Gardeners all over Chicago are prepping for spring by holding seed swaps. Here is a schedule of all the seed swaps we’ve heard of.

Seed swap and potluck at the Eco Rooftop Garden in Pilsen
Sunday Feb 26, 2012 2pm-5pm
@ the Eco Collective, in Pilsen
RSVP for the exact address
$5 donation (benefits Eco Rooftop garden)
Visit www.ecorooftop.org for more information.

Demystifying Heirloom Gardening: Seed Swap, Lecture and Book Signing at the Chicago Botanic Garden
Sunday, February 26, 2-5pm
2-3pm: Lecture and book signing by Diane Ott Whealy
3-5pm: Seed Swap
Go to http://www.chicagobotanic.org/calendar/event/demystifying_heirloom_gardening for more information.

Seed Swap at the Jane Addams Hull House Museum
March 4, 2-6 pm

Peterson Garden Project’s Seed Swap
March 4, 2-5pm at Swedish Covenant Hospital’s Galter Pavilion, Second Floor, 5140 N. California.
Check out www.petersongarden.org for more information.

The Great Chicago Seed Swap, hosted by Mr. Brown Thumb at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show
Sunday, March 11th at Navy Pier.
Read his blog post for more information.

Seed starting workshop tomorrow, Saturday February 18th at the Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse.
Go to http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/events/seed-starting/ for more details.

From their website: 12:00 PM – 02:00 PM

Kilbourn Greenhouse
3501 N. Kilbourn Ave
Chicago, IL , 60641

773.685.3359

Master Gardener and organic advocate Nancy Benjamin will show you the basics of seed starting. Discover seed sources, trays, growing mediums, lights as well as germination tips and times for a whole variety of vegetables and flowers.

Fees: $10 per person

Age Range: All Ages

Craving unique vegetables? Want those old fashioned French marigolds? Like the delicate herb chervil? Want to show your children the wonders of plants? Sometimes, to get the plants you want–when you want them–you just have to grow them yourself. Master Gardener and organic advocate Nancy Benjamin will show you the basics of seed starting. Discover seed sources, trays, growing mediums, lights as well as germination tips and times for a whole variety of vegetables and flowers

Winter is for seed swaps, potlucks, watching documentaries and taking classes:

Seed swap and potluck at the Eco Rooftop Garden in Pilsen
Sunday Feb 26, 2012 2pm-5pm
@ the Eco Collective, in Pilsen
RSVP for the exact address
$5 donation (benefits Eco Rooftop garden)
Visit www.ecorooftop.org for more information.

Seed Swap at the Jane Addams Hull House Museum
March 4, 2-6 pm

Seed Swap, hosted by Mr. Brown Thumb at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show
Sunday, March 11th at Navy Pier.

Screening of Greenhorns at the Hideout hosted by Advocates for Urban Agriculture
Sunday, February 12
Screening at 7:00PM
Panel from about 8:30-9
Mixer at 9
The Hideout (1354 W. Wabansia Ave, most easily accessed by turning east
onto Wabansia from Elston)
Chicago, IL
$5.00 admission

The UIC Extension’s Good Ag Practices for Safe Produce class
To register, visit their website.
Date: February 28, 2012 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA)
meeting room Dixie Highway & 174th
1904 West 174th Street
East Hazel Crest, IL 60429 (accessible by METRA train)

Openlands’ Spring 2012 TreeKeepers classes begin March 3
Click here for more information.

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Click here to view the flyer.
Click here to view the application.

The program is aimed at providing to Community Gardens in Cook County a boost, through grant
dollars, for the development and enhancement of the garden. Grant dollars not only can be used to
purchase plant materials, seeds, and gardening supplies/materials but also, local farm producers
stand ready to assist Urban Gardens through supplies, expertise, and materials.

The Cookfresh Cook County grant program offers four $300.00 grants to support urban
agriculturists seeking assistance with an urban garden. The application process is open from
January 1, 2012 through February 29th, 2012. Completed applications must be postmarked by
Wednesday, February 29th, 2012. Applications may be submitted to Cook County Farm Bureau,
6438 Joliet Road, Countryside, Il 60525, email: ccfb@cookcfb.org or Fax: 708‐579‐6056.

Items to consider…

• Grants to Urban Gardens will receive $300 in Cook County Farm
  Bureau Cookfresh “Funds” redeemable at various local farm market
  stands and member outlets for use during the 2012 garden season.
• Urban Gardens receiving a grant will be asked to post a sign
  indicating that the “Urban Garden is supported by Cook County Farm
  Bureau’s Cookfresh program.”
• The judging committee is volunteers from the Commodities/
  Marketing Team that farm or are farm advocates.

