Mowing is fun!

Sitting here enjoying a cup of hot chocolate while looking out the window at the first snowflakes of the 2018-2019 winter season while reflecting on a memorable summer and fall. Even though the last four months have been a roller coaster of emotions, I have enjoyed 2018. Weird, I know!

Fellow gardeners, I have a feeling you might find this odd, but one of the highlights of my summer was lawn mowing.  Please note, I have not had to mow in over 30 years as I lived in the New Mexico desert, and my home had a rock yard. At the beginning of the summer, my older brother, Forrest, invited me to mow his property in Winneshiek County. The reason for agreeing to mow my brother's property was three-fold. At the beginning of summer, I was looking for opportunities to increase the number of steps I walk each week. Curves Decorah, of which I'm a member, challenged its members to increase the number of steps they walk weekly, and I wanted to be on the winning team. I also have the desire to be an active member of my family, and helping my brothers on their farms fulfills this need. Finally, it is very peaceful on the farm, and spending the day allows me to be alone and think.

The 40 acres Skunk Farm located off the main road at the end of an unmaintained lane offers an opportunity to be alone. Yes, I did say Skunk Farm. I'm not sure why it is called the Skunk Farm, but based on the stories, dad told me I am assuming that there used to be lots of skunks that lived in that area. Knock on wood! I have never seen a skunk while I have been back there. The Skunk Farm means a lot to the family as our father lived there when he started first grade. I am sure everyone in the family remembers hearing dad's stories about walking through the knee-deep snow from the Skunk Farm to the Hesper schoolhouse one and a half miles away. This summer, I traveled in dad's footsteps at least twice a week to mow.

The walk is very relaxing. The lane is lined with trees, barb-wire fences, fallen trees, bushes, vines heavy with delicious berries, a bubbling stream, and flowers.

The Skunk Farm sits quietly nestled in a scenic valley outside of Hesper, IA. If you are one of the many that think Iowa is flat, you need to visit the Driftless Area.

Mowing the Skunk Farm pasture was an adventure that created memories that I will never forget. Forrest likes to keep the pasture surrounding the little cabin and the path to the outhouse mowed. I eagerly thought mowing would be much easier than it turned out to be. Having lived in New Mexico, most of my adult life, I have not had to mow in over 30 years, plus the fact that the lawnmower was self-propelled made it extremely challenging. It took me all summer to acclimate to the heat, humidity, exercise, and get used to using a self-propelled mower.

   

Lessons Learned

In addition to a summer of reflections, it was also a summer of lessons. Below are three lessons that I learned as a result of mowing this summer at the Skunk Farm.

Lesson number one: I quickly found out that mowing a pasture is a lot more difficult than mowing a lawn, and it is important to wear work boots. The ground was very uneven, and the ankle-length dress boots with flat heels that I wore on the first day were just not going to work. Those dress boots almost caused me to twist my ankle; I struggled to control the lawnmower on the gentle slopes. I almost fell flat on my face as I chased a runaway lawnmower.

Lesson number two: A self-propelled mower can be very dangerous to use if you are not used to pushing a lawnmower, and you aren't paying attention. This summer turned out to be an adventure as I struggled to get used to mowing with a self-propelled mower. By the end of the summer, I felt comfortable using the mower and did not end up with any wounds to show for my time behind the handle.

Lesson number three: I also learned that it helps to minimize the number of objects in the yard to mow around. At the Skunk Farm, I had to mow around the outhouse, two picnic tables, fire pit, two logs next to the fire pit, the cabin, and a few trees, which cause it to be challenging. The trees and drop-offs are surrounding the east side of the property.edge. Are you wondering if I went off the edge or not? There were many close calls, but never did I go over the edge. 

I hope that Forrest asks me to mow again next year.

  

Kid Fun

The Pinter family is hosting Pizza on the Farm again this year. On Friday, July 20th and August 17th, Pinter’s Gardens & Pumpkins will open the playground from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. for Pizza on the Farm. Spend three hours of outdoor family fun with your family.

Pinter’s playground is acres of family fun with games for all ages. Family fun games include the bouncing pillow, mega slide, garden size checkers and chess, sandbox, pedal karts, bag tossing, ball zone, bocci ball pits, tractor and tire swing sets, tire maze, and old fashioned tetherball. The playground is also the summer home to Pinter’s four-legged fuzzy friends. The cost to enter the playground is $6 per person for kids over three, youth, and adults. Kids 3 and under are free.

