Author: davistax

Here at Flourish Farms, mid-May marks one of our favorite times of the year — the planting of warm season crops! Around May 15th, when the soil has warmed and the threat of frost has passed, we get the family together for some planting date nights!

peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini.

These crops love the heat, thrive in full sun, and pair nicely with our cool season harvests as well, all summer long. Here’s how we approach planting these warm-season crops on the homestead:

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🍅 Tomatoes: The Garden Classic

Tomatoes are the hit of the summer garden. We plant well-established seedlings deep into the soil, burying 2/3 of the stem to encourage strong root development. They get a sunny spot with good air circulation and sturdy cages or trellises to support heavy vines as they grow. We use fence stakes, they seem to work just fine!

Tips:

• Water deeply at the base, not overhead.
• Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
• Pinch off suckers for better fruit production.

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🌶️ Peppers: Heat Lovers with Personality

From sweet bells to spicy jalapeños, peppers thrive in the same conditions as tomatoes — warm soil, full sun, and steady moisture. We space them a bit further apart to allow airflow and prevent disease. My personal favorite is a Habanero.

Tips:

• Add a handful of compost to each planting hole.
• Stake tall varieties early to prevent stem breakage.
• Harvest often to encourage more fruiting.

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🥒 Cucumbers: Vines That Just Won’t Quit

Whether grown for slicing or pickling, cucumbers take off quickly in warm soil. We plant them in mounds or rows, with space to sprawl or climb. Trellising cucumbers keeps fruit clean and makes harvesting easier. We love to can pickles and have an endless supply of fridge pickles all summer long!

Tips:

• Keep soil consistently moist — they hate drying out.
• Watch for powdery mildew and remove affected leaves.
• Companion plant with nasturtiums or marigolds to deter pests.

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🥒 Zucchini: Abundant and Easygoing

Zucchini is famously prolific. A couple of plants go a long way! We plant seeds or starts directly into rich, composted soil and give them room to breathe. These guys grow fast — keep your eye on them! We only plant 2 plants, this allows us to still give some away!!

Tips:

• Harvest young for best flavor and texture.
• Check daily once they start producing.
• Great candidates for succession planting.

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Timing is Everything

We always aim to plant these crops on or around May 15th, once we’re confident that spring frosts are behind us. Patience pays off — planting too early in cold soil can stress the plants or stunt their growth. We utilize our greenhouse, so there is no rush to get them into the ground until the soil is ready!

If you’re in a similar growing zone to Flourish Farms, now’s the time to get those warm-season beauties in the ground!

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Whether you’re growing for the pantry, the farmer’s market, or the sheer joy of it, this is the season where your garden starts to come alive. Here’s to sunshine, growth, and all the good food to come!

Happy planting, friends. Let your gardens flourish! 🌱

There’s something uniquely grounding about sourcing your own food—from the wild to your family’s table. This past weekend at Flourish Farms, I had the honor of harvesting a wild turkey, and the experience was everything we believe in, connection, sustainability, and conservation.

Sunrise Success: A Turkey Hunt to Remember

4:30AM came quick Sunday morning, the breeze slowly started to wake me up as I hitched the boat. Pulling up to the ramp, I could already hear turkeys gobbling across the river. I pulled up to my spot, and owl hooted. On cue, a roosted tom gobbled about 200 yards into the timber. I quietly got sat against a big cottonwood tree, and set my jake and hen decoy up about 40 yards in front of me. As the sun painted the sky, the tom following a hen started to work my way. My heart pounding as the tom was spit drumming and gobbling. His eyes scanning, finally fixated on my jake decoy. At this point I had him fooled. Balled up and strutting his beauty, he came to 40 yards. I executed a great shot, not harming any of the meat. I was blessed with a successful harvest of a mature tom.

Moments like these aren’t just about filling a tag. They’re about filling a deeper need to engage with the natural world and take responsibility for what feeds us. There is something so calming about watching the woods wake up in the morning. Even if you are not a hunter. You should experience this calmness by going out early sometime and just sitting and listening/watching.

Teaching Through Tradition

Back at home, I had the chance to share this moment with my son. Showing him how we respectfully clean and process the bird. No processing plants, no preservatives. Just honest work, shared knowledge, and a chance to teach him the importance of gratitude and intentional living. This is how I learned and passing that down has been a privilege.

It’s important that he grows up knowing that meat doesn’t come from a shrink-wrapped package. It comes from a living animal that deserves respect, clean handling, and zero waste.

Simple, Clean Cooking: Smoked Turkey Breast

We prepared one of the turkey breasts by seasoning it with sea salt, cracked pepper, herbs from our garden, and a house blend of spices. After a slow smoke (about 5 hours at 225) the result was nothing short of amazing. Tender, juicy, and packed with real flavor.

