Iowa Gardening For Good
Some of the resources we have available
We know that trying to decide if this is a good experience for you or a group can be challenging. One of the requests we had was to show more of the resources we have available here. In response, we divided our resources in to 4 different groupings:
1. Site resources that explains more of our land and buildings
2. Machinery or equipment we use
3. Hand tools and equipment
4. Irrigation equipment
Site Resources
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This former hog farm has many different elements that make it well suited for both growing the produce as well as hosting groups of volunteers.
We can store lots of equipment, have a cold room to store vegetables, and plenty of room for volunteers to work and park their cars or even buses.
The land is well suited to grow crops and has a pond fed by tile drainage that is used for both irrigation and some fishing.
Here are about 10,000 plants that we cared for until planted.
We can handle the parking for over 100 vehicles at a time if needed.
Our cold room will cool things down to 40 degrees and hold about 8 pallets of produce until it can be transported to the Food Bank.
Here are about 10,000 plants that we cared for until planted.
Machinery Types of Equipment
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This is a John Deere 4020 gasoline model rated around 80 HP. Seems to be a good balance for most purposes. Running the forklift, mulch lifter and 6 ft tiller are the biggest demands we have and this tractor works well for those purposes. The HP is more than needed for mulch laying or spraying.
This is a 1/2 ton 4x4 that is pretty much dedicated solely to this project. It mostly hauls people, equipment and produce around the place.
While it does do a lot of the work on the place, it is a common attraction for kids to climb.
This is a John Deere 4020 gasoline model rated around 80 HP. Seems to be a good balance for most purposes. Running the forklift, mulch lifter and 6 ft tiller are the biggest demands we have and this tractor works well for those purposes. The HP is more than needed for mulch laying or spraying.
We keep adding equipment as the project grows. Some of the equipment is fairly standard and some of it is more specialized.
We try and continually improve how we operate to make it the more practical for our volunteers to participate.
The use of the plastic mulch, mowing between rows, a hooded sprayer and our pond- sourced drip irrigation system are some the reasons for the less common equipment.
Hand Equipment
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We design our project to utilize large amounts of help from less experienced volunteers. Many of these tools or equipment types are not something people would have readily available.
In response to our project growth, we have accumulated enough equipment so that we have been able to successfully host multiple groups over 100 people.
We still recommend that people bring their own gloves if they have some they prefer.
Used to harvest produce like winter squash
Used to poke holes through the plastic mulch and make hole in soil for transplanting.
Used largely when putting up or tearing down the fence trellis.
Used to harvest produce like winter squash
Irrigation
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We use the black plastic mulch as a weed barrier. The use of the plastic mulch reduces the evaporation and weeds so less irrigation is needed. Underneath the plastic mulch is the drip tape.
This picture is of all the materials used to bring water from the pond to the drip irrigation lines. We mostly use drip lines, but also occasionally use sprinkler systems.
This drip tape allows for a slow release of water. By watering the narrow band, we don't water areas that don't contain vegetables. Not only do we save water, but we don't water the weeds which means less weeding.
We use the black plastic mulch as a weed barrier. The use of the plastic mulch reduces the evaporation and weeds so less irrigation is needed. Underneath the plastic mulch is the drip tape.
One of the keys to our success is the use of black plastic mulch and drip irrigation. Because we cover over 10 acres at our place, a normal garden hose just won't work.
This is not intended to explain all the details of how to irrigate, but rather what equipment we use in our operation. The use of the water from the pond provides a cheap source that was plentiful even during the summer of 2017.