Cincinnati, Ohio Andy Gorman didn’t aspire to be a farmer. Now affectionately known as “Farmer Andy” and a skilled carpenter by trade, he fell into farming by way of food—exploring a raw, plant-based diet in the summer of 2012. Healthy eating led to healthy food sourcing, and he quickly found himself knee-deep in research on DIY farming via YouTube content, word-of-mouth inquiries, and a whole lot of heartfelt intuition.

A passionate, wildly curious type, Gorman was immediately invested. He sought advice from other local farmers, pored over processes, and visited five or six farmers’ markets per week. Inspired, he started experimenting at his residence in Sharonville. “By winter 2012 I was growing nutrient-dense microgreens right inside my home,” he says, “and by 2013 I had built my first raised bed behind the garage.” That was just the beginning.

Today, Farmer Andy spends 12–15 hours outside cultivating his mini-but-mighty empire as the face and force of CincyUrbanFarm. He’s committed to farming small—no more than two acres, ever. Converting both his front and back yards to gardens, selling tomatoes from a home-based produce stand, and harvesting everything from the usual veggies to peaches, figs, and blackberries, Farmer Andy is a neighborhood sensation—and a food destination.

In addition to farming his own property and the quarter-acre parcel next door (converted into permanent raised beds), Gorman works his magic at the 13-acre historic Ell Farm, just two blocks from his home, to advance his dream of “growing food for everyone else.” It’s his sensibility to reflect, adapt, and expand his unconventional take on farming that makes him so successful and his enthusiasm so contagious.

“I started my farm with $8,000, bootstrapped it, and I keep learning as I go,” he says.

Whether he’s pulling weeds at dusk or lying down after a long day, Farmer Andy has the satisfaction of living out a mission: “To grow produce in high-density urban areas and help reshape our local food system.”

CincyUrbanFarm
513.562.7794
Find it at: Deerfield Farmers’ Market, Ell Farm HealthStore, on-farm CSA pickup