This is meat in its purest form:

• Organic by nature
• No preservatives
• No added hormones or fillers
• Handled from field to fork by our own hands

Why We Do This

At Flourish Farms, we believe in knowing your food, from how it lived to how it’s prepared. It’s about being stewards of the land and modeling that for our children. Food isn’t just something we consume—it’s something we honor. It has been a tradition with my son to pray and thank God for providing these animals to nourish our bodies.

This turkey dinner was more than a meal, it was a reminder of why we homestead, why we teach, and why we do the hard work ourselves.

Thanks for following along our journey. Whether you hunt, homestead, garden, or just want to learn—there’s a place for you here at Flourish Farms. #FlourishFarms #FieldToFork #WildTurkey #HomesteadLiving #OrganicMeat #FamilyTraditions #NoPreservatives #SustainableLiving

Two years ago, my wife Lyndsey and I stood on a rugged, overgrown piece of land—just over 6 acres of wild beauty—and dreamed about what it could become. We didn’t have all the answers, but we had a vision: to build our dream home, raise our family close to nature, and create a homestead where we could live more intentionally. I will never forget finding this deal through a connection and taking Lyndsey to see it the next day. She thought to herself, “what is my husband getting me into” but all of that changed when she walked our future homestead property. This land captured our hearts, and we had no idea what it was going to become. We have not started home construction at this time but are getting things in order for that every day! Lyndsey, Wells, Luke, and I enjoy spending as much time camping on the homestead as possible until we can reside here full time.

What began as a dream has now become our sanctuary. Our spot that we can get away too and be grounded.

We’ve poured countless hours into this land. Building a driveway and taking 15 feet off the top of our hill to open up a building site that gives us amazing views. Clearing brush, carving out trails, building garden beds, planting trees, and constructing spaces that bring life to our vision. We’ve raised chickens, built a greenhouse, planted raspberries and fruit trees, and most recently, finished our barn. Every project has demanded hard work. Real, back-breaking effort. But the reward has been in the progress, the transformation, and the satisfaction of knowing it’s all been done with our own hands.

Through it all, one of the most meaningful parts of this journey has been raising our two boys here. We’re building more than a homestead. We’re building a life that teaches them the value of hard work, resilience, and connection to the earth. Out here, they learn by doing. Whether they’re gathering eggs, hauling wood, helping plant a new tree, or just exploring barefoot in the grass. They’re growing up with dirt under their nails and fresh air in their lungs. My favorite thing is to see my boys covered in wild berry juice and dirt after a day on the homestead. Watching them grab snacks right out of the garden, and learning how to clean fish, wild game, and prepare it for meals. This has been a place that allows all of that to come to fruition.

We want them to see the beauty of nature not as a place to visit, but as a way of life. We want them to understand where food comes from. How to care for animals, and how to work together as a family toward something bigger than ourselves.

That’s why we started Flourish Farms—not just to document our journey, but to invite others to join in. Homesteading isn’t always easy. It’s sweaty, muddy, exhausting work. But it’s honest work, and it’s deeply rewarding. And the more we learn, the more we want to share. To help others take steps toward self-sufficiency, simplicity, and a deeper connection with the land.

We’re so glad you’re here. Whether you’re just starting out or simply curious about this way of life. We hope our story inspires you to dream big, dig deep, and grow something meaningful.

Lyndsey and I spend a lot of time camping on our acreage. When it comes to camping meals, we try and keep it simple and easy! it can get easy to rely on processed foods while camping, we have fallen victim to that. With some simple prep work though you can turn camping mealtime into a healthy fulfilling meal. I am going to list some of our favorite ‘s for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Breakfast Ideas

1. Overnight Oats
   • Ingredients: Rolled oats, almond milk, chia seeds, honey, fresh berries.
   • Prep Work: Mix oats, almond milk, chia seeds, and honey in a jar. Refrigerate overnight. Add fresh berries in the morning. We like to utilize our Mulberry tree’s for fresh fruit!
   • Tip: Prepare individual jars for easy grab-and-go breakfasts.
2. Veggie Omelette
   • Ingredients: Eggs, bell peppers, onions, spinach, cheese.
   • Prep Work: Chop veggies ahead of time and store them in a container. Beat eggs and store in a separate container.
   • Tip: Use a portable stove or campfire to cook the omelets.
   • One of our favorite things to do in the morning is go collect our own eggs from the coop and incorporate them into our breakfast!

Lunch Ideas

1. Chef’s Salad
   • Ingredients: Ice burg lettuce, Cheese, some cut up lunch meats, and dressing of your choice.
   • Prep Work: Chop lettuce ahead of time, and get your portions correct so you can just mix together when it is time.
   • Tip: Keep the salad in a cooler to maintain freshness.
2. Turkey Wraps
   • Ingredients: Whole wheat tortillas, turkey slices, avocado, lettuce, hummus.
   • Prep Work: Slice avocado and prepare lettuce ahead of time. Assemble wraps at the campsite.
   • Tip: Wraps are easy to customize with your favorite ingredients.

