Naturalist
FONTANA – Better health for us and our environment – simply put, those are the main benefits of gardening. Want to try it but not sure how? Buchanan County Conservation is offering a two-part Beginning Gardener Program on Wednesday, April 9 and Monday, May 12. Gardeners Sondra Cabell and Joe Olsen will share tips to get you started and assist you through the growing season from planning to harvesting. There are even opportunities for those without garden space.
- April 9 – Fontana Park Nature Center – 6:30 p.m. making a plan, getting seeds started, constructing a 5 gallon bucket growing system, marking your calendar, prepping garden beds.
- May 12 – Independence Community School Admin Building gardens – 5:30 p.m. — final garden bed prep, setting out plants, sowing seed, mulching, planning for care and maintenance, expected harvest times.
Register at no cost online at (click on public events).
Getting outdoors is something that has been shown to improve mental and physical health and many struggle to do that. Developing the habit of just going out is easier if there is a purpose and growing a fruit, vegetable and/or flower garden can be that purpose.
Gardening can begin outdoors in April. For established garden areas, there are the tasks of removing debris from previous years and making repairs needed to borders and fencing. For those looking to start a garden space, there can be sod removal or bed building. And for all gardeners, it is a time to plan your space. Early growers can even be planted and mulched; potatoes, peas, radishes, spinach and lettuce, raspberry canes and strawberries, marigolds, and pansies. Take the time now to mulch around these early season plants to save you time weeding as the season progresses. Remaining plants can go out after frost danger is past – typically after Mother’s Day here in Iowa.
Spend the next few weeks outside just observing the changes – look for signs of healthy growth like sprouting seeds and flowering vines. Remember that a healthy garden usually requires the presence of pollinators as well, so enjoy the visits of bees, butterflies, beetles, and wasps on your plants. Do watch for leaf damage – some plants attract butterflies laying eggs and those hungry caterpillars can eat up your cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, and other plants. Growing your own food ensures that you know what chemical inputs are occurring and you can eliminate them entirely if desired. Control can be simply picking off caterpillars, sharing some of your crop, using a non-toxic soap spray, or choosing a commercial pesticide.
Soon enough it will be time to harvest. June harvests include rhubarb, peas, spinach, radishes, lettuce, and strawberries. You can enjoy these straight out of the garden if you go chemical free. Fresh produce has the highest nutritional value as plants are fully ripe at harvest; and it often has the lowest cost. And reducing the distance food travels helps the environment and the flavor. If your garden overproduces what you can eat, there are options of sharing with neighbors and friends and freezing, drying or canning excess.
