Lynsey Johnston doesn't fit the traditional image of an Indiana farmer. She doesn't grow corn or soybeans, raise livestock or bring a harvest to market each week. In fact, her two-acre farm in Allen County is still very much a work in progress. But through her developing permaculture farm, edible landscaping business and work connecting people with conservation resources, Lynsey is helping expand the possibilities of what farming can look like.

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Agriculture wasn't part of Lynsey’s original career plan. She spent years working in corporate human resources before her interest in gardening eventually led her in a new direction. Around 2019, Lynsey watched a video of a permaculture practitioner walking through his landscape, eating food growing among the other plants. The idea of a landscape that could be both beautiful and productive intrigued her. She pursued an intensive permaculture design certificate and found herself captivated by the possibilities of growing food while working with natural systems rather than against them. That experience eventually led her to establish Peaceful & Practical Edible Gardens, a business focused on what she calls "ecological foodscaping."

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Unlike traditional landscaping, ecological foodscaping considers the entire environment surrounding a planting. Lynsey incorporates perennial food crops, native plants and soil health practices into designs that provide food while also supporting wildlife and ecological resilience. Her approach emphasizes observation, thoughtful plant selection and creating landscapes that can thrive in a changing climate with fewer inputs over time.

In 2021, Lynsey saw an opportunity to apply those principles on a larger scale. Her in-laws had approximately two acres of land on an Allen County that had been leased for conventional agricultural production for decades. After years of cultivation, she saw an opportunity to restore the depleted land while creating a productive perennial food system. She asked her in-laws if she could begin planting, and with help from her father-in-law, started establishing native edible species.

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As Lynsey began establishing native edible plants on the property, she quickly learned just how much there was to understand about the land. Some of her earliest plantings struggled, revealing challenges with drainage and soil conditions shaped by decades of conventional agriculture. These experiences reinforced the importance of the soil health practices already central to her vision. By observing the land, rebuilding organic matter and learning what would thrive in different areas, she began laying the groundwork for a productive, resilient food system.

Today, Tenalach Permaculture Farm is a developing polyculture system incorporating trees, shrubs, vines, berries and other perennial food plants. The property includes aronia berries, blackberries and hazelnuts, with plans to expand into additional fruits, nuts, native edibles and medicinal plants. Eventually, Lynsey will sell farm products, plant cuttings and foraged goods, primarily through relationships with local consumers and businesses. 

Income from Peaceful & Practical Edible Gardens has allowed her to self-fund much of the farm's development, giving her the flexibility to experiment, learn from setbacks and make decisions based on the long-term health of the property rather than immediate sales. It's a different model of agricultural development, one that measures progress in more than harvests and revenue.

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Lynsey uses cover crops, mulch, organic matter additions and minimal soil disturbance to rebuild soil health and keeping the soil covered and maintaining living roots is central to her management approach. Areas that once seemed nearly devoid of life now support insects, birds, amphibians and other wildlife. Lynsey has seen salamanders beneath straw bales and wild turkeys returning to land where her in-laws hadn't observed them in decades. For her, these changes are meaningful signs of progress. Her long-term goal is to create a resilient food-producing landscape that requires less intervention, irrigation and energy over time. She considers how changing weather patterns, drought and rising fuel costs might affect the operation, choosing plants and management practices with future conditions in mind. Rather than designing a farm that depends on constant human inputs, she wants to establish a system capable of sustaining itself as much as possible. This influence extends well beyond her two-acre farm.

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Through Peaceful & Practical Edible Gardens, she helps homeowners and other clients rethink the possibilities of their own landscapes. Her designs encourage food production while incorporating native plants, perennial species and conservation practices that benefit the surrounding environment. She also serves as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District, where her work supports urban conservation initiatives involving soil health, food accessibility, urban cover crops and community engagement. In that role, Lynsey helps connect residents, growers and community organizations with information, resources and opportunities to put conservation into practice. Relationship building has become one of her greatest strengths, a skill she traces in part to her earlier career in human resources. Through the district's Farmer Friday program, she has connected with small producers throughout the region, helping introduce them to resources, organizations and other farmers who share their interests. Her commitment to strengthening local food systems also led her to help establish a farmers market in her neighborhood, creating another opportunity for consumers to connect directly with local producers. Beyond these efforts, Lynsey has shared her knowledge through Women4theLand learning circles, presentations at the Indiana Homesteaders Conference, classes on edible landscape design and other educational opportunities.

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These different roles often overlap. The lessons she learns on her own farm inform her work with clients and community members. Her professional relationships connect her with farmers, conservation specialists and organizations that can help her solve problems on her own land. Together, they reflect her belief that agriculture and conservation are strengthened through collaboration. That being said, Lynsey recognizes that her approach doesn't always resemble what others consider farming.

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Her small-scale, perennial-based operation looks very different from the conventional row-crop agriculture surrounding much of Indiana. She has encountered people who view her work as an interesting hobby rather than a serious agricultural pursuit. But she doesn't see the differences as something she needs to overcome. Instead, she's comfortable building an operation that reflects her own priorities, even when that means progressing more slowly or taking an unconventional approach. As a woman in agriculture, Lynsey is particularly interested in the example she's setting for her two daughters. Although the girls jokingly refer to her time on the farm as "working the fields" and aren't especially eager to join in, she believes they're learning more than they realize. The land will eventually pass to them, and she hopes to leave behind a healthy, productive landscape along with an understanding of the responsibility that comes with caring for it. She also wants them to see that pursuing meaningful work doesn't have to follow a straight path. To Lynsey, being a woman farmer means showing her daughters that "you're never stuck in a career that no longer suits you" and that they can make the world, "even 2 acres," better than they found it.

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For women interested in farming or conservation, Lynsey encourages hands-on experience and building relationships with others already doing the work. She recommends volunteering or spending time working on another farm, even for a single day, to better understand the realities of agricultural production. She also encourages aspiring growers not to assume they need to own a large property before getting started. Small plots can provide meaningful opportunities to learn, experiment and produce food. For those without land, she suggests reaching out to landowners, community groups and others who may be willing to share space.

Lynsey's own farming journey is still unfolding. Her perennial crops are maturing, her soil continues to recover and her plans for future production will evolve as she learns more about the land. But she is already making an impact through the knowledge she shares, the relationships she builds and the opportunities she creates for others. Her story is a reminder that the contributions of women in agriculture aren't measured only by acres farmed, products sold or years in production. Sometimes they begin with a willingness to experiment, a commitment to improving the land and a vision for what might grow there in the years ahead.

 

Learn more about Tenalach Permaculture Farm and P & P Edible Gardens online and follow Lynsey on Instagram.