A Practical Backyard Tour 2024

Name: A Practical Backyard Tour 2024
Start: 2024-06-22T10:00:00-05:00
End: 2024-06-22T13:00:00-05:00
Location: Waterloo, Iowa

Schedule

Sat Jun 22 2024 at 10:00 am to 01:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Waterloo, Iowa | Waterloo, IA

Homeowners and organizations will be opening up their green spaces and backyards to share various sustainable and earth-friendly practices. Visit 6 creative, sustainable backyards and green spaces at your own pace and in any order. Tour locations will highlight topics such as: edible landscaping, rain gardens, pollinator gardens, water features, seed saving, permeable paver systems, native prairie landscaping, composting, vegetable production, pesticide-free lawns, raised beds, and more!
This public educational event is FREE and will take place rain or shine! (However donations are always accepted and greatly appreciated).
“A Practical Backyard Tour” is made possible in partnership with Black Hawk County Master Gardeners, Black Hawk Soil and Water Conservation District, Cedar Falls Public Library, City of Cedar Falls, City of Waterloo, Dry Run Creek Watershed Improvement Project, Good Neighbor Iowa, Green Iowa AmeriCorps, Northeast Iowa Food Bank, Prairie Rapids Audubon Society, SingleSpeed Brewing, and Wapsie Pines Lawn Care & Landscaping.
For questions or more information, please contact Josh Balk at [email protected].
Saturday, June 22nd - Prize Drawing at SingleSpeed Finale, 1:30pm:
Join us at the Waterloo SingleSpeed (325 Commercial St) as door prize winners are announced. WINNERS MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN!
Prizes include:
- $50 gift certificate from Wapsie Pines Lawn Care and Landscaping
- $25 gift card to SingleSpeed (2 quantity)
- $25 gift card to the Cedar Falls Library Book Nook
- A 55-gallon rain barrel (donated by the City of Cedar Falls)
- Rain garden plant package (2 quantity) (donated by the City of Waterloo Engineering Department)
- Gardening bucket (donated by Black Hawk Soil and Water Conservation District)

Site Location Details:
"Rain Gardens Galore" - 1709 Brookside Drive, Cedar Falls
Rain gardens are attractive landscapes and water drainage solutions for homes that also help out our local pollinators. See the progress one homeowner’s goal to completely eliminate their stormwater footprint with three different rain gardens with one more planned on the horizon.
"Pretty and Purposeful Permeable Pavers" - 1520 12th Street, Cedar Falls
If your concrete driveway is cracked and crumbling and you’re wondering about alternatives, then this is the site for you! See a brand new permeable pavement driveway system up close and chat with the homeowner to learn about the conversion process. It’s attractive, functional, and sustainable for years to come!
Highland Park Garden Project - North of Dietrick Street and Vine Street Intersection, Waterloo
Over the 2023 growing season Highland Park was host to a community garden project coordinated by UNI and Black Hawk Health Department. Tour the newly expanded garden area to discuss developments and connect with some local gardeners. Iowa State Extension office will discuss wildlife pest management at 11:00AM and Noon.
Northeast Iowa Food Bank - 1605 Lafayette St. Waterloo, IA 50701 (behind the buildling) OR 261 Vinton St. Waterloo, IA 50701
Food Banks were created to reclaim food that would otherwise go to waste and redistribute it to people in need. That ideal is still at the heart of a significant percentage of the food we obtain and distribute. However, produce remains inaccessible to those on a tight grocery budget. That's why we utilize our garden to assist in giving our clients nutritious choices. Our community garden provides the people we serve with healthy food grown in their community. Tour the food bank garden to see how they produce raised beds, which are producing over 12,000 pounds of nutritious produce for clients each year, including 40 different varieties! Learn more about volunteering, on-site educational activities, composting, pollinators, irrigation system and more at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank Community Garden.
Greenbelt Lake Prairie Management (post-prescribed fire) - 900 Martin Road, Waterloo
Greenbelt Lake Prairie is a 52 species prairie reconstruction area that was burned on April 10th, 2024. Join us on the short loop around the site to learn about the importance of fire in maintaining this natural resource.
1206 Lilac Lane, Cedar Falls
Tour a diverse, functional yard that provides both for her family and our nonhuman neighbors. Her yard is comprised of multiple projects in multiple stages, which I hope will inspire others that may find the process of getting to a "finished" practical backyard to be daunting.