Chicago Community Gardeners Association

Soil Health Workshop
2021-02-06 13:00 - 14:30 (America/Chicago) | IL
Saturday, Feb. 6th @1-2pm (maybe 2:30pm)
If you have been gardening for a few seasons now and have noticed your
plants not looking as healthy, it may be the soil. Learn where to send in
soil tests and what to do with that information when it comes to amending
the soil and growing healthier plants. You can also read the soil health by
what weeds you see growing. We will discuss low-cost actions to amend your
soil to increase crop yield and help with plant vitality. We will also
discuss resources available locally so you can focus on supporting local
businesses and being intentional about the sourcing of your soil
amendments.
This is part of the Kilbourn Park’s Winter Gardening Zoom Classes series.

February CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-02-16 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.

Indoor Composting Workshop
2021-02-20 13:00 - 14:30 | IL
Saturday, Feb. 20th @1-2pm (maybe 2:30pm)
Join in on the fun, and learn how you can start to recycle your food waste
and turn it into compost for your garden/indoor plants. It is not as hard
as it looks and we will walk you through the steps of doing this in the
comfort of your own home. We will provide a list of materials to purchase
ahead of time so that you can leave the class with a fully functioning
compost bin and start your composting right away!
This is part of the Kilbourn Park’s Winter Gardening Zoom Classes series.

16th Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit
2021-02-25 10:30 - 16:00 | IL
The Chicago Food Policy Action Council presents the 16th Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit
The event dates are February 25th, February 26th, March 5th, and March 6th.
Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/16th-annual-chicago-food-justice-summit-tickets-132132216015
For schedule details, visit their website here:
https://www.chicagofoodpolicy.com/cfjs16
For full access to speaker profiles, session details, etc. please register
through the eventbrite linked above!

Seed Starting Workshop
2021-03-06 13:00 - 14:30 | IL
Saturday, Mar. 6th @1-2pm (maybe 2:30pm)
Have you ever thought about starting plants from seed? We will walk you
through the process and suggest items to make your life easier as you
venture into this process. With a list of locally sourced items you can
follow along and find out how you can start your own seedlings and keep
them happy until you can transplant them outside. You will also get a sneak
peak into this year’s plant list for our 2021 Plant Sale.
This is part of the Kilbourn Park’s Winter Gardening Zoom Classes series.

School and Community Garden Training
2021-03-13 09:00 - 13:00 | Zoom, United States
Registration is now open for Cook County Extension’s popular School and Community Garden Training: Saturday March 13, 9 am – 1 pm via Zoom.
Please feel free to share our Facebook Event with your networks https://fb.me/e/doeB30MGK
Delivered virtually this year, this training will offer an overview of the resources that Extension can offer your organization.
We ask that at least three representatives (may include staff, volunteers, parents, teachers, garden coordinators, administrators) from your garden attend Extension’s free garden training to jump-start planning, recruit helpers, schedule garden installations and develop programming.
During this program we will break out into smaller groups for tailored information to your specific needs. Please select two break out groups to attend. Each session will be repeated twice:

Vegetable Gardening
Ornamentals, Native Plants, and Conservation@Home for Communities
Donation Gardens and Nutrition Curriculum
Garden Management Problem Solving

For on demand information, please visit Cook County Extension’s School Garden Resources website.
For questions about this training, please email Margaret Burns-Westmeyer: mburnswe@illinois.edu
Pre-registration is required at https://go.illinois.edu/schoolgardentraining.

Ask a Master Gardener on Zoom
2021-03-15 17:30 - 18:30 | IL
Ask a Master Gardener on Zoom

March 15 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

REGISTER
Have your gardening questions answered by a University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener, live on Zoom! These Monday evening sessions are a time to chat live with a trained Master Gardener and find out what might be going on with your plant or what might help with your pest problems. Register to get the Zoom link and a way to submit your questions beforehand (not necessary but helpful if it is more in-depth). Registration closes at 6:00pm CST. Automated live captioning is available.

Loyola’s Virtual Climate Change Conference March 15-18, 2021
2021-03-15 18:00 - 20:00 | IL
Across the country, youth climate activists are mobilizing people to
protect the planet. In 2021, Loyola’s Virtual Climate Change Conference
will focus on how we can amplify the voices of these young activists.
Free Registration and conference agenda:
https://www.luc.edu/sustainability/initiatives/climatechangeconference/
This year, we will be delivering you our signature conference through a
week long series of evening events and programming. Each evening, you can
join us and participate in discussion around a variety of topics including:
– our first-ever Keynote Conversation with youth climate activists Vic
Barrett and Dejah Powell moderated by WBEZ’s Jerome McDonnell,
– an intergenerational conversation between our keynote climate
activists and their mentors,
– a panel discussion on how climate change is driving displacement, and
the climate migrant’s plight,
– a panel on climate advocacy through art featuring local artists, and
– a discussion with indigenous youth activists.
All events will occur at 6pm during March 15-18th, 2021.

March CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-03-16 18:00 - 20:00 | IL

Virtual Beginning Beekeeping Class
2021-03-16 18:00 - 20:30 | 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

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.
