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BOONE, Iowa — Dick Martin is familiar with gardening.
He is president of the North Grand Farmers’ Market in Ames; he has his own farm at 225 South Ringgold St. in Boone, where he sells a variety of fruits and vegetables; and he leases land around Boone from families for gardening.
He also has an eye for others who are proficient at gardening.
Martin first recognized this ability in Drake Hosteng, son of Sherry and Travis Hosteng, the first time Drake helped Martin pick beans in a field near the Hostengs’ home.
From then, Drake helped Martin pick beans, strawberries, and even planted his own pumpkin that grew to more than 200 pounds — quite an accomplishment for a 1-year-old.
Martin first got to know the Hosteng family when he started leasing four acres from them on West Eighth Street.
“He’s just a sucker for babies and little kids, and just loves to interact with them,” Sherry said. “He’s here quite a bit gardening.
“And so Drake knows who Dick is and what his car looks like and calls him by name.”
The two formed a friendship immediately as Drake began helping Martin with his gardening.
“We’ll be up here, and Dick will be way out in the garden east of the house, and Drake will run all the way out there by himself,” Sherry said. “That’s how he started. Dick was out there picking beans one day, and Drake ran out there, helping him pick them and eat them.”
He also helps Martin pick strawberries out in the “hot house,” an enclosed greenhouse, on Martin’s property.
“He loves to pick strawberries,” Travis said. “He eats those as he picks them, too.”
In May, Martin wanted to help Drake grow something himself.
“Well, we tried to grow (a pumpkin) last year, and it didn’t work,” Travis said. “Of course, he (Drake) was just a seed himself at the time. So, Dick got a seed over the winter from a buddy of his, and he brought the seed over with a pan. And he handed the seed to him, taught him how to plant it, and he dropped the seed in there, and he started it in his greenhouse.”
Less than a month later, that seed sprouted into a one-foot tall vine. Martin helped Drake transfer the vine from a planter into the garden. Drake watered it, helped maintain it and watched it grow to eight times his own size.
“I know it’s over 200, because that one over there in the pickup, we’re able to pick it up, and it weighs over 150,” Martin said, pointing to two large pumpkins in the bed of a truck on his farm.
“He’s incredible,” Martin said. “Picking beans, he’ll just get one in each hand and he’d put them in the bucket. Then he’d eat one, and he’d give you a few, and he’d go eat some more. He picks beans, pulls weeds ... but the thing that tickled me was to see him thump melons and roll them over.”
Drake not only thumps the melons to see if they’re ripe, but he also rolls them over to make sure their color is OK.
Next year, Martin plans to improve on Drake’s pumpkin. Due to the weight of this year’s pumpkin, it split while being moved, so Martin collected seeds from it to have Drake plant next year.
“We’re going to get him a big pumpkin next year,” Martin said.
After 40 years of gardening and producing a wide variety of produce, Martin said Drake is the youngest helper he’s ever had.
“Compensation, you know, is pretty good,” Martin said, laughing. “He’ll give me a high-five and smiles. He samples my strawberries for me.”
Martin expects big things from Drake.
“He’s going to have a destiny of greatness,” Martin said, smiling. “No doubt about it.”
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