Now is the perfect time to do a final weeding of your garden beds. Many of the weeds are dried out and can be easier to pull. This helps to eliminate the spreading of weed seeds and lessening your weed pressure in the spring.
I do not recommend putting weeds in your compost pile (unless you’re a composting guru). Many times the weed seeds can be redistributed when you apply the compost to your beds.
Instead, I love to burn the weeds and celebrate with some s’mores!
#dogpatchurbangarden #fallgarden #gardening #garden #gardeningtips #weeding #urbanfarming #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #homestead #homesteading #homesteadlife
The conditions this fall have been hot, dry, and at times very windy. These conditions cause soil moisture levels to dry out quickly, so make sure you are keeping a close watch on your watering. If you have perennials (especially ones that are newly planted), be sure to give them a deep watering once every 1-2 weeks. You want to make sure the root zone has moisture, so the plants can get well-established and anchored into the soil!
#dogpatchurbangardens #gardentips #gardeningtips #gardening #perennials #urbanfarming #marketgarden #homesteading #homestead #garden #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdsm
We all know the saying, “When one door closes, another one opens.” This hits close to home right now as we officially said goodbye to the Air BnB/FarmStand property today. While I’m closing (multiple) doors on the property, so many new opportunities are going to arise!
Many people have asked, “What’s next for me.” The honest answer is I’m intentionally not diving into anything new right now. I’m taking advantage of my new gift of TIME. I’m focusing on my family, my health, and whatever I want to do!
I’ll need to get used to more downtime but this is something I’m ready to embrace. Here are some things I’m excited about: the changing of seasons, fireplace hangout sessions, coaching my boy’s basketball teams, free time with Eric, experimenting in my kitchen, hiking with June, and designing our new and improved backyard garden.
One thing to keep in mind, the Dogpatch Urban Gardens brand is not going anywhere. It will change, but we are still producing salad dressings, helping with garden consultations, participating in community events, and creating garden/homestead content.
Onward & upward!
#dogpatchurbangardens #urbanfarming #marketgarden #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdsm #Iowa #supportlocal #shoplocal #desmoinessmallbusiness
Thank God for physics! This simple lever is a critical tool for removing rebar.
I’m in the process of relocating caterpillar tunnels and this rebar remover is a gem of a tool! It’s a major back and time saver, and I highly recommend it for anyone working with rebar.
As I used this tool I kept thinking of the great Pat Summit and her quote, “Don’t just work hard, work smart.”
#dogpatchurbangardens #UrbanFarming #urbanfarm #farmtools #farmhacks #caterpillartunnel #marketgarden #homesteading #homestead #homesteadlife #growfood #vegetablegarden #desmoines #farmher #DSMUSA
To say we ended with a bang would be an understatement! Flannel Fest was the perfect send-off for our farm. I’m so grateful for all the vendors, employees, and customers who made the day memorable.
Both @ericquinerrealtor and I loved being about to host one last community event on our property. We have worked hard to build/support our #desmoines community and yesterday’s turnout was so much appreciated.
It was nice to be able to talk to so many of you, but I do know I missed a lot of people. We were so busy at the FarmStand that it was hard for me to mingle!
Thank you all who made the day so special!
#dogpatchurbangardens #FlannelFest #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdsm #shopsmallbusiness #shoplocaldesmoines #shopsmalldesmoines #urbanfarming #farmersmarket #marketgarden #greenhouse
Unpopular opinion - as a grower, I’m not a big fan of tomatoes. I don’t geek out over all the various types and flavors because frankly they’re not my favorite thing to eat.
I know I may be an outcast for saying this, but at least my pup gets excited for tomatoes! Please tell me I’m not the only grower that can take or leave tomatoes.
That said, I just picked one of my last tomato harvests for the season. Production is slowing down and we are forecasted to have quite a bit of rain this weekend. Knowing the rain is coming, I went heavy on the harvest to prevent the fruit splitting on the vine. I’ll start pulling plants in the next week or so and begin some fall garden clean up!
#dogpatchurbangardens #tomato #tomatoes #corgi #cowgirlcorgi #marketgardening #urbanfarming #homesteading #homestead #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdsm #FarmHer #vegetablegarden #veggiegarden
On Sunday, we hosted a magical FarmStand to Fork dinner. We hosted chef Ian Robertson and his crew from @oakparkdsm. The weather was perfect, the food was phenomenal, the vibes were strong, the energy was high, and memories were made!
#dogpatchurbangardens #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdsm #desmoinesfoodie #desmoinesculture #desmoinesdoesthings #farmstandtofork #farmtotable
Our 2nd annual Flannel Fest is set for Sunday, September 29th.
Applications are now open if you are a local vendor and would like to participate in this fun-filled event! This year's fest will be even bigger and better than last year.
Please share with any vendors that may be interested in participating.
The link to apply is in the comments.
NOW is the time to plant any fall crops. The window to plant fall crops (here in Zone 5b) is slim and if you seed them too late there won’t be enough time for them to grow before hard frosts hit us.
