Dogpatch Urban Gardens

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Des Moines, IA
Dogpatch Urban Gardens

Dogpatch Urban Gardens Urban farm in Des Moines, Iowa supporting local & sustainable agriculture.

🥑 Healthy Salad Dressings
🌶️ Homesteading
💚 Creating Content to Help Gardens Thrive
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Dogpatch Urban Gardens (D.U.G.) is a small-scale market garden growing produce naturally with organic principles and sustainable methods. We never use any form of synthetic chemicals on the plot including artificial pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Our mission is, "Inspiring the health of humans, our community, and the land." We specialize in growing organic salad greens but also do so much

more at the farm. We have a line of goods that we produce in our commercial kitchen. That includes salad dressings, elderberry syrup, herb salts, and more!

02/08/2025

Good things happening in our greenhouses!

01/23/2025

The greenhouse work begins!

01/21/2025

Attention to all GREEN THUMBS in — we have an exciting announcement!

This growing season, we are offering greenhouse rental space in our heated greenhouse. Think of our greenhouse as a “community greenhouse” where you can rent space, and we will grow your plants for you until they are ready for you to plant.

Greenhouse space is something we have discovered our community needs, and we are excited to offer a solution. You are responsible for planting your seeds, and then we will take it from there. We will grow your baby plants into healthy transplants for you to plant in your garden!

We are offering this service from February 17th - June 13th. We will manage all pests using organic methods (with beneficial insects) and all you need to do is pick up your plants when they are ready.

You will rent greenhouse benchtop space in 10x20 inch increments (the size of a typical tray.) The cost is $20 per space and there is a 10 tray minimum.

Space is limited, so don’t wait to sign up and get yourself some greenhouse space. Click the link in the comment section to sign up.

01/06/2025

This cold/snowy weather has me daydreaming about working in my garden. I’m flipping through seed catalogs and wrapping my brain around the planting plan for my home plot.

If you’re like me, and you’re thinking all things garden - let me know if I can help. If you have questions drop them in the comments, so we can work on planning together!

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas !
🎄🎁🎅🏼

12/12/2024

We got a puppy!

Say hello to the newest member of our family, Dolly.

For years, I have wanted a “scruffy mutt” and we found her! She was a stray in Oklahoma and brought her back to Iowa. Our family met her and knew she was the one!

Her and June are instant buddies and she is such a sweetheart.

She’s the perfect mutt, BUT what guesses do you have on her breed(s)?

12/05/2024

Here is a tutorial on how to make and bottle herb salts. These are great gifts, and the salt helps preserve the herbs so they last a long time!

11/26/2024

Keep our healthy salad dressings in mind while you are making your Thanksgiving grocery list. Our dressings are made with avocado oil, do not have any artificial sugar, are low in sodium, and are gluten-free! They are a great healthy addition to your holiday feast.

You can find our dressings on the shelves of stores, select , , local food coops, and on our website.

Maple Ginger and Lemon Garlic are the flavors I will be using for my Thanksgiving meals.

Here’s to keeping salads healthy!

11/24/2024

Make sure you’re aware of the current recall on some carrot brands!

EXPANDED RECALL - more carrots have been added to this recall.
Story: https://www.fox10tv.com/2024/11/22/more-products-added-carrot-recall-e-coli-sold-walmart-target-trader-joes-more/

11/23/2024

https://mailchi.mp/dogpatchurbangardens/thanksgivingsaladideas

Need some salad motivation for your Thanksgiving feast? Check out this week's email newsletter with many great salad recipes to inspire your holiday meal.

11/18/2024

My mini van is loaded with freshly made salad dressings! This load is getting prepared for our distributors in the Twin Cities and Eastern Iowa.

Keep our healthy salad dressings in mind as you’re planning for your Thanksgiving feast. They can help elevate your salad game.

You can find our products on the shelves in , select , and many local food coops. If there is a store you would like to see our product offered just let me know and I’ll do my best to get on their shelves!

11/12/2024

Today was a perfect day for manual labor in my home garden plot. I’ve been pretty limited in my ability to tend to the garden due to my recent knee surgery, but recovery is going well! My work pace was slow but it felt so nice to put some work in! I even had a buddy helping me today (check out photo 2 to see my companion).

It’s not every season that you get to work in the garden this late into the fall so I’m trying to enjoy this weather while I can!

11/06/2024

Today is garlic planting day at . The seed was sourced from our friends and the cloves are beautiful. After planting we mulched the bed with beautiful organic straw from .tatecarlson .

If you’re in Central Iowa it’s not too late to plant garlic. It’s a fun crop to grow and relatively low maintenance.

.josef

10/26/2024

The garden season is coming to an end and we have 1 more bed of carrots to harvest before our home plot is all cleared out.

Lewis and I attempted a harvest today, but the soil is so dry that we decided to pick enough for us to use in the kitchen. We will leave the rest of the bed in the ground and wait for some rain before we harvest again. The rain will help loosen the soil and make it easier to get the pitch fork under the carrots.

