By Cindy Hadish/for Iowa Gardener Patti and Rich Hannan turned a problem area of their backyard into a plus. “This really wasn’t a garden seven years ago,” Patti said of the landscaped shade garden, ascending behind the couple’s home in a historic Council Bluffs neighborhood. “Since it’s so shady, we couldn’t get the grass to […]
Prepare for first frost of fall this wee...
If your Iowa garden hasn’t already been hit by frost this season, it more than likely will this week. Late October is already past the average first frost date for fall in most parts of Iowa, so it should come as no surprise. The National Weather Service is forecasting much colder temperatures this Tuesday, Oct. […]
Loss for local foods in Iowa as QC Food ...
DAVENPORT – Customers lined up inside the Quad Cities Food Hub’s market store on Saturday, Oct. 21, to grab the last items at a discount before the store permanently closed its doors. The nonprofit organization lost its major grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Nicole McLaughlin, as the end of the last day […]
Seven stunning Iowa state parks to visit...
Fall colors are at their peak for the last two weeks of October, so now is the perfect time to plan a fall foliage trip. Related: Timing for Iowa’s fall colors The Iowa Department of Natural Resources offered the following suggestions for places to visit to view fall colors: Pikes Peak State Park The northeast […]
Photos: Farm-to-Table night on an Iowa f...
Morning Glory, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm near Mount Vernon, Iowa, recently thanked volunteers with an appreciation picnic, sourced with ingredients straight from the farm. Donna Warhover, who operates the farm with her husband, Bill, hosted nearly 40 people at the farm on a beautiful Iowa evening, noting that the volunteers play a large […]
Iowa, and the nation, face tipping point...
By Cindy Hadish/for IowaWatch and Huffington Post Several times a week, Lou Stepanek drives to the Hiawatha Care Center in Iowa to spend time with someone who hasn’t seemed to recognize him for more than a decade: his wife. “We knew it was a fatal disease,” Lou, 88, a stoic retired police captain, said of […]
Sneak peek: New Trader Joe’s in Coralvil
CORALVILLE – Trader Joe’s fans in Eastern Iowa will soon find Two Buck Chuck – at just over two bucks – and other favorites at the grocery chain’s new store in Coralville. Located at 920 Ponseti Way in the Iowa River Landing, the new 13,000-square-foot store is just the second Trader Joe’s in Iowa. The […]
Back from brink of extinction: Trumpeter...
Once pushed to the brink of extinction by hunters selling their skin, feathers, meat and eggs, trumpeter swans have made an incredible comeback, thanks to an international treaty and wetlands restoration efforts. Iowa is now at the forefront of research to better understand the habits of this protected species. Related: Iowans charged with shooting trumpeter […]
Photos: CzechFest and Goulash Day in Ced...
CEDAR RAPIDS – A longtime tradition, the St. Wenceslaus Goulash Day, has coincided in recent years with CzechFest in Czech Village. In 2016, both festivals were canceled due to near-record flooding in Cedar Rapids. Instead of pitching in as normal at the festivals, volunteers turned their attention to sand-bagging efforts that weekend. This year, September […]
Stewards of the land: Van Horne family l...
By Cindy Hadish/for Radish Magazine VAN HORNE – As many farmers are forced to expand their operations to stay in business, Ann and Eric Franzenburg intentionally found ways to keep their farm small. The couple, along with their three adult children, operate Pheasant Run Farm near Van Horne, Iowa, which supplies fresh cut flowers, produce […]