Painting? At the Grow farm? Could it get any better?!

We’re partnering with Big Picture Art Gallery and Studio for a painting class and kombucha tasting! Join us on Thursday, July 10th from 6:30-8pm at the Grow: Johnson County Farm, 4811 Melrose Avenue, ticket Price is $35 per person, register below!

All proceeds from this workshop directly support Grow: Johnson County's farmer development programs. These initiatives provide training and resources to emerging local farmers while growing over 40,000 pounds of fresh produce each year for donation to area food access sites. 

Additional donations beyond the ticket price are warmly welcomed and will further support our mission!

Big thank you to Wild Culture Kombucha keg for donating a keg of Wild Culture kombucha for sipping at the event and for Big Picture Art Gallery and Studio for donating their time and supplies!

Register here!

Donate to our program here.

GROW: JOHNSON COUNTY IS TURNING TEN, Help us celebrate ten years of growing good food for our community at Big Grove Iowa City. Join us on Thursday, June 26th from 5-8 pm.

They’ll be door prizes, a silent auction, yard games, drinks, and cake !!!

Join us at the 40th Annual Bur Oak Land Trust Prairie Preview from 4:30 to 7 pm on Wednesday, May 14th at the University of Iowa IMU, 125 N Madison St, Iowa City, IA.

Prairie Preview will host more than 35 environmental organizations from across the state. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with local and regional groups dedicated to conservation, sustainability, and environmental education. Whether you’re looking for volunteer opportunities, curious about local conservation projects, or simply eager to learn more about Iowa’s natural landscapes, the exhibitor fair is the perfect place to engage with passionate experts and fellow community members!

The fair showcases a diverse range of efforts aimed at protecting and enhancing our environment. Expect interactive booths, hands-on activities, and valuable insights on how you can make a difference in your own backyard and beyond.

For more details, visit buroaklandtrust.org

We're seeding, planting onions, or cutting potatoes EVERY Monday in April and could use some help!

Join us on Monday mornings from 9 am to noon and help us seed our spring veggies and plant onions!

Interested in joining in on the fun? Email us at grow@ivrcd.org and we'll "seed" ya on Mondays!

Help us protect, support, and celebrate the natural world!

Join us at Field to Family’s Opening Day Earth Week Fair from 4:30pm-6:00pm on April 24th at their warehouse, 1051 US-6 Iowa City, IA.

We're seeding, planting onions, or cutting potatoes EVERY Monday in April and could use some help!

Join us on Monday mornings from 9 am to noon and help us seed our spring veggies and plant onions!

Interested in joining in on the fun? Email us at grow@ivrcd.org and we'll "seed" ya on Mondays!

Help us celebrate Earth Day!

Join us for a tour of the farm and help us seed flowers in the greenhouse on Sunday, April 13th from 12:30-2pm! 

Email us at grow@ivrcd.org to sign up to volunteer!

Just a slight schedule change, we're going to move up Monday, April 14th's onion planting date (NO VOLUNTEERING THIS COMING MONDAY 4/14!) but would welcome extra hands TOMORROW 4/10 and FRIDAY 4/11 from 9 am-noon!

Interested in helping? Email us at grow@ivrcd.org!

Just a slight schedule change, we're going to move up Monday, April 14th's onion planting date (NO VOLUNTEERING THIS COMING MONDAY 4/14!) but would welcome extra hands TOMORROW 4/10 and FRIDAY 4/11 from 9 am-noon!

Interested in helping? Email us at grow@ivrcd.org!

We're <tentatively> planting onions on Wednesday, April 9th from 9 am to noon!

We could use some extra hands! If the weather doesn't cooperate and we need to change the date, we will email the volunteers who have signed up so please email us if you plan to join us!

If you’d like to volunteer, email us at grow@ivrcd.org to sign up!

We're seeding, planting onions, or cutting potatoes EVERY Monday in April and could use some help!

Join us on Monday mornings from 9 am to noon and help us seed our spring veggies and plant onions!

Interested in joining in on the fun? Email us at grow@ivrcd.org and we'll "seed" ya on Mondays!

The Iowa City Bike Library has a mission to get more people on bicycles. Each year, they host Farm Cycle. Farm Cycle is a full day bike ride with stops at various farms. At each stop, local food is prepared by chefs. The ride includes brunch and lunch from four chefs and four farm tours, including the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm. Brittni Leupold from New Pioneer Co-op will be the featured chef at the Historic Poor Farm. 

If you want to join along for the ride and bike out to local farms, meet your local farmers, and eat and drink delicious local food and craft beverage, find our more information at the link here.

Farm Cycle is $65 per person, student ticket prices available. The Bike Library also offers scholarships and family discounts. Send them an an email at info@bikelibrary.org to learn more.

Check in is at 9:30 am, for the full schedule, click here.

No-till vegetable production has a steep learning curve. For the past two years, we’ve been trialing various no-till cover crop and crop combinations at Grow to learn more about what works and what doesn’t work. 

On Tuesday, September 10th from 2-5pm, join us at Grow: Johnson County to learn more about organic no-till vegetable production. 

