Couple move from Oregon to Iowa hometown, start organic farm Follow Us
Question of the Day By MICHAELE NIEHAUS - Associated Press - Saturday, April 10, 2021
WEST BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) - Nestled between shopping centers, row crops and car dealerships, an organic nonprofit farm is gearing up for its sixth growing season in an effort to combat hunger locally while teaching the community about food culture and sustainable farming practices.
As the weather warms and the threat of frost lessens, Mollie and Tobin Krell, who operate Homestead 1839 in West Burlington, will spend more and more time tending the roughly two acres of farmland, largely by hand.
Couple move from Oregon to Iowa hometown, start organic farm sfgate.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfgate.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Hobby Farms
Turn Heads & Increase Seed Diversity With Glass Gem Corn
Glass Gem corn is a simple-to-grow flint corn variety. Plant some to grind, pop or just enjoy the simply stunning rainbow of colorful kernels.
792 views PHOTO: Susan Brackney
I still remember the day I peeled back the crisp, brown husks from my very first “Glass Gem” corn harvest. Sure, the seeds I’d planted many months before were bright red, purple, orange, blue and even green. Nevertheless, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The flint corn I’d managed to produce included every shade of the rainbow.
I could’ve ground the firm kernels into flour, popped them like popcorn, or used the intact ears decoratively. Instead, I chose to save most of those first seeds, so that I could grow subsequent generations and share this special variety with others.
Johnson County, Iowa Master Gardeners presents Seeds to Share press-citizen.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from press-citizen.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
This weekend's gardening jobs include getting those seed and plant orders done, repotting the houseplants, and planning when to plant each of this year's vegetable crops.