No need to worry about making dinner before heading out to the farm. The Pinter family will be on hand to bake homemade pizzas with ultra-thin crust in their outdoor brick oven. Pizzas are only $10 each and easily serve 2 adults and 2 children. The author’s favorite pizza is double cheese. Other toppings are available. The wait is not as long as it only takes 90 seconds to bake. Make sure to stay around and watch your pizza bake. Before you call it a night. Check out the bakery and try a delicious homemade cupcake or tasty homemade fudge. If you are looking for something that is not sweet, try a bag of flavored popcorn made onsite. Hint: Purchase a six-pack of fudge to take home with you or give as a gift.

If you are like the author and don’t have any kids to bring with you, don’t let that stop you. Invite your friends or family to join you on the patio surrounded by beautiful gardens while enjoying a freshly baked pizza. Wine and soft drinks are available for sale.

The garden center and gift shop will be open during regular hours and will remain open during Pizza on the Farm so plan on including the time to shop. Or come early to do your shopping so you don’t miss out on any fun.

Pinter’s Gardens & Pumpkins is located 4 miles west of Decorah on State Hwy. 9. Advance tickets for the playground can be purchased online at EventBrite.com. If you have any questions, contact Pinter’s at 563-382-0010 or info@pintersmail.com.

Daylilies Now My Favorite Flower

Last July, I was introduced to nearby Oak Hill Farm after seeing their ad in Inspire(d) Magazine They are locally known for the beautiful daylilies they grow on the family farm. Almost immediately after seeing the ad, I saw a friend's post on Facebook describing her trip to purchase daylilies. After reading her post and seeing her pictures, I was anxious for the weekend so that we could visit the farm. On Saturday, Tony and I took a quick trip across the border to  Preston, MN, to visit Oak Hill Farm and tour their flower beds. The farm was easy to find as it located on State Highway 52, 4 miles south of Preston. Watch for the large welcome sign on the west side of the road if you plan to visit.

As I drove down the driveway surrounded by cornfields, we rounded the corner and came upon a historic stone farmhouse and two rustic barns. The home and farm buildings surrounded by manicured lawns and spectacular flower beds greeted us. Tony and I spent the afternoon chatting with the owners, walking among the flowers while drinking a cold drink provided free by the owners, and taking pictures made for a relaxing afternoon. Not only did Tony and I tour the gardens, but we also went home with three healthy plants. 

The pictures above are the result of our efforts last July. After removing rocks and weeds, we added fertilized enhance soil and watered the new plants every morning during the hot Iowa summer weather. After crossing our fingers all winter and spring that they would survive, we are pleased with the results. The plants are healthy, and the blooms are large and brightly colored.

It is time to plan another trip to Oak Hill Farm for this year's purchase. The big questions are how many and what colors.

Looking Out

Looking out and watching 10" of fresh wet snow coming down in the middle of April in NE, Iowa, was exciting. Going to town was out of the question; thus, leaving me with two choices for the day. Dress up in trendy winter outerwear and go outside to throw snowballs and make snowmen or spend the day planning this year's flower beds.

As a former community college instructor in Albuquerque, the life-skill curriculum included gardening. As one who enjoys hands-on activities, it was important to include an environmentally-friendly project in the lesson plan for the second week of class. Children will have an opportunity to create an origami seed pot out of a newspaper at Decorah's family-friendly garden center, Pinter's Gardens & Pumpkins, located 4 miles east of Decorah on State Hwy. 9 during their annual Spring Festival and Open House, April 28th and 29th. Reservations are required as space is limited. Go to Eventbrite to save your spot.

Want to make your own seed pots? Click on the video below to get started.

Is Social Media And Gardening a Good Mix?

 

One of the first lessons I learned as I began my journey to grow a garden in the New Mexico desert. Never buy the $1 pre-packaged flower mixtures at a dollar store. I never got flowers to grow, but I sure got weeds to grow and proliferate. Let's look at a mix that does make sense.

Social Media has become an important tool in my quest to become a proficient gardener. Social Media is defined by the online dictionary Merriam-Webster "as forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos)."

Facebook is an excellent Social Media resource for finding answers to questions. At the same time, Pinterest allows me to have a clutter-free home as I do not have to have shelves or boxes of scrapbooks that hold pictures, ideas, and answers. Now all this information is kept organized in virtual scrapbooks. Instagram is another Social Media tool that allows you to track your successes and failures in video and images. A blog is an excellent tool to track your gardening efforts. I use Blogger for this gardening blog, which I started in 2011. Now let's look at each of the Social Media tools listed above for a more in-depth look at how you can use them for your gardening efforts.

Google does not fit the definition of Social Media but felt it was worth mentioning because the internet is an amazing resource, and Google is used multiple times per day in my quest for information. If I have a question, Google makes searching the worldwide internet an easy way to find an answer.

