Polyculture
If you’ve seen a large field of corn
on the side of the highway, that’s
monoculture (mono means one), an
example of growing one crop at a
time. We’re growing several (poly
means many) mixed species together.
Growing multiple species together is
ecologically better for wildlife—the
more kinds of plants, the more insects
and animals are fed. This diversity
makes our operation more resilient
in the face of a changing climate,
ensuring there’s always something to
harvest even if some crops do poorly
in a given year. In polyculture, we plant
mimicking the forest, maximizing
space using layers—canopy,
understory, shrub, and herbaceous
layers are planted and maintained to
ofer many edible and useful plants.
Is it “foraged” anymore if we
are growing and tending it?
To grow for volume and time
efciency, we are “agriculturalizing”
native species. That is, we’re
cultivating wild crops agriculturally.
Also known as indigenous plant
agriculture, growing en masse allows
us to space, train, and prune trees and
shrubs for more intensive production,
while also assuring there’s no risk of
overharvest of wild populations.
We’re also wild tending several
species. In wild tending, invasive
plants are removed, and self-
perpetuating native plant populations
are encouraged, modeling nature’s
cues. When done well, these
populations look like they’re wild. For
example, we’re wild tending pawpaw,
wild blackberries, and wild black
raspberries. By the way, this year’s
crop of black raspberries is destined
to become scrumptious syrup used in
signature cocktails at Forager's Fest
this September!
What are the future plans for the
foraged and farmed operation?
• We’re growing a future basketry
program—one of our staf even
attended a “basket camp” to
learn the craft.
• We’re expanding cultivation of
medicinal herbs for some of
our classes.
• We’re planning an American hazelnut
(Corylus americana) grove.
• We’ll be creating more foraged
and farmed dyes and pigments
for crafting.
Well, that’s what’s growing on… and
there’s lots more to grow!
How can you get involved?
Join us for our upcoming program:
Forager's Workshop—Autumn Bounty!
Sunday, October 27, 2–6 pm
Learn more on page 17.
Kelly Volz
Fall/Winter 2024 | CincyNature.org 5