DSM Bargain Hunter

The Des Moines Home + Garden show is this weekend (Fe 13-16) at the Iowa Events Center. I am spending more time in my yard after I had a patio and fence built, and also getting more into gardening. But, I still have so much more to do. I decided to check out the show yesterday to get inspiration and look for new, innovative products and services.

I was at the show for over 4-hours! Talking to what felt like half the vendors. It was kind of slow and I think many of them were bored. But, most were just outgoing sales people who enjoyed talking to attendees. Because of this, I ended up talking to many vendors I had no need for their service or just wasn’t interested in. Most understood. There were only a handful that were overly aggressive and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Most of those were selling products that had nothing to do with home and garden. One who was just down right rude and defensive when I said I wasn’t interested in their product based on past experience. Not the way to change a person’s mind… or at least not mine.

I actually ended up more wowed by the products at the show than actual landscaping and garden ideas, but I did find a little of both. I found a lot of the landscaping and garden services were out of the reach for most Iowans. For example, I saw at least five pool vendors. I don’t know that many people in the Des Moines area that have their own pool. Regardless, if you own a home and have some projects, I would recommend stopping by this weekend.

  Saturday February 15 – 9am-8pm
Sunday February 16 – 10am-6pm

Admission
Adults 13+ $14
Adults online $12
Children aged 7-12 $4.00
Children (Ages 6 & Under) FREE

My Top Recommendations

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They basically provide landscaping services, but their niche is fruit and vegetable gardens (including raised beds) and native plant gardens.

Iowa Family Gardens has monthly plans and fees based on your level of expertise. They also have free events at the Iowa Food Coop the 2nd and 4th Monday at 5:00pm.

Upcoming events:

• Feb 24: Garden Planning
• Mar 10: Cocktail Additions from the Garden
• Mar 24: Companion, Succession Planting
• Apr 14: Foodscaping
• Apr 28: Using Natural Fertilizers & Pest Deterrent

Why else I loved them is they provided me information on two additional organizations:

• Iowa Food Co-op
• Nine Square Feet

Iowa Food Co-op is located in Beaverdale and is basically a farmer’s market all year round. You pay a one time $50 membership fee, which allows you to shop online from over 75 local farmers every other week. You can either pick up the product or they will deliver it for free within Des Moines.

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I’m probably one of the weakest people out there. Absolutely no upper body strength whatsoever. I was able to test these pruners myself. And, when I was able to cut through 1″ and 2″ sticks myself, I purchased their kit of ratcheting garden tools on the spot!

This was the first time hearing of such sorcery, but I probably should have done my research first. I just found similar products much cheaper on Amazon. But I still think these are amazing!

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This sturdy stool turns your average 3.5 and 5 gallon bucket into a comfortable place to sit while still giving you access to the bucket. It also spins!

Great for gardening because it allows you to comfortably pull produce and weeds and put them in the bucket. Also great for fishing, playing catch and multiple household chores that require you to work low to the ground.

FYI.. I purchased ones of these, too!

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There was someone in front of me talking with the vendor for quite some time. So, I just took a photo of their contact information and moved on. Unfortunately, their website doesn’t provide pricing on the product. I believe they start around $1,200 for a residential mower and go up to around $4,500 for commercial needs. There is also an attachment for a blower!

These do have a charging station that are setup outside. If you are good with electrical work and setting up the area for mowing on the app, you may be able to set that up yourself. Otherwise, the company will setup the system for you for a fee. There also are maintenance fees you need to keep in mind as well.

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I was talking to another vendor about random stuff and they insisted I needed to check out this pickle vendor. He raved about the ranch and sweet horseradish. I mean I like pickles, but I am not a fanatic. Neither ranch nor horseradish sounded appealing. I’m sweet and spicy pickle gal. The booth was just down the row and I stopped by and checked them out when I got down there.

There was a huge line and people were purchasing 2-6 HUGE containers of these pickles. I had been there almost 4 hours and I was ready to go, but now had to see what all the fuss was!

They offered samples and I tried most🤣, even the sweet horseradish, which they said was their best seller. Guess what! Out of all the flavors, the sweet horseradish was my favorite – even over their sweet & spicy pickles!

I ended up getting two containers: the Sweet Horseradish and the Chile Lime, which cost me $30!😳 But, one container was $20 and felt it made more sense to get two (girl math). What can I say, I got caught up in all the hype!

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There were so many more vendors with fabulous services and products. I encourage your to check out the show this weekend.