CEDAR RAPIDS – Who can blame Kirkwood Viticulture Instructor, Lucas McIntire, for being in what I can only describe as a state of grape Nirvana. At our most recent class, the weather was Iowa-perfect and early grapes were good to go, allowing us to not only harvest the fruit of the vineyard, but to take […]
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Tag: Kirkwood
Viticulture: Night of the netting
I have to admit, I wasn’t particularly thrilled to hear we would be putting up bird netting during our viticulture class this week at Kirkwood Community College. I’ve tried bird netting on various plants. While useful, it’s not the easiest gardening tool to work with, often becoming tangled on branches or wire or body parts. […]
Vineyard trellis-building and “wine” jok
Anyone who regularly drives Interstate 380 south of Cedar Rapids knows about the Nesper sign jokes, those often-corny puns that flash across the giant electronic billboard alongside the interstate. Tonight’s joke was particularly fitting as I drove to Kirkwood Community College for Viticulture class… “What did the grape do when it got stepped on? It […]
Weekend photo gallery: Eco-Fest in Cedar...
Many volunteers and environmental groups joined together Saturday, April 20, for Eco-Fest 2013. Events were held throughout the New Bohemia district in southeast Cedar Rapids, including NewBo City Market, CSPS and the Cherry Building. After a week of rain and cold temperatures, the sun made an appearance, just in time for this early celebration of […]
Viticulture: the Lesser Babka
CEDAR RAPIDS – I thought I wouldn’t be ruthless enough during our viticulture class tonight at Kirkwood Community College. The opposite proved true.
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. […]
Viticulture: Week two, or three
Snowstorms canceled two of our four Vineyard Management classes at Kirkwood Community College in February, and the weather trend seems to be continuing. I know our instructor, Lucas McIntire, would like to get started on pruning lessons, but as the winds picked up and snow began to fly even today – in mid-March – the […]
Drought superheroes and blueberries; mol...
How I wish I had taken Linn County Master Gardener Deb Walser’s blueberry workshop 10 years ago. I planted two blueberries back then and the plants languished until last spring, when I finally decided to relocate them. They probably just needed more sun, I decided. That was, of course, the lead-off to Iowa’s drought. As […]
See you at the fair!
I’m looking forward to Saturday’s Winter Gardening Fair and hope to meet many of you at Kirkwood. I’ll be taking classes on Lawn & Garden Myths; Drought Superheroes; Blueberries and Vertical Gardening.
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. […]