I never thought a garden could teach me so much about myself. But here I am—stronger, braver, and more confident than ever, all thanks to the lessons it’s planted in my life. Not too long ago, I was a timid, insecure woman who would back away at the first sign of resistance. But these days?Continue reading “Along the way”
Tag Archives: garden
Girl On Fire
Your girl is on fire but she is starting to get a little burnt…My body is telling me to slow down. My mind is in autopilot and I am forgetting things that I should be remembering. Waking up at 4AM and going to bed at midnight is catching up to me. The stress of ourContinue reading “Girl On Fire”
The Farmhands Tale..
Six… is the number of alarms I have set in the morning. I get up every weekday morning by 4:30 but my goal is 3… let’s just say that is why I have six alarms. The morning hours are my time. Time that allows me to reset my mental space and charge my inner “YouContinue reading “The Farmhands Tale..”
24/7
My husband Ryan and I met in college and have been together since 2000. We were pretty much kids when we started our little family. There was a time where Ryan and I rotated shifts so we could take care of our son while working full time jobs to put food on the table. WeContinue reading “24/7”
The Farmers Market
You can learn a lot from a farmer’s market… and I mean a lot. We are starting our fourth season of market this year. We still have so much to learn but have picked up a few things along the way I would like to share with you. You can meet some pretty amazing peopleContinue reading “The Farmers Market”
You Signed Up For A Local Farm CSA (Vegetable Share) Now What!?
Our CSA is about to begin here in July! I think about how customers can get the most out of our vegetables with not having to spend a ton of time. This thought crosses my mind often for our customers because we eat, sleep, and breathe the vegetable garden this time of year. Maybe youContinue reading “You Signed Up For A Local Farm CSA (Vegetable Share) Now What!?”
The Garden Made Me Do It…
I finally understand why my mother spent most of her free time in the summer months coming home with loads of vegetable plants and flowers. The 5 kids would help her pull weeds but I never really gave the idea of gardening a chance.. I was always ready to be done before I even started.Continue reading “The Garden Made Me Do It…”
The Market Farm
For us farmers market season is just beginning. We have found for our current schedule with our full time careers joining the later markets gives us more opportunities to have that much needed buffer to get our farm ready for the season. That doesn’t go without its own hurdles for us.. trust me when IContinue reading “The Market Farm”
Staycation
For the last two years Ryan and I take two weeks off from our careers. It’s a vacation from our corporate commitments. We don’t go anywhere fancy, we stay right here at the farm. We refer to it as our staycation. However, we work day and night getting everything ready on the farm. We workContinue reading “Staycation”
The Vegetable Farmer
Just a small town girl with nothing to lose and everything to gain. That was my mindset as I entered early adulthood. That mindset got me to where I am at today. I remember feeling stuck and scared that I was going to be put in a box. A box that capped my highest potentialContinue reading “The Vegetable Farmer”
Surface Level
Farming is definitely not my second language and I don’t claim it to be..at least not yet. Farming is however an unexpected passion that I get to share with people I love. When I tell you I have a lot to learn … I truly am like a child growing up again learning a completelyContinue reading “Surface Level”
Gravel Roads
There is a lot you can learn from gravel roads… I mean a lot..Did you know that roughly 60% of Iowa’s public roads are gravel? How often do you hear someone say they don’t take gravel? Think about that for a minute. That means that they have a 60% chance of missing out on someContinue reading “Gravel Roads”
From Scratch
Here is what I know.. Life at times can be extremely challenging, the easy way is not always the best way, money doesn’t buy happiness, and for me ambition to climb a corporate ladder means spending more time away from family. Ironically enough defeating the entire purpose of the goal of providing a better lifeContinue reading “From Scratch”
What You May Not Know About The Farmer’s Market
Farmers Market season is fast approaching! We absolutely love market season. If I am being honest here it isn’t because we bring in a ton of income.. full transparency if we really wanted to get down to the facts with what it takes to grow the produce, harvest it, and then package it we areContinue reading “What You May Not Know About The Farmer’s Market”
Trust In Turnips
We have a market garden we started here on our farm. One of the early goals was to start to build a presence in the community and get folks excited about what we are doing at the farm. What better way than to grow vegetables and participate at the local farmers markets right?! When IContinue reading “Trust In Turnips”
So What’s Your Plan
I remember the month we moved in… it was quite literally in the middle of winter. Ryan would tell me to put something warm on so we could go outside and walk the property. So I of course did. We would walk side by side and Ryan would tell me his plan on how weContinue reading “So What’s Your Plan”
Three Sisters
Have you ever heard of the Three Sisters Companion Planting technique? It is a Native American practice to maximize growing space and promote strong growth and sustainability. The three crops planted together would be corn, beans, and a variety of squash or pumpkin. The corn would be planted first, then around two weeks later theContinue reading “Three Sisters”
Humble Pie
One of the biggest questions we get hands down since we moved back to Iowa is “if you don’t mind me asking, what do you guys do for a living?” I will admit in the beginning after I was asked a few times I started to wonder if it is a common question or wasContinue reading “Humble Pie”
We Can Learn A Little Something From Bees
I read a quote that I get reminded of frequently when I see our honey bees zooming around on the property or I see them doing something extraordinary.. “Anyone who thinks they’re too small to make a difference, has never met a honey bee. -Unknown That quote couldn’t be any more true. I took thisContinue reading “We Can Learn A Little Something From Bees”
The Glass House
Such a beautiful moment captured into this photo.. The countless hours we spent on building the pathway to the greenhouse, the bickering back and forth of what to grow along with the story leading up to the greenhouse. It was love at first sight with that greenhouse. I had no idea why at that veryContinue reading “The Glass House”
The Strength Behind Us
Sometimes looking back is exactly what you need to find the strength to move forward. To say we’ve poured countless hours into this garden plot would be an understatement. It’s more than a piece of land to us—it’s a place filled with blood, sweat, and tears. And if I’m being honest, it’s the very groundContinue reading “The Strength Behind Us”
Building A Dream.. One Garden Bed At A Time
The very first thing we did on this farm to build an income was create a market garden. I thought to myself that’s easy enough just plant a seed and it grows. Boy was I wrong! We both work full-time jobs during the day. What I didn’t realize was the minute we decided to purchaseContinue reading “Building A Dream.. One Garden Bed At A Time”
The Fence That Fuels Our Fire
Sometimes, the projects that seem the most pointless can leave the deepest mark on your heart. When Ryan suggested putting up a decorative fence around our bee hives, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. A fence? Around bees? It wasn’t going to keep them in, and it just felt like one of those projectsContinue reading “The Fence That Fuels Our Fire”
Moral Of The Story 