Red Shed Gardens Field Day

Red Shed Gardens Field Day

Field Day at Red Shed Gardens – It’s a Lifestyle!

Forest City, IA –Healthy Harvest of North Iowa will host a summer Field Day at Red Shed Gardens on Sunday, July 23, from 3-5 pm.  Red Shed Gardens are located at 36788 150th Ave. Forest City, IA.

This Field Day will be an Open House event with a presentation by owners, Mat and Danielle Prather, about their work at Red Shed Gardens. Folks will then be free to stroll around the gardens, enjoy some samples of Red Shed produce, and ask questions about farming practices.  Produce and baked goods will also be available for purchase!

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Mat and Danielle Prather began gardening as a hobby and a way to feed their growing family. When they had a little extra produce, they decided to try selling it and discovered that north Iowans love farm-fresh food!

Since that time in 2017, Red Shed Gardens has grown into a 1¾  acre operation, providing almost every garden food imaginable to Farmers Markets in Forest City and Clear Lake.

Mat gave up his landscaping business to farm full-time, educating himself about best practices through YouTube videos, and trial and error. Today, he is skilled in succession planting, meaning that he plants crops at intervals, so that there is always an abundance of produce.

At Red Shed Gardens, the mission is to be consistent with the variety and amount of produce available at each farmers market. This of course, requires non-stop planting, weeding, and harvesting.

Mat enjoys all three – planting, weeding, and harvesting. “This has become a lifestyle that we’ve embraced,” he says.  “What I enjoy most though is the look on people’s faces when they purchase beautiful, healthy, nutrient-dense produce. That makes the work worthwhile!”

Danielle is involved in the operation of Red Shed Gardens by washing and bagging produce, occasional harvesting, assisting at markets and with filling orders for customers stopping at the farm. She also is mainly responsible for certain things that require daily harvesting such as cucumbers, summer squash, cucamelons, strawberries, asparagus, etc.

She also contributes with her love of baking. Some of the items she offers either at market or through custom orders are various cookies, macarons, brownies, homemade pop-tarts, decorated sugar cookies, cookie sandwiches and other treats to complement the fruits and vegetables. She also makes gluten-free products.

Mat adds, “We also try to involve the kids by having them plant their own small garden and care for it and by helping in the large gardens by planting, harvesting, weeding, getting things ready for market. Sometimes the children assist customers or handle the cash register at the market. We feel it is important that they understand how the family business works and what it entails.”

The Field Day hosts can be reached at redshedgardens@outlook.com, or you can contact Healthy Harvest of North Iowa at connection@healthyharvestni.com.

The North Iowa Local Food Connections program is coordinated by Healthy Harvest of North Iowa to build relationships between local food and farm businesses.  This series of field days provides an opportunity to learn about the unique businesses across our region raising and providing great food.  The network creates a space for businesses and friends to collaborate, learn, and create connections that build businesses and productive communities.

North Iowa Food Connections program is a partnership of Healthy Harvest of North Iowa (www.healthyharvistni.com), local food and farm business.  Support provided by a USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), in partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa.