Dropseed Farm
Small-scale Vegetable Farm

On just a 1/2 acre…

Seasonal vegetables are grown with care just 8 miles east of Dubuque, Iowa at the Sinsinawa Mound Collaborative Farm in Wisconsin. Dropseed Farm is run 100% by one person, Jess. You can learn about her story here. Having the perspective that we are land stewards rather than land “owners,” holds us responsible to each other. Dropseed Farm is certified organic through the Midwest Organic Service Association (MOSA) which facilitates the USDA National Organic Program. Cover cropping and no-till practices are the way to go. You will see Jess using a digging fork and hand tools to perform all of the soil work before, during and after planting. It is a lot of work, year round.

Vegetables

We begin in the spring with the sweetest crops of spinach, salad mix, carrots, radishes, green onions, and bok choi. Summer brings us cucumbers, zucchinis, tomatoes, melons, green beans, and corn. Then comes the best part of the year with onions, squash, garlic, peppers, and pumpkins in the fall. Dropseed Farm has it all. If you don’t see something you’re looking for, just ask! Dropseed grows special crops for local food trucks, artisan bakeries, and prepared meal services.

Partnerships with Childcare Centers

Bi-weekly boxes of snackable veggies are delivered to childcare centers in Dubuque during the week. Reach out if your childcare center would like to join the route. All invoices have been paid through private donations since the federal funding has halted. Want to pay for an invoice too? Reach out.

Native Plants

Pre-orders for native plants can be placed March - April. Restoring biodiversity in a small urban yard is equally important as a hundred acre ecosystem restoration. The attention and curiosity that these plants invite to your neighborhood is valuable in itself. Dropseed Farm offers a pay-what-you-can system for all native plants. The cost of materials and a bit of labor can be covered with about $5/plant. The work of growing native plants will not end for Jess regardless of any financial payment, but the plants are not guaranteed to make it in nice neat pots to your local plant sales, farmers market, or doorstep.

The work of seed saving, drying, and cleaning is done in the fall along side the curing of onions, winter squash, and herbs. If you’re interested in learning how to save your own seeds, let’s talk.