Dinner Ideas

1. Grilled Veggie and Meat Skewers
   • Ingredients: Bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, herbs. Venison Steaks, or Beef of choice.
   • Prep Work: Chop veggies and marinate meat and veggies in olive oil and herbs. Skewer veggies and meat and store in a container.
   • Tip: Grill over a campfire or portable grill for a smoky flavor.
2. Foil Packet Chicken
   • Ingredients: Chicken breasts, potatoes, carrots, olive oil, garlic, rosemary.
   • Prep Work: Chop potatoes and carrots. Season chicken with olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. Assemble foil packets with chicken and veggies.
   • Tip: Cook packets over a campfire or portable grill for a hassle-free meal.
   • These are a Family Favorite!!!

Snack Ideas

1. Trail Mix
   • Ingredients: Nuts, dried fruit, dark chocolate chips.
   • Prep Work: Mix all ingredients in a container.
   • Tip: Portion into individual bags for easy snacking.
2. Fruit and Nut Bars
   • Ingredients: Dates, almonds, oats, honey.
   • Prep Work: Blend dates, almonds, oats, and honey. Press into a baking dish and refrigerate. Cut into bars.
   • Tip: Store bars in a cooler, or camper fridge to keep fresh.

Prep Work Tips

• Plan Ahead: Create a meal plan for your camping trip and make a shopping list.
• Pre-Cook: Cook grains, chop veggies, and marinate proteins ahead of time to save time at the campsite. We don’t love this step but have learned it is crucial to save time!
• Pack Smart: Use airtight containers and resealable bags to keep food fresh and organized.
• Stay Cool: Use a cooler with ice packs to keep perishable items fresh.

With these easy and healthy camping meal ideas, you’ll be ready to enjoy delicious food while exploring the great outdoors. Happy camping!

whether you are a first-time gardener, or experienced gardener it is important to know when the best times are to get your crops into the ground. Here at Flourish Farms, we follow the April 15th for cool season crops, and May 15th for warm season crops rule. This is what my parents have always done, and it has worked well for us over the last couple of years. Lyndsey and I recently had our garden beds tilled up, and are getting our onion bulbs, potatoes, and seeds ready to plant on the 15th. This is a fun time of year for many gardeners, and outdoor enthusiasts. The weather is starting to turn, and the days are growing longer.

Cold-Hardy

At Flourish Farms we choose to look for seed packets that are listed as “Cold and Hardy” when considering what to plant for cool season crops. It is important to remember that if you are planting on April 15th you need to monitor the frost potential. A lot of cool season crops can handle light frost, but if a hard frost is on the forecast, then you may need to use frost covers on your garden. Some of our favorite Cold-Hardy vegetables to plant include.

• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Pea’s
• Lettuce
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Garlic
• Red Onions
• Asparagus

Conclusion

Spring is an exciting time after being cooped up all winter long. If you are thinking about trying out a garden for the first time, just take the leap! Lyndsey and I are still learning everyday about gardening. It is part of the fun, there is so much to learn, and many people to learn from. We want to teach as many people as we can, while always continuing to learn ourselves. Gardening can be hard work, but it is also very rewarding. When you can sit down at night and prepare a meal that you know you started from seed, and raised to harvest is when it makes it worth it! We hope that we can inspire people to take the first step, that is what we did and have not looked back.

At the beginning of the year, Lyndsey and I sat down and created our vision board for this year’s upcoming busy season. We have been attacking that checklist so far with finishing our greenhouse, getting our garden plans ready, and starting on our outbuilding/barn. Last weekend we had some help out at the homestead to get most of our pole building put up. We are so fortunate to have people around us that can jump in and make quick work of things. One of my customers linked me up with a couple Amish workers that did most of the construction, I was the grunt running around getting them what they needed. The building structure only took about 4 hours to put up, and now we just have to put steel on it. We are excited to add this additional space to our homestead.

It will be an area that we can work, store tools/equipment and build off of for future use. We have plans to expand our livestock on the homestead in the future, and this will be a place that we can branch off of for more animal housing.

Chicken Update

Branching off of the building update, we can now open up the entire smaller shed we have currently for the entire chicken coop. This will allow us to easily expand our laying stock which we are doing today! Lyndsey is picking up another eight chickens for our flock, having this larger space for them is crucial. I will make sure to update once we have names picked out for all the new ones. Our coop will be revamped and allow more space and easier egg gathering.

Seedling/Garden Update

Lyndsey and I had to replant our seedlings, life got crazy, and we may or may not have forgotten to turn the heat light off….