Openlands runs both of these wonderful gardening courses.

Home Grown Chicago is a course for groups of gardeners interested in starting or improving their garden. Click here for more information and to register. Home Grown Chicago classes begin March 24.

BUGs (Building Urban Gardens) teaches the basics of urban gardening. Click here for more information and the registration form BUGs classes begin January 28.

Home Grown Chicago Workshop topics:

• Workshop 1- March 24, 2012 – 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet successful allotment gardeners and learn the history of this movement. Learn how to find, test and secure land for your garden.
• Workshop 2- March 31, 2012 – 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Learn how to establish a healthy organization as the first step to ensure that the garden is run effectively, cooperatively and sustainably.
• Workshop 3- April 7, 2012 – 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Designing the garden, and growing vegetables organically
• Workshop 4- April 14, 2012 – 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. . Hands-on demonstrations of building & installing garden structures such as raised beds & trellises in a garden

BUGs topics include:

• Planning and Designing Your Ecological/Organic Garden
• The Basis of an Organic Garden: Healthy Soil and Composting
• Vegetables for Your Beautiful, Edible Garden
• Perennials and Herbs for Diversity and Flavor!
• Insects and Weeds: A Place for Everything & Everything in its Place
• Container and Raised Bed Gardening

KAM Isaiah Israel is holding their 3rd Annual Sustainibility Weekend January 13-15. The program is titled “From Plant to Plate: Grow Local as Social Action” and has a wonderful lineup of workshops and speakers. Check it out! Go to www.kamii.org for more information. All events will be held at KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation, 1100 E. Hyde Park Blvd, Chicago.

Weekend Schedule

Friday, January 13

8:00 p.m. – Shabbat Service

9:00 p.m. – “Health and Food Justice: Observations from the South Side”
Presentation by Doriane C. Miller, M.D., Director, Center for Community Health and Vitality, University of Chicago Medical Center

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Saturday, January 14
4:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Panel Discussion:
“From Plant to Plate – Distribution of Locally Grown Food”
Moderator: Robert Nevel
Panel: Ken Dunn, Seneca Kern, Doriane C. Miller, M.D., Donna Peace, Deb Pratt, Connie Spreen, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning graduate students with Professor Don Hanlon

6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Reception

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Sunday, January 15
11:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Workshops:
“From Plant to Plate – Practical Learning”

Session 1 11:00 – 11:45 a.m.

The Making and Tasting of Sustainable Coffee
with Rich Futrell

A Brief Introduction to Fruit Trees
with Dave Snyder

Mindfulness Yoga – Uniting Breath, Body, and Mind
(dress to de-stress)
with Carol Horton

Safe Soils for Healthy Gardens
with Mark Moxley

Lunch (no charge) – 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Cooking Demo and Tasting
with Samm Petrichos of Spice, plus food from local vendors and Counter Culture Coffee

Session 2 1:00 – 1:45 p.m.

Guerrilla Grafting
with Breanne Heath

Drip Irrigation for Urban Gardens
with Mark Moxley

Preserving Summer’s Bounty – Making Meyer Lemon Marmalade in January
with Liv Leader in the kitchen

Indoor Composting
with Amber Gribben

Session 3 2:00 – 2:45 p.m.

Aquaponics
with Alex Poltorak

Meditation
with Tal Yifat

Preserving Summer’s Bounty – Making Meyer Lemon Marmalade in January (cont’d.)
with Liv Leader in the kitchen

Living on the Wedge: Wisconsin Artisan Cheesemakers
with Mari Coyne

Time to Get DIRTY – Build a Garden, Grow Food, Connect to Your Community
with Seneca Kern

Session 4 3:00 – 3:45 p.m.

What to Grow to Fill Your Plate
with Debra Hammond

Beekeeping in Chicago
with Michael Thompson

Growing Support for Your Garden
with Jim Bloom

Unity Gardens: Growing Food, Growing Health, Growing Community
with Sara Stewart and Mitch Yaciw

Gentle Yoga (dress to de-stress)
with Meredith Haggerty

Vote today at www.oneseedchicago.com. You will recieve a free seed packet of the winning seed.

The candidates for 2012 are: Basil, Cilantro/Coriander, and Chamomile. Click the links to meet each candidate.

One Seed Chicago is an urban greening project. People, just like you, vote for a favorite seed and One Seed Chicago mails you the seeds for free. Grow them in your garden or a community garden in your neighborhood. One Seed Chicago is brought to you by NeighborSpace in partnership with GreeNet. Let’s Grow Together.

