I can’t imagine that too many Iowa gardeners will be planting potatoes in accordance with the Good Friday tradition this year. The ground currently is too cold and soggy to plant potatoes or much of anything else and Good Friday falls on March 29 this year – the earliest it’s been in five years.
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Year: 2013
Viticulture: First look at the Kirkwood ...
We made our first foray into the Kirkwood vineyard during tonight’s viticulture course. Our instructor, Lucas McIntire, warned us of the muddy mess, but once we walked to the hillside, the ground was in better shape. March is prime pruning time for grapevines, especially with the frigid weather we’ve been experiencing this spring in Iowa. […]
Linn County ISU Extension & Outreach cel
You never know what you might learn when you run into a master gardener. Linn County Master Gardener, Debbie Main, said she will be replacing some of her perennials that didn’t survive last year’s drought with edible plants later this spring.
Last frost dates and starting seeds indo...
UPDATED: March 15, 2015 Ahh, what a difference a year, or two, can make. I wrote this two years ago, when there was still snow on the ground in late March. For the most part this week, Eastern Iowa has experienced warming temperatures and the snow is nearly gone. What a perfect time to start […]
Coralville fined for wastewater violatio...
The city of Coralville was ordered to pay a $6,500 penalty for violations stemming from an explosion in a sludge storage tank at the city’s wastewater treatment facility in 2010. That explosion significantly damaged the storage system and seriously injured the certified operator, Brian Lamansky.
Call for farmers markets
Dozens of seasonal farmers markets operate during warm-weather months in Eastern Iowa. I’m compiling a list of those to share with readers of several fabulous newspapers in the area. If you are a market manager or a vendor or know of any farmers markets you would like to have included in the list, please leave […]
Happy Spring?
I’m not complaining. Really. But by now, on March 20, the first day of spring, I would have hoped Iowa would look and feel a bit more springlike. Instead, snow covers the ground, temperatures are in the teens and we do have a “nice” March breeze, or more accurately, frigid gusty winds. I think many […]
Ice jam causes flooding in Cedar Rapids;...
Those of you with flooded basements already realize the havoc that Mother Nature can wreak at this time of year. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources passed along this information today – Thursday, March 14, 2013 – about other types of flooding happening in Cedar Rapids and elsewhere in Iowa: CEDAR RAPIDS — Localized flooding […]
Four seasons celebrated with four events
Today’s weather offers hope that spring is on the way and this news, from the city of Cedar Rapids, is a reminder that the new season officially begins in less than one week! Cedar Rapids – The City of Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation Department’s Ushers Ferry Historic Village, Indian Creek Nature Center, Matthew 25, […]
Who eats their veggies?
According to new Gallup well-being rankings, doctors in the United States lead all major occupational groups in overall well being, followed by school teachers and business owners. Transportation workers have the lowest well-being scores, behind manufacturing and production workers.