restoration Council in 2008 with the direction and vision of their employee, Melody Wolf. Melody’s husband Adam was in our first Permaculture Design Certification in 2008. This site doesn’t integrate many permaculture principles and is thus more of a traditional orchard. At the time it seemed like a wild idea but it has proven to be very productive, producing bushels of pears for free picking each year.
Highlights: Long term designed succession (after the orchard begins to die off - 15-25 years - it will mature into a Pecan/Hickory/Hican Orchard 20-40 years
Madisonville Forage Garden:
Est: 2011
Leads: Civic Garden Center & Cincinnati Permaculture Guild (facilitated by Cincinnati Permaculture Institute)
Location: The Island between Erie Ave., Red Bank Rd. & Brotherton Rd. - It is across Red Bank Rd. from Tire Discounters and the Marathon Gas Station. If traveling there by car, it is best to park in by Tire Discounters on Erie Ct. (4031 Red Bank Rd. 45227) and walk across Red Bank Rd. to the Garden.
About: Organized and designed by former CPI Co-teacher, Sam Dunlap who was employed at the Civic Garden Center, who supported Sam with his efforts. When it came time to plant the Cincinnati Permaculture Guild came together to help plant it. The site was chosen for a Permaculture based forage garden because it failed as one of 9 Urban Agriculture Plots for the City of Cincinnati’s Urban Agriculture Pilot Program because of its inaccessibility and lack of water. It proved, however, to be a very successful forage gardens due to those factors. After years of observations it was identified that signage was needed, which was spearheaded and installed by the Civic Garden Center. This is one of the earliest Public Food Forage Gardens in the Country.
Highlights: Extensive Swales, Cultivated Paw Paws, Chestnuts, Hazelnuts, Elderberry, Persimmon
Simmons St. Orchard - Lincoln Heights:
Linda, LHCDC Founder planting the Orchard with LH Council Woman Kathy Goodwin Williams and her son
The initial proposal for the Simmons St. Orchard
Est: 2016
Leads: Lincoln Heights CDC & Cincinnati Permaculture Institute
Location: 950 Simmons St. Lincoln Heights, Oh 45215
About: This Orchard was spearheaded by our former student (Linda Matthews CPI PDC 2016) who created the Lincoln Heights CDC to help redevelop a neighborhood she grew up in and boost up the oldest African American Governed Municipality in America. Read more about Lincoln Heights History in Time Magazine: https://time.com/4760214/lincoln-heights/ and also in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/lincoln-heights-black-suburb/398303/ This Orchard was part of a series of gardens that were the initial works of the CDC spearheaded by Linda. It continues to be managed by a neighbor.
Access: To residents of Lincoln Heights
Highlights: Vacant, reclaimed lot In a Neighborhood setting
Jackson Street Forage Garden:
CPI Intern, Natalie Washington sharing the signage she designed and made for the Jackson Street Forage Garden
Initial Jackson St. Forage Garden Design Proposal
EST: 2018
Leads: Lincoln Heights CDC & Cincinnati Permaculture Institute
Expanded: 2019
Leads: CPI & CPI Intern - Natalie Washington
Management Transitioned to: The Heights Movement 2021
Location: 1134 Jackson St. Lincoln Heights, OH
About: This Garden was spearheaded by Lincoln Heights CDC and its Executive Director, Linda Matthews, building off of the Simmons St. Orchard. It was part of the Grant Funded Project, Greening of Jackson St. CPI made the design, supplied the trees and plants from our nursery and facilitated the installation by volunteers that were part of the Greening of Jackson Street Installation day. It was also integral in the grant acquisition by supplying a design for the garden for the grant. Jackson Street was known by many in the Neighborhood as the most divested street in this historic African American community. This Project aimed to boost up the residents on the street by planting flowers and vegetable gardens in their yards and trees along the street. It also installed rain barrels at peoples homes. The Jackson Street Forage Garden was a benchmark project of that day that the community could come together around. It was boosted up by the work of Natalie Washington, a CPI Intern when she made signage to help the community navigate the garden as well as integrated more support plants. Natalie is now the Executive Director of Lincoln Heights CDC. In 2021 the CDC signed management of the garden over to the Heights Movement, a movement of young African American’s who are Lincoln Heights Residents who are working to boost up the community. It is headed up by Village Council Member, Daronce Daniels. For full disclosure, CPI Executive Director, Braden Trauth, serves on the board of LHCDC.
Access: Please Contact the Heights Movement
Evanston Forage Garden:
Est: 2015
Leads: Cincinnati Permaculture Institute & Xavier University Land, Farming & Community Degree Students
Expanded: 2019
Leads: Keep Cincinnati Beautiful & Cincinnati Permaculture Institute
Location: Located on Duck Creek Rd., between I-71 & Duck Creek at the southern end of the I-71/Red Cross Foot Bridge, on the Northside of Duck Creek. It is between Crane Ave and Evanston Ave.
About: This Garden was an area of neglected landscaping that Braden Trauth, working with the Evanston Neighborhood Beautification Committee began to reclaim and plant with Edible Landscaping in 2015. It is a brutal site due to the Highway microclimate, making it both hotter and windier than the surrounding area. Much of the original aesthetic landscaping didn’t survive so they employed many permaculture practices such as swales to help it survive. It was also expanded each year with the help of Xavier University Students in the Land, Farming & Community Degree and the program’s Agro-Ecology Course. In 2019 Keep Cincinnati Beautiful became involved and helped CPI expand it into a larger garden with more swales and trees.
Highlights: Aesthetic Swales, Prairie/Orchard combined, Uncommon Fruits (Sea Buckthorn, Trifoliate Oranges, Russian Hawthorns, Chestnuts, Asian Pears & Goumi’s
Have interest in Public Forage Gardens?
Lets Build More Together!
Contact our Executive Director, Braden Trauth at Info@CincinnatiPermacultureInstitute.org