Our Story – from Rugats to Pepper Seeds:

Kid Operated Community Garden Turned Educational E-Commerce Venture

Ohio Peppers started as a residential Cincinnati garden. COVID lockdowns and the nationwide uptick of pandemic gardening created the perfect storm, much the chagrin of neighborhood children seeking a safe social outlet. Planting, composting, weed mitigation, harvesting, composting, and “selling” free vegetables to sidewalk cruising pedestrians. Who can say no to a youngster offering you a free armload of zucchini and half pound of okra as you walk the dog?

Colorful, bountiful, easy to harvest, peppers quickly became a favorite staple for the kids. The adults fell in love with the versatility.

Educational Mission

We suspect having every event turn into an educational experience may be annoying when both of your parents are teachers. During the COVID lockdowns, expanding garden culture is no different. The garden turned into a classroom for our daughters and neighborhood cohort of children. Children today are digital natives. For better or worse, it is a fact of life. Ohio Peppers seeks to be a break from screens for our personal kids and the neighborhood children. Gardening serves as that outdoor outlet – yet 21st Century skills are still fostered through the ecommerce side. These skills include:

• Digital Literacy
• Creativity
• Media Literacy