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Help us install our new food forest!

It can be hard to imagine alternative methods of food production when we're used to molding our environment for maximum output. But people have been feeding themselves with the plants growing naturally around them since long before modern agriculture became the law of the land. Our native plants bear edible fruits, nuts, leaves, and roots just like our favorite garden veggies.

Sweet, juicy pawpaws and persimmons. Rich hickory nuts and walnuts. Garlicky ramps. Tender morel mushrooms. These plants and many others were cultivated by Ohio’s original inhabitants in expansive but intentionally managed woodlands. These massive food forests nurtured not only their human farmers, but the birds, insects, and mammals that share our environment. By reviving this style of wild gardening, we can restore native ecologies and rediscover the unique edible plants indigenous to our region.

At the CGC, we’ve drawn up plans for our own Native Food Forest, highlighting both well-known favorites and a few forgotten delicacies that were once essential parts of the American food system. Our Food Forest will be located just below our traditional Vegetable Garden and up the hill from our Butterfly Garden, bridging the gap between the cultivated and the wild.

We’re calling on our community of volunteers to help us prepare the space and install the plants that will one day feed both visitors to our park and our local wildlife! Join us in creating this unique new garden and learn more about native plant gardening and the edible native plants that may be living in your own backyard.