The Dyersvillegardening Podcast

Donate Your Surplus Produce to Dyersville Food Pantry

Mickey Kelton, President of the Dyersville Area Food Pantry, spoke to me about the need for food in our area.  Four times as many people show up at the headquarters to pick up food compared to just a few years ago.
If you are a gardener and want to donate part of your harvest, The Food Pantry is eager to receive it.  
Times are the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month.  
Location is  673 5th Street NW, Dyersville, Iowa
Contacts:   Mickey 563-543-7031
Melissa 563-543-8349
 

Growing Tomatoes in Dyersville -Ray Kruse Ext. Hort Specialist

As we enter May, many of us love to till the soil.  The goal is to plant seeds and plants that will grow and blossom then yield fresh vegetables.
Tomatoes are the ultimate garden crop.
How to grow them and what varieties to choose is the subject of this podcast with Ray Kruse, Extension Horticulture Educator for Dubuque County.
A few more podcasts to come on Donations to the Dyersville Food Bank and Summer Garden Youth Programs.
Suggestions on additional podcasts and questions can be directed to me at this email address:   kenroot@gmail.com
Good Luck and Good Gardening!

Soil Prep for Gardens pH, organic matter, planting date Ray Kruse ISU

The planting date for 2025 gardens is very close.  May 1 is recommended for peas, radishes, cole (cold crops) crops.
Ray Kruse is an ISU Horticultural Educator based in Dubuque County.  He is a great source of information.  
Further contact with ISU Extension is given at the conclusion of this eleven minute podcast.
Thanks for listening
kenroot@gmail.com

Garden Plot Preparation - Wayne and Ian Hermsen

The Hermsen's have several garden plots in Dyersville.  They are "sustainable gardeners" who use organic matter to enrich the soil and keep weeds from growing.
Their experience is shared with us for everyone's benefit.  They talk about enriching the soil before planting, how to keep deer from eating your crops and what will grow in this area of the country.  
A delightful visit with hardworking gardeners that are a model for home grown food production.
This is our second podcast.  To hear others, please refer back to available episodes.

Gardening in Dyersville 2025

This is the first podcast of a starter series for 2025
I spoke to Jeff Jacque, mayor of Dyersville, Iowa about the Dyersville Gardens Project in its second year.
We talk about the initial idea and the success of 2024.  Then we talk about what improvements have been made for 2025 (Water Access for Gardeners) and what everyone learned in 2025 (Deer and Rabbits love your crops)
We will follow with podcasts on getting your soil ready for the season, crops that some choose to grow with success and one podcast on growing tomatoes.
Contacts for information: 
Ray Kruse, ISU Extension Horticultural Educator  563-583-6496
Dyersville Community Garden Coordinator Adam Huehnergarth at 563-875-7724