Presentations begin at 2:30 pm, Equipment Demo at 4pm, the no-till field day is open to the public. Featured guests, Kathleen Delate, Iowa State Extension Organic Specialist and Drew Erickson, Farm Manager with Rodale Midwest Institute.

We need volunteers to help us with landscaping at the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm from Thursday, September 5th from 5-6:30 pm and could use your help, email us at grow@ivrcd.org to sign up to volunteer!

Join us on Thursday, August 22nd  from 5-7 pm to help plant native, edible, and beneficial plants at the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm (4811 Melrose Avenue, Iowa City), green thumb appreciated but not required!  RSVP by emailing lisa@ivrcd.org.

Help us harvest cabbage on Tuesday, July 16th from 5-6:30 pm. Want to throw some cabbage, email us at grow@ivrcd.org to sign up!

We’re partnering with Coralville Community Food Pantry for Eat Your Weeds!

SO MANY common weeds are edible and nutritious! SO MANY of the weeds that have a bad reputation can be useful. They’re prolific and abundant, might as well use ‘em!

Join us for Eat Your Weeds at the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm, 4811 Melrose Avenue, Iowa City, IA, in the education room from 4-5:30 pm on Thursday, May 30th. Come try roasted dandelion root tea and lemon nettle cake! Email us at grow@ivrcd.org to attend!

✔️ Popcorn! ✔️A movie! ✔️ A good cause!

Join us at Filmscene for a screening of the documentary Common Ground documentary on Wednesday, May 22nd to support our Grow program. Common Ground is the sequel to the documentary Kiss the Ground, which focused on the importance of soil health. Common Ground turns the light toward the money, power, and politics behind our broken food system.

The film will be followed by a panel discussion with Iowa Valley RC&D Executive Director Jason Grimm, Kate Giannini from the University of Iowa Department of Hydroscience and Engineering, Natasha Wilson from West Fork Farmstead, and Tommy Hexter from Iowa Farmers Union.

The Filmscene Community Collaboration is a pay-what-you-can admission with a suggested price of $10 per person, the proceeds directly support Grow. The film begins at 6:30 pm and is followed by a panel of speakers from our local food system.

Buy tickets here.

We’re partnering with the North Liberty Community Pantry for their free container gardening event at their Growing Together Garden at 89 N. Jones Blvd in North Liberty from 4-6 pm. Peppers, tomatoes, and lettuce starts will be available to take home along with some “best practices and tips” for keeping your plants healthy. The event is open to everyone in the North Liberty community.

DUE TO A COLD SNAP, THIS FRIDAY, APRIL 5th IS CANCELED.

Help us plant onions on Friday, April 12th from 9:00 am - noon!

Email us at grow@ivrcd.org to sign up!

DUE TO A COLD SNAP, THIS FRIDAY, APRIL 5th IS CANCELED.

Help us plant onions on Wednesday, April 10th from 9:00 am - noon!

Email us at grow@ivrcd.org to sign up!

Get ready to chat about conservation, learn about the land, and get connected to all things nature.

Burr Oak Land Trust will host Prairie Preview from 4:30-7 p.m. Thursday, March 28 at the Iowa City Senior Center, 28 S. Linn St.

More than 30 groups supporting many different environmental programs and projects will be ready to share how you can bring more of the outdoors into your life this year.

Bur Oak will also have a presale of pawpaw kits for any adventurous green thumbs! Pawpaws were once abundant, even in Iowa, but have declined in our area over time. These fruiting trees are host plants for the zebra swallowtail butterfly. Bringing back pawpaws means more habitat for the butterfly and more local biodiversity – it's a win-win-win.

We hope to see you at Prairie Preview! This free event is sponsored by the Iowa Living Roadway Trust. For more information, visit buroaklandtrust.org/prairie-preview-and-pawpaws

Come join us in the greenhouse, we’re seeding on Friday mornings in March. When?

Friday, March 8th

Friday, March 15th

Friday, March 22nd

From 9am-11am

Email us at grow@ivrcd.org if you’d like to join in.

Hope to seed you there!

Bring your pet by Big Grove Iowa City on Saturday, March 16th for a professional portrait to support Grow: Johnson County and the Friends of the Animal Center Foundation! Big Grove will have a St. Patrick's Day scene set up for your four-legged friends.

This opportunity is just a $10 suggested donation, which will support Grow: Johnson County's mission to improve healthy food access through sustainable food production and hands-on education, and the Friends of the Animal Center Foundation in their mission to expand the animal care services of the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center and fulfill the financial needs of animal welfare initiatives in our community.

Photos will be delivered via email. Pet parents are welcome to be in the portrait. (hint, hint: there may even be a contest for the cutest pet on our @dogsofbiggrove instagram page.)

Come join us in the greenhouse, we’re seeding on Friday mornings in March. When?

Friday, March 8th

Friday, March 15th

Friday, March 22nd

Friday, March 29th

From 9am-11am

Email us at grow@ivrcd.org if you’d like to join in.

Hope to seed you there!