This year started like most others for our family, with big dreams. We had no idea that they would end up as flooded dreams. We spent the winter planning out our garden. This year we had two main objectives: 1) expand the offerings from our pumpkin patch, and 2) build a geothermal greenhouse to return our turmeric collection to its former glory. Sadly, neither dream will happen this year, thanks to record flooding.
Dream Planning
In the late winter, we reached out to a local excavator who had completed the excavation for one other nearby Greenhouse in the Snow. They gave us a time estimate of late April or late May, to let the ground warm up a bit. They showed us that our proposed location was the lowest part of the property and recommended we move it to a higher point.
In the late spring, we tilled our pumpkin patch. We planted new varieties this year, to include pink pumpkins. I was quite excited to add those to our stand this fall. We also planted some new extra-sweet varieties of watermelon that our toddler chose from our collection of gardening catalogues.
Early June we headed to Northern Minnesota for a family vacation. The night we returned, I saw that the pumpkin patch was full of weeds and would need to be cultivated soon. However, I was happy by how many blooms the vines had. We were on our way toward a great harvest of some fun new varieties.
Flooded Dreams
The next morning, Mr. Grump headed to work two towns away. He sent me a picture of a river covering the back half of our property. Two hours later, he still had not found a route to his work, and the water continued to rise. Several hours later, after the water had covered most of our land, it finally began to recede. We were fortunate; the waters stopped within 4 feet of our house. Others had feet of sewage in their basements. According to the NOAA website, this year’s flood was nearly 5’ higher than the previous record high here.
Our pumpkin patch was a complete loss, although a few volunteers on high ground will likely produce at least some pumpkins this year. Fortunately our apple trees are safe. My potted turmerics remain on the highest ground. Due to the likelihood of future flooding here, we are considering new options for the geothermal greenhouse build. As such, the greenhouse will not be completed this year as hoped. Thus, I will again keep my turmerics in grow tents this winter, so we will have very limited amounts for sale of most varieties.
Upcoming Plans
We may have flooded dreams this year, but we are resilient and will continue our mission to provide quality produce to Northwest Iowa. This upcoming year, we plan to re-focus on expanding our pumpkin and melon offerings, continuing to plant our heirloom apple orchard, and growing out our turmeric stock. We will have local honey for sale. Additionally, barring unforeseen weather, we will fully stock our produce table in 2025.
We appreciate each and every one of you who have checked in with us. Thank you to those who have stopped by our stand to purchase the limited plants and produce we have available this season. May you and your families be well.
