We’re only at the PowerPoint stage, but I have a feeling that the Vineyard Management courses I’m taking at Kirkwood Community College will turn into an incredible hands-on experience. Classes, which run from February through September, cover the basics of establishing a vineyard; costs; planting; pruning; trellis construction and more.
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Year: 2013
Master gardener classes open at Winter G...
UPDATE (Feb. 14, 2013): Kirkwood has closed the online enrollments so they can send confirmations to the enrollees. However, people can walk in on Saturday and register for the classes. There will be a registration desk with a Kirkwood representative to help. One of the biggest gardening events of the year happens this Saturday, Feb. […]
Iowa apple losses detailed in new USDA r...
Remember last spring’s wacky weather? Iowa apple growers would probably rather not. Warm weather early in the spring that prompted trees to bud was followed by frost and a summer drought that devastated many orchards. Proof of the losses came in this report just issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The statistics show the […]
Iowa’s Endangered Species
Friend and fellow gardener, Orlan Love, put together a list of Endangered Species in Iowa, with the status of the stately Northern Monkshood, pink-lipped Indiana bat, pretty Piping Plover and more. If you missed it in today’s Gazette, find it here.
Making (mystery) tracks in Cedar Rapids,...
Squirrels and rabbits are common visitors in my neighborhood in northeast Cedar Rapids, along with the occasional raccoon or opossum. But these tracks through the snow earlier this week surprised me. They seemed quite deep, so I wondered if it could have been a heavier animal, such as a deer. In more than 15 years […]
Farmers Market reminder
Lena Gilbert, market master for the Springville Farmers Market, passed along a reminder about this Saturday’s market, which runs from 9-11 a.m. Feb. 9 at the Springville Community Center on Broadway Street. The location is easy to find by following the signs in Springville. There will be live harp music and items for sale include: […]
Iowa City’s “Come to the Table” aims to
Living in the bread basket of the world, it’s eye-opening to realize that most of the food we Iowans buy is imported from other states and countries. We’ve been lucky to have groups like the Iowa Valley RC&D and now the Field to Family Regional Food Coalition, which work to increase the accessibility […]
Iowa CSA numbers grow; how you can find ...
I’ve witnessed inspiring Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs at Grinnell Heritage Farm and at Laura Krouse’s Abbe Hills Farm near Mount Vernon and am always happy to spread the word about these great initiatives. Members of a CSA receive weekly shares of a farm’s fresh produce for several months during the growing season and in […]
Welcome to the new Homegrown!
Winter might seem a less-than-optimal time to launch a gardening website, even with the springlike day Iowans enjoyed in January. But seasoned gardeners know this is the time to move beyond dreaming, and into the preparation phase of growing. To that end, a good number of gardening workshops and classes are scheduled for this month […]
Winter Gardening Fair set for Feb. 16 in...
Every year, I learn something new at the Winter Gardening Fair that I can use once the weather warms. This year, I’m taking classes on blueberries, vertical gardening and more at the Feb. 16, 2013, event at Kirkwood Community College, sponsored by the ISU Extension Linn County Master Gardeners.