Carrots are a great fall/winter crop because they can handle cold weather and even taste sweeter after they are frost kissed! 🥕🥕🥕

10/25/2024

I spent the morning loading pallets of our salad dressings for our distributors. By early next week our distributors in the Twin Cities and Eastern Iowa will have a full restock!

Cheers to keeping salads healthy AND supporting local.

10/19/2024

Our business in undergoing some changes/transitions, so in this week's email I shared more details on the changes. Feel free to click the link to read and better understand where our business is and where it is heading.
https://mailchi.mp/dogpatchurbangardens/theroadahead

10/18/2024

and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary today! Thanks to for reminding me our marriage is now old enough to drive!

Address

4600 NW 51st Street
Des Moines, IA
50310

Telephone

+15158024304

Website

http://www.dogpatchurbangardens.com/

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Videos

Here is a tutorial on how to make and bottle herb salts. These are great gifts, and the salt helps preserve the herbs so they last a long time! #dogpatchurbangardens #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdsm #urbanfarming #homestead #marketgarden #farmher #vegetablegarden #Herbsalt #herbgarden #gardentips #gardening #garden #organicgardening #foodpreservation #iowahomestead #homesteadlife #homesteading

Here is a quick and easy way to chop/process dried herbs. All you need is a food processor or a clean coffee grinder. These tools quickly alter the herbs' state to make them easier to use in spice jars and to mix with other ingredients in the kitchen. #dogpatchurbangardens #herbsforhealing #herbsandspices #kitchenf #farmtotable #urbangardening #urbanfarming #marketgarden #homestead #homesteading #FarmToKitchen #organicfarming #herbgarden #gardening #gardeninglife #garden #gardentips #kitchentips #DesMoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #smallbusinessbigdreams

It’s the time of the season, to clean up the garden! Today I focused on cleaning out our tomato beds. I like to remove all the plants from the garden and take them to our burn pile. Tomato plants can harbor pests & diseases so I get them away from the grow plot and choose not to compost the plants. Now, our burn pile is stacked and ready for a fun night of s’mores with my family! #dogpatchurbangardens #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #catchdsm #desmoinessmallbusiness #urbanfarming #urbanfarming #marketgarden #homestead #homesteading #tomatoes #vegetablegarden #veggiegarden #organicgardening #gardening #gardentips #gardenideas #farmher #growfoodnotlawns #growfood #backyardfarming #backyardgardening

This is a must-have tool for your garden! The Hi-Lift Post Popper will save your back and make removing T-posts (and other large stakes) an easy task. It’s one of those tools that makes me wonder what I did before I owned it! #dogpatchurbangardens #garden #urbangardening #marketgarden #gardening #gardentools #gardenhacks #organicgardening #vegetablegarden #veggiegarden #flowergarden #flowerfarm #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #homestead #homesteading #farmher #growfood

This season, I planted two different varieties of rosemary - Barbeque and Officinalis. Both were top sellers at our Garden Center and I was curious which would perform better. My conclusion is I will continue to grow BBQ and stop growing Officinalis. Here are the main reasons : higher yield, better color after drying, and more fragrant. Keep this info in mind as you’re planning for your garden next spring! On a side note, I’m located in zone 5b and have had little to no success with rosemary surviving through the winter. Instead of trying to overwinter, I do a mass harvest in the fall and plant new plants in the spring. #dogpatchurbangardens #herbs #rosemary #herbgarden #veggiegarden #vegetablegarden #organicgardening #organicgarden #organic #homestead #gardentips #homesteading #growfood #desmoines #desmoinesiowa #dsmusa #FarmHer

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

Shortcuts

Cultivating Community through urban farming

Dogpatch Urban Gardens (D.U.G.) is a small-scale market garden growing produce naturally with organic principles, and sustainable methods, on ¼ an acre of land. We never use any form of synthetic chemicals on the plot including artificial pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. WHO WE ARE – A family run farm passionate about health, community, education, and the environment. WHAT WE DO – Cultivate fresh, nutritious, and flavorful produce in the Northern Beaverdale area. HOW WE DO IT – Use sustainable, organic, and biointensive farm methods to produce high yields on a minimal amount of land while maintaining the integrity of the environment. WHAT WE VALUE · Health/Nutrition · Building community · Environmental Conservation · Education · Family Values – hard work, resilience, commitment, dependability · Organic principles (No use of synthetic chemicals) · Enhancing soil quality · Professionalism The farm is built on a foundation which the successful market gardener, Jean Martin Fortier states the best, “Grow better, not bigger.” Small-scale farming has its advantages because it allows for me to “know my crops.” Since the land is small I am constantly interacting with every square foot of the crops and I can recognize any potential issues involving the soil, pests, weeds, etc. Growing on a smaller scale also allows me to focus on creating high quality and fresh produce. I am able to harvest within just days of distribution! Imagine a farm that not only provides you and your family with healthy, delicious, and local food but a farm that does all this while positively interacting with the environment. Hopefully the visual you created in your mind is that of Dogpatch Urban Gardens. I can’t wait to grow for you and with you!