Recent Posts

Join us in honoring Julie Samuels, Chicago community gardening pioneer, on Saturday Sept. 26 from 2-4pm
September 10, 2026

Join us in honoring Julie Samuels, Chicago community gardening pioneer, on Saturday Sept. 26 from 2-4pm

We are excited to invite you to the Garfield Park Conservatory on Saturday, September 26 from 2-4pm to remember Julie and visit the special memorial bench that has been installed in her honor in the outdoor Urban Demonstration Garden. We hope this contributes to her legacy, for people to discover Julie’s impact on community gardening while visiting the Conservatory, one of her favorite places.

CCGA
Find a Seed Swap Near You 2026
January 20, 2026

Find a Seed Swap Near You 2026

U of I Extension Cook County created this map to help you locate a seed swap. To add your swap to the list please email sbatka@illinois.edu To see the interactive map: Go.illinois.edu/SeedSwaps Use the left-side index to open the list of seed swap events by …

CCGA
Local Birding Grant Available
January 20, 2025

Local Birding Grant Available

The Chicago Ornithological Association has an open grant to support grassroots bird education https://www.chicagobirder.org/anderson-grant. This is a truly creative, open grant that would allow exploration of birds in gardens, gardens as nature spaces, plant-bird combinations, bird art, and beyond. Thanks to Chris Weber, Outdoor educator …

CCGA
Resources 2024 Highlights
January 12, 2025

Resources 2024 Highlights

New to this year’s distributions and workshops and now posting for the CCGA Facebook page are two volunteers in Resources and Distribution.  Welcome, Eve Venable, who joined CCGA as one of its most creative and active members. Also welcome to Deb Jensen who is a …

CCGA
New Year & Year End Message
January 12, 2025

New Year & Year End Message

Happy New Year, community gardeners! It’s still the first few days of 2025, so we can take a moment to look back at 2024 to acknowledge all that we accomplished and let that help set the table for 2025. We hope gardeners have been enjoying …

CCGA
Legacy Gardener Film Project Update
January 12, 2025

Legacy Gardener Film Project Update

“How to Keep it Going: Sowing Seeds for Gardens of Tomorrow,” the documentary portrayal of CCGA’s legacy gardeners, was presented in a screening of the Legacy Gardener Film Project, May 22, 5-8 pm in the Jensen Room of Garfield Park Conservatory. These films have captured …

CCGA
A Tribute to Julie Samuels
January 12, 2025

A Tribute to Julie Samuels

It was with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we learned of the death of our colleague and friend Julie Samuels (1944-2024). Her family sent word to us of a Celebration of Life that was held August 31 in Oak Park. All of us who …

CCGA, News
Find a Seed Swap Near You 2025
January 6, 2025

Find a Seed Swap Near You 2025

U of I Extension Cook County created this map to help you locate a seed swap. To add your swap to the list please email sbatka@illinois.edu To see the interactive map: go.illinois.edu/SeedSwaps Thanks to Sarah Batka from U of I Extension for compiling and providing …

CCGA, News, Plant Distribution
August 8, 2024

Register now for the Garfield Park Garden Network Community Gardens Tour on Aug. 24!

Join us for a tour of community gardens in Garfield Park from 9am-2pm on Saturday, August 24! Board the bus at Garfield Park Gold Dome and visit 6 community gardens and an urban farm. Then we’ll head over to The Hatchery Chicago for a tour. …

CCGA
All three Legacy Gardener films are now available online
June 13, 2024

All three Legacy Gardener films are now available online

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Garfield Park Conservatory on Wednesday, May 22 for the premier of our most recent Legacy Gardener film featuring Juline McClinton. We’re happy to share that all three Legacy Gardener films are now available to watch online …

CCGA