Chicago Community Gardeners Association

Virtual Beginning Beekeeping Class
2021-03-16 18:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | IL
Spend 2 days virtually connecting with our Head Beekeeper, Marcin Matelski, to learn the basics of beekeeping: equipment, hive design and construction, bee biology and behavior, bee management, and bee products. This lecture based class has been adapted for a virtual experience and is limited in capacity to encourage questions and group interaction. Pre-registration is required. Automated live captioning is available.
*This class takes place over the course of 2 days
Class 1- Tuesday, March 16th 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Class 2 – Tuesday, March 23rd 6:00pm – 8:30pm
General Registration – $50
Volunteer/Member Registration – $40
Scholarships are available! Please complete the SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION to be considered.

CCGA 8th Annual Gardeners Conference
2021-03-20 09:00 - 16:00 | IL

Chicken Health Workshop
2021-04-05 18:30 - 21:00 | IL
What are the common health issues chickens face, and how can you treat
them? Better yet, how can you keep your flock healthy? This class addresses
chicken physiology, disease prevention and transmission, as well as chicken
first aid. $30 tickets.
Presented by: Home To Roost

April CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-04-20 18:00 - 20:00 | IL
NOTE: Until further notice CCGA Coordinating meetings are being held via Zoom. If you want to attend the coordinating meeting and are not already a member of one of the CCGA working groups send an email to: communications@chicagocommunitygardens.org and request to join the meeting.
Please join us for our monthly coordinating meeting. Representatives from all the working groups come together to coordinate our actions. Meeting locations All community gardeners and supporters are invited to attend.
Check the CCGA website for location details and as agendas become available. In person meetings switch between The Hatchery & the Chicago Center for Green Technology:
Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT)
445 N. Sacramento Blvd.
The Hatchery
135 N. Kedzie.
NOTE: All CCGA coordinating meeting minutes are available for you to review on the website. Look under the menu tree at ‘Who We Are’ and then ‘CCGA Organization’ and you will see links here for the coordinating committee documents by year.

Community Compost Collection
2021-04-24 09:00 - 14:00 | Plant Chicago ‘Firehouse”, 4459 S Marshfield Ave, Chicago, IL, 60609, United States
Drop N Swap!
U of I Extension Cook County and Plant Chicago have teamed up for EARTH WEEK to keep compostables out of the landfill.
Households are invited to drop off your yard/garden/kitchen waste to be composted and pick up a bucket of finished compost for your garden!
Help us reach our goal of collecting 5 tons of compostable material at this one day only event. Please bring us your grass clippings, leaves, landscape waste and kitchen scraps: eggshells, vegetable skins, and stems are welcome but please,
No products containing oil, dressings, dairy, produce stickers, branches over 2″ diameter, meat or bones!
Saturday April 24, 2021
9 am – 2 pm
‘The Firehouse’ at Plant Chicago
4459 S Marshfield, Chicago (1 block West of Ashland)
BYOB – Bring your own Bucket (up to 5 gal) to take home finished compost.
Social distancing and face coverings required to participate in this FREE event. Finished compost is first come first served.
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-compost-collection-with-university-of-illinois-extension-tickets-143319152443
If you have questions about this event please contact Sarah at 217-300-8636 or sbatka@illinois.edu.

Community Compost Collection
2021-04-28 07:00 - 2021-06-26 12:00 | IL
Community Compost Collection Series
Join us for our third event on Saturday, June 26, 2021, 7 am – 12 noon.
Location: Park Forest Farmers Market, 152 Main Street, Park Forest, IL 60466
University of Illinois Extension in Cook County and the Village of Park Forest have teamed up to keep compostables out of the landfill. Bring us your yard/garden/kitchen waste to be composted and pick up a bucket of finished compost for your garden!
Help us reach our goal of collecting 5 tons of compostable material at this one-day-only event.
Details

Please bring us your grass clippings, leaves, landscape waste, and kitchen scraps: eggshells, vegetable skins, and stems are welcome
Please do not bring products containing oil, dressings, dairy, meat, or bones! No branches over 2” in diameter!
This event is BYOB – Bring your own Bucket (up to 5 gallons) to take home finished compost.

Social distancing and face coverings required to participate in this FREE event. Finished compost is first come first served.
If you have questions about this event please contact Nancy Kreith at kreith@illinois.edu.

Seeds of Service: Know Your Roots!
2021-05-08 10:00 - 15:00 | Humboldt Park, 1400 N. Sacramento, Chicago, IL, United States
AmeriCorps Project YES! is proud to present Seeds of Service: Know Your Roots! This is a community gardening volunteer event that will take place May 8th. Volunteers will take a shift either from 10am-12pm or 12:30pm-3pm at one of four community gardens: El Yunque, Campbell, Mozart, or Monarch. COVID precautions will be in place and a light lunch will be provided. All volunteers need to bring is a willingness to get your hands dirty!
Our flyer is above and more information can be found on our Facebook page or Instagram. If you are interested, register using this Google form! If you are unable to attend but would like to support our efforts financially, we also have a GoFundMe page.
Project YES! hopes to raise awareness about community gardening, increase community pride and mobilize neighbors and students in volunteerism. We are looking forward to a great day of #gettingthingsdone in Humboldt Park.

