We welcome Greenhome Gardens of Decorah to the Co-op! This small certified organic farm is owned and operated by Nic Frana. Produce Nic’s recently been providing to Co-op shoppers includes Picklebush cucumbers, aronia berries, Red Jubilee seeded watermelon and Red Blacktail seeded watermelon.
Here’s a bit about Greenhome Gardens in Nic’s own words:
I grew up on a small farm between Calmar and Decorah with my parents, John and Jane, and siblings Matt and Allison. I went to school at CFS, South Winneshiek, and then NICC for arboriculture. I bought some land in 2012 and started Greenhome Gardens in 2019. I didn’t realize at the time that my enjoyment of gardening would become the business it’s growing into today.
I began by building a tiny house inside a greenhouse – and then I just kept building from there. Half of the greenhouse is underground, including the house. The other half is ground level. I’m planning on putting a fish pond in the greenhouse in the future to facilitate aquaponics. The greenhouse is also an “earth battery” – meaning it can pump the hot air from the greenhouse underground upwards. The heat is then released into the ground overnight.
My gardens are certified organic. I practice no till farming. At this point I grow melons, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, beets, kohlrabi, eggplant, beans, lettuce, strawberries, aronia berries and more. I also have chickens.
I enjoy running Greenhome Gardens way more than I expected. Every week brings something new. I enjoy the cycle of starting plants in the spring, planting them in the gardens, weeding the beds and then harvesting and selling. My yellow lab, Billy, is there to watch over the gardens and keep the varmints away. I plan to seek funding to add additional greenhouses in the future.
