Hello, Prairiewoods friends!
I hope you are faring well today and enjoying this extended weekend. Spring is unfolding beautifully at Prairiewoods, and I am excited to share it with you. Prairiewoods and Metro Catholic Outreach (MCO) have been partnering since 2014 with our shared vegetable garden, the Green Prairie Garden, located on the land at Prairiewoods. Prairiewoods provides the land, space and some staffing assistance while MCO provides the garden coordinator, Christine Kirpes, as well as a number of amazing volunteers to tend the garden. Together we grow food for our guests at Prairiewoods and for hundreds of families who receive food from the MCO food pantry. Last year nearly 2,000 pounds of produce was grown for Prairiewoods guests and for those in need through the MCO food pantry.
Here are some first-hand notes from Christine on how the Green Prairie Garden is progressing this season …
“This more ‘normal’ spring has come in fits & starts. Our overwintered spinach has done really well in the hoop house AND raised beds. It hasn’t hit & stayed at 80 degrees like several springs past, so that is likely why. We even had a hail storm last month! The cooler weather means we’ll have good lettuce & greens for several weeks yet. We’ve been bringing them down to the pantry in greater quantities than in past years. We have our large table set up and soon we will get out our porch swing. The upper & raised beds near the main gate have had the soil loosened deeply with the broadfork. Next we’ll work on the perma beds farther down. It got down to about or below 30 degrees a couple nights and the 4 tomatillo plants I’d put in a perma bed in the west end of the garden bit the dust. No big loss. We did cover our raised beds with lettuce & Brassica seedlings until warmer temps return. We’ve continued planting our cool-season seedlings, filling in with radish & carrot seeds in the raised beds. We should be able to start planting our warm-season seedlings now, no nights under 40 degrees predicted that I’ve seen. We just need to get ahead of the weeds … plant and mulch, mulch, mulch!”
Another garden that I would like to share about is the Garden of Eat’n. This garden surrounds the main building at Prairiewoods and was planted in the spring of 2017. We teamed up with Backyard Abundance from Iowa City to create this lovely garden space. The Garden of Eat’n incorporates permaculture principles and invites guests to be in relationship with landscaping in a new way. Permaculture means “permanent agriculture” and takes a holistic approach to gardening and agriculture. Permaculture gardening seeks to function as natural ecosystems do. The Garden of Eat’n is flourishing and welcomes a visit from you any day. The oregano is growing exponentially and there is some rhubarb as well. Soon there will be strawberries, service berries, gooseberries and more! All are welcome—come visit with our plant friends and harvest from the Garden of Eat’n. There are signs marking what is ripe and available. Bring some scissors and a bag for collecting.
The land at Prairiewoods continues to be open. There are walking trails through the prairie and woods. Benches for resting and watching the trees and birds. Dry Creek meanders through the woods. The outdoor labyrinth, Founder’s Grove and Grandmother Oak welcome all. The Healing Garden just north of the Center is a lovely little spot as well. We are delighted that so many of you are visiting with the land at Prairiewoods! We invite you to continue to explore.
From my heart to yours,
—Emelia Sautter, Prairiewoods ecospirituality coordinator