Vegetables growing in an ISU Extension garden.
The weather conditions this spring and fall that have led some farmers to report good results in their corn and bean fields have also carried over to the backyard gardener.
Iowa State University’s Susan DeBlieck works with the Extension Department’s Master Gardener program,”For the most part we had really ideal growing conditions for vegetables in Iowa.”
DeBlieck says one of the demonstration gardens got hit by hail as the growing season started, but that was the only real issue she’s heard about. One vegetable in particular seemed to thrive.
“We did harvest a lot of green beans,” DeBlieck says, “…it was not only a big work load to pick the green beans, but also to count them out to see which of the varieties were doing the best. So, I know they harvested a lot of green beans for food pantries.” There’s been a movement toward knowing where you food comes from and she says it appears more people are trying their hand at gardening based on the interest they see in the demonstration farms.
“I think there is a lot more interest these days in learning how to grow your own vegetables. And it’s still important to give people best practices because we may be a little rusty when it comes to vegetable gardening,” according to DeBlieck. She says the recent frost has brought the gardening season to an end, but once things pick up again in the spring, you can find a variety of information from the ISU Extension Department.