The tricky part with fall gardens is finding the space to plant them! This is the time of the season when summer crops are in full-on production mode, and it can be hard to have free space for fall crops. This season, we dealt with bacterial wilt on our tomatoes and cucumbers and ended up pulling out roughly half our plants. It’s never fun to deal with disease, BUT it allowed us to have open space for fall crops. Sometimes things just work out the way they are supposed to!
To have the most abundant fall garden, you want to make sure your seeds have a high germination rate. This can be tricky in the summer because it is hot outside and beds dry out fast. Using a frost blanket is a great way to keep moisture levels in the bed and facilitate higher germination rates.
Remember, the more you know the better you grow!
#dogpatchurbangardens #urbanfarming #marketgardening #autumngarden #garden #gardening #gardeninglife #gardeningtips #growfood #veggiegardening #veggiegarden #vegetablegarden #organicgardening #organic #homestead #homesteading #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdsm #farmher
If you’re on our email list, you saw the news that Saturday, August 3rd will be the last day our FarmStand will be open for the season. We are starting to put items on sale and this weekend we have all plants, compost, mulch, & potting soil at 50% off.
Perennials can be planted throughout the summer, and this weather makes for great planting conditions. The cooler temps are great for getting the perennials planted and established. Just make sure you are keeping them watered and have nice fertile soil.
Our plants are healthy and thriving (this is not like the clearance section at big box stores where they are on the brink of death).
Here’s a list of items we have in stock: Herbs, Roses, Peony, Echinacea, Aruncus, Amsonia, Eryngium, Bergenia, Nepeta, Salvia, Euphorbia, Natives, Grasses, Ajunca, Mangave, Heuchera, Hosta, Aruncus, Athyrium, Dryopt, Clematis, Chicago Boxwood, Pumilo Mugho Pine, Tiger Eyes Sumac, Autumn Magic Chokeberry, Show Off Forsythia, Glowing Embers Big Leaf Hydrangea, Blue Wave Big Leaf Hydrangea, Limelight Hydrangea, Pee Gee Hydrangea, Little Quick Fire Hydrangea, Chicago Lustra Binurnum, Charles Joly Lilac, Tiny Wine Ninebark, Crimson Pygmy Barberry, Dwarf Korean Lilac, Bloomerant Dark Purple Lilac, Spilled Wine Weigela, Black Lace Elderberry, Madonna Elderberry, Fine Line Buckthorn, Kalmium St Johnswort, Sunny Knockout Rose, Arctic Fire Red Dogwood, Red Drift Rose
#dogpatchurbangardens #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdsm #plantsale #desmoinesfoodie #johnstoniowa #beaverdaleiowa #urbandaleiowa
It was so great to feature Chef Grant Gillon at last night's FarmStand to Fork dinner. He is the first @masterchefonfox winner to cook in our kitchen and did a fantastic job!
Cheers to our local food champions.
#dogpatchurbangardens #farmstandtofork #farmtotable #farmtotabledinner #masterchef #MasterChefCelebrity #gordonramsay #eatlocal #eatfresh #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdsm #desmoinesfoodie #supportlocal #supportsmallbusinessowners #collaboration #growfood #agritourism #smallfarm #urbanfarming #marketgarden
Another fantastic kitchen tool for processing your harvests is the Robot Coupe food processor.
People in the food industry know how much of a beast this product is! It can grate zucchini (which I love to use for bread) in no time. I also use the Robot Coupe to make hummus, pesto, dressings, and more! It’s a very versatile tool.
These things aren’t cheap, BUT I got mine for a steal of a deal at a restaurant auction. You can add this to your kitchen without breaking the bank with the right kind of sleuthing.
#dogpatchurbangardens #harvest #kitchen #zucchini #summersquash #vegetables #veggies #urbanfarming #marketgarden #vegetablegarden #veggiegarden #homestead #homesteading #growfood #growfoodnotlawns #bounty #Organic #organicgardening #inthekitchen #gardentips #farmher #desmoines #dsumsa #catchdsm #desmoinesiowa #desmoinesfoodie
We have you covered if you’re hunting for fresh, organically-grown produce! The DUG FarmStand is stocked and ready for your tables.
We are open daily from 10-3 (closed on Monday).
See ya soon!
5085 Meredith Drive #desmoines
#desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdesmoines #catchdsm #desmoinesfoodie #dogpatchurbangardens
This simple kitchen gadget gets a lot of use during the zucchini season. The veggie spiralizer works wonders when making zoodles! You can also spiralize other veggies as well.
I recently made a Pad Thai recipe and swapped out noodles with zoodles and it was a hit! Not only was it more nutritious but the flavor was amazing! I’m sharing the recipe in Saturday's newsletter, so keep an eye on your inbox for that gem!
#dogpatchurbangardens #zoodles #zucchini #zucchininoodles #nutrition #garden #harvest #freshveggies #gardentips #organic #organicgardening #organicgarden #vegetablegarden #vegetablegardening #homestead #homesteading #growfood #eatfresh #cooking #desmoines #desmoinesfoodie #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdsm #farmher