Facebook is the number one Social Media tool that I use in my endeavor to become a successful gardener. In addition to sharing my gardening story with my Facebook family through posts, images, and videos, Facebook provides me with an opportunity to converse with other gardeners and find answers to my unending list of questions and as a motivational tool. Groups are a safe way to find answers to gardening questions because of the rules and administrators that monitor the posts.

The following are Facebook groups that I am a member of and find helpful. Some groups are specific to a certain region. Some groups provide general gardening information such as Gardening Today in Iowa; Iowa Vegetable Gardening; NMSU Sandoval County Master Gardeners; Straw Bale Garden; The Garden Professors blog; Bluff Country Master Gardeners; and Gardening USA.

A couple of reminders. First, this is a very limited sampling of groups that you can join. If you do not like a specific group, it is easy to leave the group. So search for groups that meet your needs and that you can enjoy belonging.

In addition to groups, you can follow your favorite farms, gardens, and gift shops on Facebook. Business pages are a great way to get ideas, get motivated, plan upcoming projects, and stay up-to-date on upcoming events. I am currently friends with the following businesses and have found them extremely beneficial:  Seed Savers Exchange, Decorah, IA; Mabel Flowers & Gifts, Mabel, MN; Heavenly Made by Linda Wolfs, Decorah, IA; Hidden Springs Flower Gardens, Spring Grove, MN; Oak Hills Day Lily Farms, Preston, MN; Pinters Garden and Pumpkins, Decorah, IA; and  Reiman Gardens, Ames, IA. If you have any suggestions for Facebook groups and friends for readers of this blog to a friend, please share links by posting a comment.

Pinterest is synonymous with motivation. As I mentioned in Below Zero, January 7, 2018,  Garden On The Rough blog article, I can lose track of time Pinterest for ideas and have to be disciplined when spending time on Pinterest. I am sure that you will agree that it is easy to lose track of time when using Pinterest, but I think that is okay because, in my opinion, it is the best source for ideas.

Check out my Garden on the Rough Pinterest board for ideas. Pinterest is most valuable when we can share ideas, so I hope you will post links to your gardening boards in a comment.

Instagram is the perfect platform to tell your story or, in my case, brag about my successes and whine about my failures with new and old friends. It is also a simple and fun means to keep in touch with my online gardening friends.

As an amateur photographer, flowers, vegetables, fruits, trees, fences, birdhouses, sky, and old buildings are excellent props that help me take professional-looking pictures. The palette of colors is a great help also.

Facebook has made it easier to utilize Instagram now that both accounts can be connected.

Blogger, owned by Google, is free. Free was appealing to me back in 2011 when I decided to start the Garden on the Rough blog and had no idea what I was doing.  I still enjoy using Blogger to this day and plan to continue using Blogger for the Garden on the Rough blog. I consider myself a storyteller and love sharing my stories and hope to entice others to share their stories, ideas, and pictures by posting comments as they read each article.

Below Zero

After a month of below zero weather, an uncontrollable urge to head outdoors to work out in the yard is taking over my thoughts. My mind is flooded with endless dreams of lush flower beds and handmade garden decorations.  I am thinking it would be a good idea to stay off Pinterest so I don't get overwhelmed with ideas. Having jumped on board the Pinterest bandwagon in 2010, I immediately found it addicting. There is no doubt that Pinterest will prevent me from completing my gardening chores if allowed to.

My biggest gardening challenge is keeping the beds weedless and looking good every day. I am looking for suggestions on how to stay motivated and disciplined. My fingers are crossed that this year I will be able to maintain the four beds in a blue ribbon fashion.

I guess the gardening bug (pun intended) is a part of my genetic makeup.  Never will I forgot the beautiful vegetable gardens my dad planted and cared for each year on the family farm in NE Iowa. The gardens were an important part of my childhood as they were of dad's.  In addition to large vegetable gardens, there were also numerous flower beds that decorated the yard and provided numerous bouquets for mom to exhibit in the house. Flower bouquets and plants now decorate my living quarters.

Returning to live in NE Iowa after an absence of 20 plus years, I had the opportunity to spend time with dad and listen to him share stories about the vegetable gardens of his childhood. It immediately became clear that the Melvin Corson family gardens ensured that he and his younger brothers never experienced hunger during their childhood. With the advent of the two-income family, gardening took a back seat and the skills to grow food were lost. After the U.S. experienced "The Great Recession" at the end of the last decade (December 2007 to June 2009) it appeared as if gardening is making a come back. Now it is not uncommon to read that local Community Colleges are offering gardening classes, elementary schools have greenhouses and gardens that students can work in, and headlines are emphasizing "Grow food not lawns".
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