Blue Pear Farm and Gardens
is a 44-acre, women-owned and operated farm in Huntsburg, Ohio, that uses permaculture practices such as no-till, and stormwater management for reducing water use. The farm engages the local community by offering educational programs in permaculture and the arts. It received a $5,000 grant to create and install a pollinator hedgerow along the back parcel of the farm. The funds will be used to purchase fifty-one native trees, 200 native shrubs, one hundred native perennials, and five pounds of wildflower seed mix from a local native plant nursery. The hedgerow project will help the farm expand its efforts to support pollinators and increase crop yields.
“The project included planting over 350 native plants. Despite challenges like poison ivy and unpredictable fall weather, we successfully completed planting in December,” said farm-owner Carol Palansky, who added that the hedgerow enhances biodiversity, supports pollinators, and serves as an educational tool for the community. “The amount of pollinators benefiting is beyond our imagination.”
