A Growing Interest With The State Fair

It started with sweet potatoes and grew from there.

"We thought no one was showing sweet potatoes at the State Fair," said Tom Schroeder who has lived in Plymouth for 26 years. "Sweet potatoes are very delicate when you dig them out of the ground."

Turns out to the chagrin of Schroeder and his wife Karen, sweet potatoes were shown, but that didn't stop them from getting fourth place the next time they showed at the Minnesota State Fair. After that the couple was hooked.

"Unfortunately the next year it looked like gophers got into the potatoes so we didn't have those to show," Schroeder said. "So we pulled out our most perfect carrots."

That was in 2009 and the Schroeders' got first place for those top shelf carrots in the four and a half inches or less size category. But as anyone who gardens knows, it can be hit or miss.

"Last year we put in a giant squash only and got second, but didn’t quite make it with the carrots," Schroeder said. "This year we had a giant banana squash, but nothing in our plot grew very well."

In 2010, Schroeder got second place for his pink banana squash and winter squash.

This year Schroeder was dismayed to find potato bugs had erupted on his garden plot at community gardening spot on Niagara Lane in Plymouth.

"I was just picking potato bugs off in June and July and it's too bad because they were perfect it weren't for those bugs," Schroeder said. "Then it just go too hot in July and we didn’t get out there for four days."

Besides the plot they have to grow their award winning vegetables, the Schroeders have a flourishing garden at their Plymouth home where they spend much of their time when the weather is nice.

"Yeah, we spend hours, most of the day out here," Schroeder said in a small, homemade wooden structure he built in the garden.

And that is a whole other story.