By Cindy Hadish/for Radish Magazine Rhonda Dunn is interested in growing food, but not the way her mother gardened. “She’d till every spring and hoe it and weed it,” said Dunn, an Iowa City nurse practitioner. “That was the way she knew and it worked for her, but I don’t want to be out hoeing […]
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Month: August 2014
Greene Square Park moving into the futur...
CEDAR RAPIDS – The city’s oldest park will retain some of its past in the future. Renovation of Greene Square Park is targeted to begin next spring, with the previous design plan scrapped after public input. See the preliminary concept here. Heather Lynxwiler, an architect with OPN Architects, said that initial plan, with a curved […]
Mystery insect ID at the farm
Many Eastern Iowans know my sister, Margaret Wolter, from her years as a naturalist at the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids. While she is now dedicating her work to teaching preschoolers, she still keeps nature at the forefront.
Brucemore photo gallery and awesome, eas...
CEDAR RAPIDS – Gardeners are generally hardy people who don’t mind a little rain, but a steady deluge slowed the usual crowds that flock to the Brucemore Garden & Art Show, at least in the morning. By afternoon, those crowds started to show up, just in time for educational sessions on Midwestern garden grottos, healthy […]
Garden party, solar food dehydrator demo...
IOWA CITY – Two events coming up in Iowa City in coming days offer great opportunities to expand your gardening knowledge. This Sunday, Aug. 24, New Pioneer Food Co-op is hosting a garden party at Earth Source Gardens. The following day, Aug. 25, Backyard Abundance is offering a solar food dehydrator demonstration, to put all […]
Vacant flood lot proves value as garden ...
CEDAR RAPIDS – While the city awaits its fabled casino to appear on a large swath of vacant prime real estate and threatens a nearby gardener with legal action for taking care of a smaller plot of vacant land, here is what is happening at our little Czech garden. The garden was planted this spring […]
August events in Eastern Iowa include da...
(Updated Aug. 22) Summer isn’t quite over yet, as events scheduled for later this month attest. The next Downtown Farmers Market in Cedar Rapids isn’t until Sept. 6, but others are ongoing, with most running through the end of August. See the Homegrown list of markets for details. This weekend, the Cedar Valley Iris & […]
Tomatoes still green? This could be the ...
Iowa’s unseasonably cool nights this August may be perfect for sleeping, but temperatures are among the factors that play a role in our gardens. I’ve heard from several gardeners whose tomatoes are slow to ripen this year, and Linn County Master Gardeners who take calls at the “Hortline” for Iowa State University Extension, are hearing […]
Brucemore Garden & Art Show returns with
CEDAR RAPIDS – As of today, Eastern Iowa’s weather doesn’t get much better than this, and hopefully, that will hold out for the upcoming Brucemore Garden & Art Show. If you enjoy lovely formal gardens, want to learn more about seed saving techniques from expert Master Gardeners, make simple summer appetizers (and get to sample […]
Cedar Rapids man ordered to remove garde...
By Cindy Hadish/Homegrown Iowan CEDAR RAPIDS – In a city that touts itself as a healthy, “Blue Zones” community, Ed Thornton faces a trespassing violation. His crime? Growing vegetables. “If I’m doing something and it’s not hurting anyone, why am I being punished for it?” Thornton asked of his garden, which he started 4 years […]