Wicker Park Garden Club Plant Sale Fundraiser
2021-05-08 10:00 - 18:00 | Wicker Park Gardens, 1425 N. Damen, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
Wicker Park PLANT SALE FUNDRAISER – Mother’s Day Weekend
Saturday, May 8 at 10am – 6pm
RAINDATE: Sunday, May 9 at 10am – 4pm
1425 N. Damen, Chicago, IL 60622
***More INFO: https://bit.ly/3tidBVl
***VOLUNTEER SignUP: https://bit.ly/3rIO5s2
Wicker Park Advisory Council & Garden Club in partnership with the Chicago Park District will present the 2021 Annual Wicker Park Garden Club Plant Sale. The sale is a FUNDRAISER for the 10,000 sq. ft. of Park Gardens. The gardens are designed, funded and maintained by the Wicker Park Garden Club and are registered as part of the Chicago Park District Community Gardens in the Parks Program.
WHAT PLANTS ARE FOR SALE? You will be able to purchase GMO FREE herbs, vegetables, flowering annuals, hanging baskets, house plants, and perennial plants. All the PLANTS offered at the sale will be personally hand-picked by Wicker Park Garden Club members to perform well in Chicago. Volunteers will assist you with finding the plants that will work best in your gardens, containers, or roof tops – and – help you find the perfect gift for your mother.

May CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-05-18 18:00 - 20:00 | IL

Community Compost Collection
2021-05-22 10:00 - 14:00 | IL
Community Compost Collection Series
Join us for our third community composting event on Saturday, May 22, 2021, from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM CDT.
Location: Maywood Park District 921 S 9th Ave, Maywood, IL 60153
University of Illinois Extension in Cook County, Maywood Park District, Quinn Center, and Real Foods Collective have teamed up during Maywood Village Pride, Village Wide to keep compostables out of the landfill.
Bring us your yard/garden/kitchen waste to be composted and pick up a bucket of finished compost for your garden!
Help us reach our goal of collecting 5 tons of compostable material at this one-day-only event.
Details at go.illinois.edu/CompostMay22

Please bring us your grass clippings, leaves, landscape waste, and kitchen scraps: eggshells, vegetable skins, and stems are welcome
Please do not bring products containing oil, dressings, dairy, meat, or bones! No branches over 2” in diameter!
This event is BYOB – Bring your own Bucket (up to 5 gallons) to take home finished compost.

Social distancing and face coverings required to participate in this FREE event. Finished compost is first come first served.
If you have questions about this event please contact Gemini Bhalsod at gbhalsod@illinois.edu or (847) 201-4176.

June CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-06-15 18:00 - 20:00 | IL

Edgewater Glen's 47th Annual Garden Walk
2021-07-11 12:00 - 17:00 | IL
View beautiful urban, small space gardens in this compact, easily-walkable garden walk highlighting the creativity of our community’s gardeners. Street parking available. Many of the gardens are also ‘Poison Free’ where no pesticides and herbicides are used.

Summer Distribution Friday July 16, 2021 - New Horizons
2021-07-16 11:00 - 15:00 | New Horizons Community Garden, 401 S. Central Park, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Summer Distribution Flyer 7-16-2021

Summer Plant Distribution Friday August 13
2021-08-13 11:00 - 15:00 | New Horizons Community Garden, 401 S. Central Park, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
[pdf-embedder url=”http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CCGA_Summer-Distribution_8_13_2021_flyer.pdf” title=”CCGA Summer Distribution 8-13-2021 fly

Taste of the Garden at Kilbourn Park - Thursday August 26th
2021-08-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse, 3501 N. Kilbourn, Chicago, IL, 60641, United States
The Friends of Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse are hosting their Taste of the Garden event on Thursday August 26th at 6pm.
Join them for an enjoyable evening of live music, gourmet appetizers and beverages to celebrate the work and bounties of the Kilbourn Park Greenhouse & Gardens.
Click HERE to get FULL details!
Click HERE to buy tickets.

Sip + Swap: Chalet Plant Swap Event
2021-09-19 14:00 - 15:30 | Chalet Nursery, 3132 Lake Ave, Wilmette, 60091, United States
Come by Chalet, enjoy a drink, swap, and talk plants with fellow Chicagoland houseplant enthusiasts including plant influencer Jess of @Plantitalover.

On Sunday, September 19th from 2:00 – 3:30 pm, we’ll be gathering in The Garden for our very first plant swap event. Don’t have a plant to swap? Not a problem, enjoy some hard kombucha, shop our indoor plant collection and you can even re-pot your new plant at our repotting station with the guidance of our horticulturists. Plant influencer, Jess will give a brief demo unveiling our RARE by Chalet collection to show you what rare plants we have in store.

To Swap: Bring a pest-free, beautiful plant, or two to trade (they can be potted or bare root) as long as you’re prepared to part with them! A brief inspection of your plant will be done at the door to ensure we keep the event pest-free.
Join the Facebook event page to chat with attendees in advance about plant swaps!

