June: What’s H...

May and June in Chicagoland have seen record rainfall so far, and no doubt your plants (and weeds!) have been looking quite lush. This is a clue that one of the most important things needed for growing big, juicy vegetables is water. As we move into the hotter and drier months of July and...

Chives!

Do you have chives in your garden? It’s harvest time! Chives are a member of the onion (allium) family and grow perennially (they come back year-to-year). Often chives are one of the first signs of spring as they can tolerate cold weather and, if you planted them last year,...

2019 Plant Sale Volu...

It’s time for our annual Plant Sale! We are being hosted by City Grange this year, a new independent garden center, and we need your help. Ready to check out our awesome plant list for this year and make your own list of things to pick up when you volunteer? Go to our blog post  to see the...

Hello Garlic!

Did you plant garlic in your plot last fall and forget? Or did you inherit a plot with some robust “green things” already sprouting up? Don’t pull it! That’s garlic! And it will be ready to harvest later in the summer.         Garlic is typically...

Part 1: Seed Startin...

Start with clean plant pots, clean hands and a sterile seed starting mix. Most bagged mixes are already sterile. Starting seeds indoors in topsoil or compost can sometimes lead to fungal diseases in the seedlings, or too many nutrients that overwhelm the young plants. Moisten your seed...