The Farm at Old World Garden
An amazing new venue, The Farm at Old World Garden has opened in the area in 2025 with a beautiful garden, overnight cabin accommodations, and multiple event rental spaces.
Jim and Mary Competti have purchased 46 acres at 65780 Pisgah Road, Quaker City to showcase many of the Home & Garden articles they write on their websites. They both grew up working in their family gardens and continue that love of gardening to this day.
Since 2010, they have been writing gardening blogs and websites and have developed a large following. At this time, they have six websites, Simple Garden Life podcast, and YouTubes to give gardening advice. They enjoy participating in Garden Shows and Garden Conferences all around the country. Their Simple Garden Life podcast was the #1 Home and Garden Podcast recently.
When they retired, they searched for a place to establish a garden. When they found the location they liked in 2020, it was an old property that had not been used for years and needed lots of work to clear. They moved to the land in 2021 in a camper and began clearing the land. They could picture what they wanted to develop for their dream to appear; however, they knew they had to be flexible in their approach.
Their day begins at 5:30, where they enjoy sitting outside whenever possible to plan their day. At 6:00, they spend time writing their gardening articles. They post three articles each week – a gardening article, a cooking/canning project, and a weekly farm update. The rest of the day is spent working on the grounds. “We enjoy being outside and want to teach the younger generation to love the outdoors.”
It all began as a home for a Grassland Garden but it didn’t take long for that idea to expand. First, their daughter thought it would be a beautiful place for her wedding. So a Party Barn Courtyard was created for that special occasion. Friends who attended the wedding thought others would enjoy having a wedding there. The expansion began.
Bulldozers came in and removed mountains of dirt to create trails, pond, courtyard, pickleball court and more. They love living in their new creation and continue to get new ideas every day for improvements. It will be exciting to watch it develop. Recently, they have paved the main parking lot as well as several pathways, which makes for easier walking.
Their Grassland Garden with an impressive 10′ tall entrance sign is a special feature, and will be open this summer with walkways to lead you through 10,000 ornamental grass plants, along with sculptures, water features, and more. Their intent in the next few years is to increase that garden to 40,000 plants. It is the only garden in the country dedicated to ornamental grasses. A section of it contains a lovely Japanese Rake Garden.
Already Garden Clubs are visiting to see the beauty and get ideas. They plan to hold frequent classes and workshops about plants and gardening. In the spring, they held their annual Old World Garden Conference at their new home. This year they focused on gardening techniques with practical, helpful hints for vegetable gardens.
A special bonus of The Grassland Garden is that deer don’t like the ornamental grasses, which are native to the area. Most of the plants are also drought resistant. Much of the watering is done from rain water collected in cisterns on the farm.
Their Old World Garden Event Center was one of the more recent places developed. They have a dozen weddings scheduled for this year and some already for next. When visiting, they were planning for the Buckeye Trail Prom and hold numerous birthday parties, showers, and graduation parties. This is the spot where countryside charm creates unforgettable experiences.
Special dinners will be held each month, June through September, with the first one being a family style Italian dinner with musical entertainment. Other plans now include: Cowboy Steak Dinner, Southern Supper, and a BBQ.
Spent the night or the weekend in their Airbnb or one of their three sleeping cabins. Then you’ll have time to explore the beautiful grounds on their three and a half miles of hiking trails. Walk over the rolling hills to the lovely pond they have built with a Pond Pavilion for outdoor gatherings and a pickleball court close by. The pond also provides an extra source of water for the garden.
Mary said, “There is something for everyone here. We want people to have fun in the outdoors and learn something about gardening while they are here.”
Jim and Mary take January and February as vacation time. Some of their favorite spots are Summerville SC, Yuma AZ, and San Diego CA. While on vacation, they are busy picking up new ideas along the way. Their passion for gardening follows them wherever they venture.
If you would like more information about events there contact them by email at thefarm@owgarden.com or call 740-309-3811. Visit their website at www.owgarden.com or visit their Facebook page for more detailed information. They are located just a few miles off the I-70 Quaker City exit.
They are enthused about their new project and have so many ideas for the future. Jeff commented, “We can’t wait to see what the next five years bring to The Farm!”
Gypsy Road Trip 