Photo courtesy of Angie Scheu.
Simply Living’s beloved Annual Sustainable Home and Garden Tour is evolving! This year, we’re expanding the event into our Annual Sustainable Home and Garden Trail—with multiple destination tours spread over several weekends. Simply Living Members are trailblazers living the mission—modeling sustainability and simple living in their own homes, gardens, and farms to guide and inspire others in our community.
On Sunday, July 20th, we had the privilege of touring the first stop on the trail – the regenerative farm of Marcia Miller and Kevin Eigel—also known as Just This Farm. Read their interview here. Indeed, this evolving landscape in rural Western Franklin County is both a living classroom and a testament to what’s possible when people work with nature, not against it.
- Discover how Just This Farm in Central Ohio is restoring native ecosystems through sustainable land stewardship.
- See how pollinators, wildlife, and plant life thrive when given space to flourish in a regenerative farm setting.
- Learn why Just This Farm is a living example of reciprocity, resilience, and what’s possible when we work with nature.
Photo courtesy of Lynn Stan.
Here are 8 of the many thoughtful insights we took away:
1. Prairie Plants Thrive in Lousy Soil
If your soil isn’t ideal—don’t despair. Instead, consider planting prairie species. These deep-rooted, native plants are well adapted to the diverse—and often depleted—soils of our region. Over time, they don’t just survive—they rebuild. Specifically, their roots break up compacted soil, pull in nutrients, and create habitats for life both above and below ground. In addition, prairie gardens are excellent options to sequester carbon.
2. 100% Solar-Powered Living
Just This Farm is completely powered by solar energy. Marcia and Kevin added their solar panels about 17 years ago. From lights to appliances to vehicles, the sun fuels their way of life. Efforts are continually being taken to reduce dependence on fossil fuels entirely, including using electric garden and farming equipment where available. It’s a compelling model for living within our ecological means.
3. Solar-Charged Electric Vehicles
Marcia and Kevin both drive electric vehicles, which are charged using power generated on-site. Their commitment to low-impact transportation is integrated very well with their regenerative ethos.
4. South-Facing Homes Make Sense
Their home is oriented to face south—an old, smart design principle that’s especially relevant again today. South-facing homes receive more natural light and warmth in winter, reducing the need for artificial heating. It’s a passive solar strategy that makes both ecological and economic sense.
5. Variety Creates Abundance
One of the most important takeaways: you don’t have to choose between food production and biodiversity. Do both. Marcia and Kevin cultivate vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, nuts, and fruit alongside native prairie and woodland plants. This mix supports wildlife (including pollinators!), feeds their family, protects the soil, and honors the full spectrum of life that belongs here.
6. The Land Is a Living Process
Just This Farm isn’t “finished”—and that’s the point. Every garden bed, prairie patch, and pathway reflects an ongoing relationship with the land. Over time, the farm has come to more closely resemble the ecosystem that existed before colonization and industrial-scale agriculture. Yet, restoration isn’t about recreating a perfect past—it’s about showing up, paying attention, trying things, and caring for the land as it is, right now.
Photo courtesy of Angie Scheu.
7. Life Abounds
You can feel the health of the farm in the air. Bees buzz, butterflies flutter, rabbits scamper, and birdsong ripples through the trees. All around, life responds. It seems to rush in the moment it’s given space to flourish. Just This Farm stands as a beautiful example—and living proof—that stewardship and reciprocity aren’t just possible; they’re already happening.
8. Shift Our Language
Perhaps, one of the most profound lessons from the tour was about language and belonging. Rather than referring to it as our land, Marcia and Kevin invite us to speak of the land we share. This shift acknowledges that we are not owners, but participants in a shared ecology. Birds, insects, fungi, humans—we’re all co-dependent on this land. When we see how deeply connected we are, we begin to treat it, and each other, with more respect.
Final Reflections
This visit reminded us that regeneration is not just about techniques. It’s a mindset. A way of seeing land, energy, and community as interconnected. Marcia and Kevin are nurturing a deeper awareness of what it means to belong to a place. If you’re longing for a more reciprocal relationship with the land—a way of living that honors all beings who share it — Just This Farm offers a beautiful model to learn from.
Join Us on the Annual Sustainable Home and Garden Trail!
We hope to see you out there exploring more inspiring destinations “on the trail.” ;o)
Simply Living is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1992, serving the Greater Columbus Metropolitan Area within a 60-mile radius of the city. If you love our community-building programs and our mission to promote simple living and sustainability, please consider supporting us by becoming a member, making a donation, or volunteering with us.
Together, we’re growing a more connected, resilient, and regenerative Central Ohio.
Photo courtesy of Angie Scheu.
