Prairie Pedlar Gardens

Prairie Pedlar Gardens, a seven-acre site north of Odebolt, is a popular destination for weddings and summer gatherings. Referred to as a “Bouquet of Gardens,” there is a total of thirty display gardens to see and enjoy. This Sears catalog pre-fab barn, built in 1941-42, also has a barn quilt that adds a touch of elegance.

A rooftop garden of multi-colored wave petunias seen below is a playhouse for their grandchildren. Don’t miss visiting Cook #8 country school on the property and checking out the gift shop as well. 

The site is located in Sac County at a corner of what was once the Wheeler farm, one of the largest farms in Iowa. See page 30 of Iowa Barns yesterday and today for more about the Wheeler farm and page 211 for more of the Prairie Pedlar story.

Garden shed

Can you guess the original use of this building? Today it is a garden shed in Grundy County, with the addition of birdhouses and a barn quilt, but it was originally part of a corncrib over thirty years ago.

 The “building” on top of a corncrib is called a “headhouse,” with openings for an elevator to be inserted to transport grain inside for storage. Headhouses vary widely in size and shape, this one being quite large, evidenced by my husband standing next to it in the photo below. Imagine the difficulty of getting it down to the ground without demolishing it in the process! However, it surely needed significant restoration to achieve this look today.

Pictured below are two other examples of headhouses. If you are in need of one for a garden shed, doghouse, or a playhouse, there are plenty of corncribs that might be available just for the asking. The owner might even give it to you if you would take the whole corncrib too.