Tickets are $5 per person.
100% of ticket sales will benefit Hurricane Ida Relief Fund.

September CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-09-21 18:00 - 20:00 | IL

CCGA Fall Perennial Distribution
2021-10-01 11:00 - 15:00 | New Horizons Community Garden, 401 S. Central Park, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Fall Distribution Flyer 10-1-2021

October CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-10-19 18:00 - 20:00 | IL

Loss & Thyme: Grief and Gardening Workshop
2021-11-04 18:00 - 19:00 | Plant Chicago ‘Firehouse”, 4459 S Marshfield Ave, Chicago, IL, 60609, United States
Folks from across Chicago are invited to join Bridge & Bloom Farms with death doula, Rian Lussier, of Song for Autumn Death Care, for a legacy project and thyme growing workshop at Plant Chicago. Join us as we create a space where folks can foster conversations on grief and loss while harnessing the healing elements of connections with plant life, specifically thyme. This free event will teach guests how to care for their provided thyme plant and invite guests to dedicate this plant to a loss they’ve experienced. Guests will leave with their own thyme starter, a sense of solace, and a tangible tool for approaching grief.

Pumpkin Smash
2021-11-06 10:00 - 14:00 | IL
GREEN YOUR HALLOWEEN by composting your jack-o-lanterns and natural holiday decorations.
U of I Extension is hosting a Pumpkin Smash compost collection on Saturday November 6, 2021 from 10 am – 2 pm at five Chicago locations.

Plant Chicago 4459 S Marshfield Ave, Chicago, IL 60609
Gary Comer Youth Center 7200 S Ingleside Ave, Chicago, IL 60619
Chicago Vocational Academy High School 2100 E 87th St, Chicago, IL 60617
Lake View HS 4015 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences 3857 W 111th St, Chicago, IL 60655

Everyone is welcome to participate in this free family-friendly event, but please mask up!
We’ll have a compost education station, activities and seasonal refreshments for you to enjoy, Rain or Shine.
Collect for your block, scout troop or congregation!
Go.illinois.edu/PumpkinSmash or call Sarah at 217-300-8636 for more information.

November CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-11-16 18:00 - 20:00 | IL

Herbs for Immunity Workshop
2021-11-20 13:00 - 14:30 | Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse, 3501 N. Kilbourn, Chicago, IL, 60641, United States
Friends of Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse
Invites you to an herbal talk by Nina Lowrin of Loveren Collections
In addition to an overview of what foods and herbs are helpful for supporting our immune function, Nina will be demonstrating how to make elderberry syrup and an echinacea tincture. Attendees will take home a sample of elderberry syrup!
Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/204062314877
Kilbourn Park Grenhouse
3501 N. Kilbourn Ave.

Winter Container Workshop
2021-12-04 10:00 - 11:00 | The Hatchery Chicago, 135 N. Kedzie, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Bridget Schroeder of The Contained Garden will teach a hands-on workshop on how to make a beautiful winter container. Starts at 10am, cost is $12.
Space is limited, must RSVP by 4pm, Thursday December 2, 2021. RSVP with name and address of your community garden to mamiegray2012@gmail.com.
Email questions to: mamiegray2012@gmail.com.
Thanks to The Hatchery Chicago and The Contained Garden!

December CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-12-21 18:00 - 20:00 | IL

January CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2022-01-18 18:00 - 20:00 | IL
NOTE: Until further notice CCGA Coordinating meetings are being held via Zoom. If you want to attend the coordinating meeting and are not already a member of one of the CCGA working groups send an email to: communications@chicagocommunitygardens.org and request to join the meeting.
Please join us for our monthly coordinating meeting. Representatives from all the working groups come together to coordinate our actions. Meeting locations All community gardeners and supporters are invited to attend.
Check the CCGA website for location details and as agendas become available. In person meetings switch between The Hatchery & the Chicago Center for Green Technology:
Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT)
445 N. Sacramento Blvd.
The Hatchery
135 N. Kedzie
NOTE: All CCGA coordinating meeting minutes are available for you to review on the website. Look under the menu tree at ‘Who We Are’ and then ‘CCGA Organization’ and you will see links here for the coordinating committee documents by year.

February CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2022-02-15 18:00 - 20:00 | IL

March CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2022-03-15 18:00 - 20:00 | IL

All Hands on Deck to Conserve Monarch Butterflies
2022-03-16 17:00 - 18:00 | IL
The Monarch Joint Venture is a network of over 100 organizations across the United States working together to conserve monarch butterflies and their habitats. As a flagship for other pollinators and other conservation benefits, the MJV works to engage people and partners from all backgrounds in habitat conservation, education, and science. Across different land uses from agriculture to rights-of-way to public lands to municipalities, we need all hands on deck to bring monarchs and other pollinators back to sustainable population levels. In this session, we’ll discuss how actions taken within your community are contributing to national monarch conservation efforts. We will cover various ways to get involved in monarch conservation in urban areas, from planting pollinator gardens to participating in community science efforts and other community engagement activities.
Presenter: Wendy Caldwell, Executive Director, Monarch Joint Venture
