Growing own food becoming a popular pastime

FAIRFIELD - More people are trying their hand at growing their own food, spurred partly by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tiffany Raines, owner of Wild Spirits LLC, a small permaculture nursery that sells organic plant starts, has been an avid gardener for 12 years. She's noticed an uptick in 'rookie” gardeners this year, people who are venturing into the field of producing their own food.

'Not only is it important for people to buy local food, it's important for people to grow local food,” Rained said. 'One benefit of living in a small Iowa town is that so many of us have ample yard space that those in big cities don't have. It's an underutilized privilege. I suggest that everyone take an interest in growing things, even if it's just a plant or two in pots, as this connection transcends the functional and is rewarding down to the spiritual. It feeds the belly and it feeds the heart.”

Raines has a few suggestions for those who are just getting their toes wet in gardening. First, don't be afraid to ask for advice when doing something you've never done before.

'Those of us like myself who have learned through experimentation (and failures) can tell you exactly how to *not* mess up if this is your first year starting or growing plants,” she said. 'I'm also seeing a lot of people planting tomatoes in their gardens right before snowstorms, plants are for sale outside of stores that are dead of frostbite - it is better to practice patience and work on education than to try to force a first time garden in a state of haste or panic.”

Many people plant tomatoes in May to give them a long growing season. Raines said this is often too early because Iowa hasn't fully transitioned into warm summer nights, and a late frost can kill the plants. She said that right now, even in the middle of June, it's not too late to put tomatoes in the ground.