Snow covers the branches of a corkscrew willow following a January 2013 snowstorm in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
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 and beyond. Find the calendar by clicking on the events tab at the top of this page. If you’re already growing hungry for that first bite of homegrown food, check out the list of winter farmers markets on this site. Small, but mighty, you can find the best and freshest local foods at these markets.
If you don’t have much land for gardening, read the “On the Fence” post about city-leased gardens and find what goes into good soil in “Compost Happens.” One of the biggest gardening events of the year is happening this month when the Winter Gardening Fair comes to Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. An overview of the fair is included on this site, with more information to come.
This is only the beginning for the new Homegrown! With my tech-savvy crew, we plan videos and more to be added in coming days, weeks and months. Please share your insights by adding a comment and let me know what you’d like to learn about gardening, environmental initiatives, urban chickens, local foods and other eco-topics of interest to Iowans. Thanks for checking in!
Cindy,
Winter is the PERFECT time to start a gardening website! This is the time of the year when all things are possible: no wilt, no powdery mildew, no Japanese beetles!
I look forward to reading more!
Agreed, Steve!
Fresh starts with no worries!
Cindy, please contact my wife, Julia Wasson, publisher of Blue Planet Green Living.com, as I am sure you both have much in common. Then, please come visit my store, ReStore of Cedar Rapids, at 350, 6th Ave, SE, and say “Hi”. I have much need of a master gardener. Thanks, Joe
Hey Cindy everyone like you and I should know the benifits and importance of composting, especially gardeners. Where we used to live the yards were to small but for a few vegetables, so some of my neighbors used the small space for composting only. After the thaw they would bushel up the usable product and take it to their larger rental gardens that you have spoken of. It’s a better and cheaper way to fertilize and sometimes they would get surprize vegetables from a rogue seed. I would help one such person and my benefits (once ripe) were also fruitful and of couse super fresh with no pesticides. Love your site even though I’m from north of the border. Gardens are everywhere and for everyone. Barndoor
More compost/no pesticides – that’s a great tip, especially for people with limited space! I’ve often had better success with my “rogue” tomatoes, etc., than the ones I’ve cultivated.
Check out the Harshbarger Hosta Society page on facebook! I think you & your followers will like it! Many photos and local info. And I’m told it will have info on the upcoming 2014 National Hosta Convention in Cedar Rapids sponsored the HHS!