15 spots remaining – Register wpgarden@aol.com – A Great Gift for a Gardening Friend

LEARN AND CREATE – A LANDSCAPE DESIGN FORUM & WORKSHOP
LEARN – Enjoy 7 Saturdays of Talks by 8 Professional Designers & 50 Gardeners from all Over Chicagoland.
YOU WILL CREATE or ENHANCE Your Landscape & Plant it Next Spring!

LANDSCAPE DESIGN WORKSHOP
LEARN HOW TO DESIGN or ENHANCE YOUR HOME, BUSINESS,
OR COMMUNITY GARDENS

Saturdays – 7 Weeks at 10am – 1pm
January 14 – February 25
Wicker Park Field House – 1425 N. Damen, Chicago, IL 60622

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED – Limit 50 Students – $80
RSVP wpgarden@aol.com (773) 278-9075

WORKSHOP – Presented & Designed by Wicker Park Garden Club
In Collaboration with the Chicago Park District
Generously Funded by
Parkways Foundation with The Support of People’s Gas
www.WPGarden.org www.ChicagoParkDistrict.com
www.Parkways.org www.peoplesenergy.com

YOU Will Create
A Landscape for Your Home, Community Garden, or Business
Go Home with the Drawings That You Designed
During the 7 Weeks of Classes
Each Week You Work on STEP BY STEP on
Your Home Design as well as Complete Many Exercises in Design

Instruction Team
Gary Lehman, ASLA, RLA – G Studio Art + Design www.gstudiodesign.net
Creating Your Site Plan & Light Level Plot

Sam Marts, Sam Marts Architects & Planners, LTD. www.timbersmart.com
The Influence of Architecture on Landscape Design

Julie Siegel, Julie Siegel Designs, Inc www.jsiegeldesigns.com
Creating Paths that Work with the Architecture and
Serve the Needs of Your Landscape Intentions

Ellen Moderhack, MODE Landscape Design www.modelandscape.com
Defining & Dividing the Space and Usage Areas – What Works for YOU?

Brian Shea, Voltaire’s Gardener www.voltairesgardener.com
Successfully Incorporating Hardscape Features into the Design

Brian Houck, Director of Horticulture – Lincoln Park Zoo –
www.lpzoo.org http://www.lpzoo.org/nature-boardwalk
Designing with Natives for Sun and Shade

Janella Sykes, Garden Designer & Assistant Manager/Buyer at
Farmers Market Garden Center www.gardenchicago.com
Successful, Creative, and Sustainable Designs for Shade – 4 Season Interest
Susan Fontana, Garden Designer Thinking Outside the Pot

Douglas Wood, Wicker Park Gardens – www.WPGarden.org
Perennial/Shrub/Ornamental Grass Combinations and Overall Grouping Distributions for Sustainable Shade, Sun, and Sun-Part Shade Gardens; Soil Amendments; Utilizing Seeds, Bulbs, Rhizomes & Tubes to Enhance Garden Designs (3 lectures)

12 Design Instructors Work with YOU Each Week
Jim Angrabright, Amy Brinkman, Denise Browning, Paula Collins, Donna Forsberg, Susan Goss, Diane Mason, Maureen Taylor, Peggy Thoma, Richard Tilley, Kelly Wisdom, Leslie Zimmerman

BASIC CLASS STRUCTURE

– 30 minutes – Show Your Home Work Designs to Others – Group Critique
– 60 minutes Presentation of the Day
– 60 minutes 2nd Presentation or Design Work
– 30 minutes – In-Class Exercise and Work on Personal Home Designs with Teachers
– Homework – Work on Project of the Week and Design – Bring Back for Critique

First you will create a site plan including your home, lot size, buildings around your yard, and all trees, shrubs, sidewalks, and water features. Then, looking at this site plan, you will determine what works with the architecture of your home and those around it. Next, you will study your property’s soil types, available light levels at your site, plant palettes appropriate for your site and your aesthetics. In this process you will survey and ask to create designs including plant combinations that work well together, considering shrubs, trees, perennials, and the hardscape that you could incorporate into your final designs.

You set the budget, your goals, and determine how you plan to use the final landscape – then you design based on your acquired knowledge and input from the 9 guest speakers and our 12 experienced gardeners who will assist you in creating your designs.

You will be asked to make many designs that could work for you as you explore each week’s design concepts and goals, gaining freedom to change the plan and perhaps find a new approach that really works for you. Some enter the class with very specific goals – others create as they go. You will create many design options for your home landscape, and then be able to decide which ones work for you.