Oh yeah, it's winter

This has been a particularly mild winter in Iowa so far, all 3 weeks of it. It's been the topic of much conversation and rightfully so. We have had some record-breaking high temperatures and barely a dusting or two of snow. Global warming? El Nino? Oh, just one of those years. Maybe it's the direct connect farmers have to the weather or not much else unexpected goes on in Iowa, but the weather is oft discussed. My MIL (who is not a farmer) always mentions the forecast in email or phone conversations. It's kind of folksy and sweet, I suppose.

Two days this week I worked outside in 50+ degree sunny days. Wearing a sweatshirt and going about in the backyard armed with pruners, I cut back tattered perennials and broken sunflowers that I hadn't had a chance to get to in the fall. It was great! I had to keep reminding myself that it was January and not March. I do like to leave grasses like Miscanthus, switch grass, and Northern sea oats through the winter to give us something to look at, and it's also nice for the backyard critters to have seed heads to nibble on and cover from the winds and whatnot. In the early spring, I like to watch starlings pull at old daylily leaves and carry them off for their nests. It was nice to work in the yard and I have enjoyed the break so far from hellacious winters like we've had in recent years.

Well it snowed last night and the temps dropped and the wind is howling, reminding us that it is indeed winter. I didn't work in the garden today. Instead, I did indoor things that you put off on nice days for days like this. I went to a friend's house and we worked on a seed craft that we are going to try to market to some local shops. It's going to be how we make our millions for sure.

The reluctant blogger

This is my first blog post ever and I have some mixed feelings about it. I am a published garden writer, but for some reason I have been wary of blogging. It's actually been more of an aversion. Too shy? Too humble? I'm not really sure, but today is the day that I decided to embark on this new adventure.

I am a horticulturist, and I have done a lot of different things throughout my career. The one mainstay has been my personal garden, where I have created a business (that also has its own evolutions) growing produce, herbs, and flowers. I have lived on this half-acre homestead in the middle of Des Moines with my husband and 2 children for almost 13 years. Over those years, we have taken the wide open space dotted with lilac bushes, an ever-growing buckeye tree, and a dividing line of peonies, and turned it into a little farm in the city.

When we bought our house, the term "urban farm" was not yet coined, at least not to my knowledge. We wanted to buy an acreage in the country where I could start my business and raise our kids. Alas, we couldn't afford anything that didn't require A LOT of work or take too long for Mr. Red Rooster to drive to work everyday. Then we found this house and it's expanse of lawn. It would make do. Little by little, we have tilled gardens, planted trees and berry bushes, flowers, and grasses, moved rocks and plants, and built a greenhouse. It looks like a lot of work, and I suppose it is, but I agree with that old saying that "it's not work if you love what you do".

My intention is to write about what's going on in my garden, but I also want to include recipes, organic gardening tips, craft ideas, and whatever else may come along.