Couple creates urban farm to help others in Dayton
“My grandfather is of Native American descent,” Heather said. “Having a garden and living off the land is part of my heritage and culture.”
By Beth Anspach
Dayton Daily News
July 20, 2023
Excerpt:
“We planned it carefully and set up systems so it would be mostly self-sufficient,” Heather said.
With seemingly so much interest in the couple’s urban garden adventure, they decided to start a podcast as a way to share their techniques and tips with more people. The first podcast aired in December 2022.
“I really thought just my friends and family would listen,” Heather said. “But we ended up getting about 12,000 people tuning in.”
Today, the couple continues putting together weekly episodes of “The Urban Permaculture Podcast” on subjects ranging from irrigation and financing a garden to urban garden types. They are now growing about 75% of their own food and giving away what they don’t use to people who don’t have any other access to fresh produce.
The Butlers’ garden is 100% organic, and they make their own compost — using shredded paper, vegetable scraps, chicken manure and eggshells. They use no chemicals and fight pests using fencing and companion planting, with plants that naturally repel bugs.
“There is very little weeding required because we put cardboard down on top of the soil,” Heather said. “We put mulch on top of that and the wood soaks up moisture, so we don’t have to water as often.”
Though grass is usually the plant of choice for most modern homeowners, Heather said grass isn’t good for the environment. The couple is slowly replacing all the grass with plants like creeping thyme to attract pollinators.