We have started more seedlings that are all starting to germinate now and hope to start hardening them off and moving them into our new greenhouse soon. Our gardens are going to be tilled this week, and we are super excited for warmer temperatures coming! One thing we are learning through this journey is not to bite off more than we can chew. It feels like everything is chaos right now, but sometimes that is the fun of it. Our boys have been troopers, and love being out in nature with us. Watching them learn a long with us has been very rewarding. I look forward to sharing more updates as our progress continues!

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Have any of you ever thought about building a farmstand to share your produce, eggs, bakes goods, and lots more with your local community? Lyndsey and I have been seeing a lot of farmstand ideas and have come up with a plan for Flourish Farms to start its own farmstand starting Spring of 2025. Farmstands can be simple in structure with just a few items, or they can be intricate and complex with power, water, and temperature control. They can be as simple, or elegant as the owner wants, and Lyndsey and I’s main goal is to serve our local community with fresh produce, eggs, and bakes goods out of our farmstand.

Plan

Now that the construction on our greenhouse is complete, the plan is to start construction on the farmstand. The weather looks great to allow a quick build, our farmstand is going to be quite simple as well which will aid in the process. We acquired some antique steel sheets that will look great on our farmstand. We plan to make it small enough that we can move it around easily if we need too. I have had a knack for constructing things out of pallets, they are usually cheap and easy to build with. Lyndsey bakes a lot of sour dough bread and other goods that we will sell out of the farmstand along with our garden produce, fresh eggs, salsa, and vanilla extract. If anyone has any other ideas, please reach out to us and let us know what you would like to see in the farmstand! Farmstand social media pages have inspired us to pursue this journey I have attached some links to our favorites at the end of the blog.

Execution

Our main goal for this farmstand is to serve our local community with whole foods and treats that the entire family can enjoy. If this is something you are interested in, please reach out to us for information on how we learned about it. We are still learning ourselves, and group learning is the best! Once the farmstand is built we plan to have it at our property just outside of town and make it a self-serve style kind of farmstand. People can take what they want and leave money in a box or Venmo us. We will bake multiple times a week for the farmstand and try to always have new and improved items available. Also, a farmstand is a great way to have some extra supplemental income. The input cost is fairly low, but the time is the most expensive part! Lyndsey and I dedicate a lot of time to our garden, animals, and preserving/cooking. We have learned to love the work that goes into making our homestead a homestand. Our family bonds in nature, and our son Wells has grown up getting dirty, caring for animals, and learning how to be self-sufficient. I will try and update this blog with posts as our farmstand starts being constructed, as always stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to grow with us!!

Farmstand Resources

https://www.facebook.com/share/12GJxyGzH3s/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

https://www.facebook.com/share/15r875Vj3K/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DTG9fy3tA/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Our Favorite laying hen “Lareta” enjoying some, time in the greenhouse.

Lyndsey and I have been inspired by my Dad and Step Mother to build our own greenhouse. The last couple of years we have really gotten into gardening, and learning all about how to grow the best crop we can, persevere that crop, and be able to use it throughout the year in various ways. This greenhouse will allow us to get our plants that we start as seeds potted up, and continue to thrive early on before being transplanted to our garden. It will also allow us to extend our growing season for certain plants, and possible be able to winter certain plants as well. We are excited to take you guys on this journey of learning about greenhouse growing as it seems dynamic in Iowa’s climate.

I built this Greenhouse on pallets with skids so that it can be moved if need be. We hunted windows and a sliding door down on marketplace, and framed it up with lumber from a local hardware store. The most expensive part is the clear greenhouse panels, other than that following a similar plan can get you into a cost friendly greenhouse. Most places will give away pallets.

This will be a learning curve, and we look forward to getting to know more about ways to extend our growing season with our new greenhouse. I will post pictures of the completed project under the photos section in the top menu of the website when it is completely finished.

One of our favorite things to do here at Flourish Farms is to start our yearly garden prep in the winter while we are stuck inside with plenty of time to brainstorm and create our new year’s vision board. This short blog includes information on what we do for winter garden planning to make sure that once spring thaw occurs, you are ready to hit the ground running with your action plan for the planting season.

Obtaining a grow light is one of the best investments for winter garden planning because it allows you to get your seeds started early and be able to transplant them directly to your garden when the weather is ideal. In our experience, getting your plants started under grow lights allows for more yield, and quicker than purchasing an already started plant from a store or nursery. This is mostly due to the fact that your environment created under your own grow light has been more constant than the environment of plants traveling to stores or nurseries.

Lastly, prepare any building materials/supplies needed for the rest of your vision ideas so that when the weather permits, you can get started right away!! Stay tuned on this blog for things to come such as fun sour dough/discard recipes as well as what we like to do to keep our chickens healthy in the winter.