Chicago Community Gardeners Association

FREE Compost Bins Distribution
2016-11-05 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Center for Green Technology, 445 North Sacramento, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
Would you like a free compost bin?
The CCGA Resources Committee will be giving compost bins to community gardeners this Saturday, November 5, 2016, 10:00 a.m. to Noon, on the east side of the Center for Green Technology, 445 North Sacramento Boulevard.
There will also be a small selection of perennials for distribution. No fee or registration required. Distribution is a “first come, first served” basis.

Holiday Houseplant Sale
2016-12-10 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Center for Green Technology, 445 North Sacramento, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
The Resources Committee has grown lots of houseplants that gardeners will enjoy. Come see our selection: little chartreuse Monterey cypress trees, unusual begonias, striking succulents, dracaenas, starry flower euphorbias, and good “air cleaner” plants like spathiphyllum (peace lilies) and asparagus ferns. Pick up a little coleus or scented geranium to grow for your garden next spring and summer. Give yourself or someone a nice holiday gift!
When:
Saturday, December 10, 2016
10:00 am to 12:00 pm or until the plants are gone
Where:
Center for Green Technology
445 N Sacramento Boulevard, Chicago
Who:
Open to all CCGA-ers and their friends
Priced to sell!
RSVP & Questions?
Contact mamie@uic.edu to RSVP and with any questions

Forest Park Community Garden Seed Swap
2017-03-11 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Curacao) | St. John’s Church, 305 Circle Ave, Forest Park, IL, 60130, United States
Join us for the 7th Annual Forest Park Community Garden Seed Swap!

Saturday March 11th 2-4PM
St. John’s Church
305 Circle Ave. – Forest Park

RSVP and more info at: www.forestparkgrows.eventbrite.com

The swap is free, as long as you RSVP in advance, or $2 at the door. Mike Nowak’s presentation will start at 2:15pm and the swap will begin at 3pm.

Special Guest: Mike Nowak!
We are so pleased to announce that garden writer and radio host, Mike Nowak, will be joining us again this year. Mike will present his seminar “Everything You Know About Gardening is Wrong: Myths, Misinformation and Well-meant, But Inaccurate Advice From Mom, the Intertubes and Beyond.”

Midwest Fruit Explorers (MidFEx) Tree Grafting Workshop
2017-03-26 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 60022, United States
See our full site post HERE.

2017 Spring Annuals Distribution
2017-04-08 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Center for Green Technology, 445 North Sacramento, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
Download (PDF, 202KB)

CCGA Annual Spring Vegetable & Flower Distribution - Saturday, May 6
2017-05-06 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Center for Green Technology, 445 North Sacramento, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
Community gardeners, please join us Saturday, May 6 for our Annual Spring Vegetable and Flower Seedling Distribution!
When: May 6 @ 10:00am
Where: Center for Green Technology @ 445 N. Sacramento in Chicago
Cost: $5 per garden
Please register in advance with Mamie at mamie@uic.edu by sending her your name, the name of your community garden, and your garden address.
Questions? Please email Mamie.
Helpful tip: please bring a couple of boxes for carrying your plants!
For more details, go to http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/2017/04/26/ccga-annual-spri…urday-may-6-10am/

Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse Annual Plant Sale - Sat. May 20 & Sun. May 21 - 10am-2pm
2017-05-20 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse, 3501 N. Kilbourn, Chicago, IL, 60641, United States
The Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse will offer more than 150 varieties of organically-grown vegetable, herb, and flower seedlings. Customers can expect a wide variety of open-pollinated and heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Other highlights include an assortment of herbs, greens and onions.
This year will feature many new plants selected for city gardening in small spaces and containers. These seedlings are grown with the support of a team of dedicated volunteers who make this Plant Sale possible. Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about plant selection and planting. This yearly fundraiser supports the greenhouse and our work to connect kids to nature and healthy foods.
Also Available at the Plant Sale: Perennials and other plants donated by volunteers of the Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse, organic compost, and light snacks. In addition, a cookbook compiled by the Friends of Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse will be available for purchase. Look for the Friends of Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse tables just outside the main gate to the gardens.
When: Saturday May 20, and Sunday, May 21, 2017 from 10am-2pm
Where: Kilbourn Park, 3501 N. Kilbourn Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60641 Tel: (773) 685-3351
Cost: Free Admission, Plant Prices between $2 to $5 CASH ONLY
http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/events/Organic-Plant-Sale-at-Kilbourn3/

Free event: Seed Swap 1/26 11am-1pm at The Morton Arboretum
2019-01-26 09:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, IL, 60532
The Morton Arboretum is holding its third annual seed swap on January 26th from 11am to 1pm at Thornhill Education Center.
The event is free with paid admission to the Arboretum.
Additional seed-saving and seed-starting classes will be offered before and after the event:
Seed Saving Workshop, 9-11am
Seed Starting for the Edible Garden, 1-3pm
And finally, this year’s Edible Gardening Workshop Series includes speakers William Moss and Melinda Myers among others. The series begins March 16th and admission to the Arboretum is free for registered attendees. Come for the morning class, and enjoy the grounds for the rest of the day.

MidFex Grafting Workshop: Sunday March 31, 2019, 1pm
2019-03-31 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 60022, United States
Find out what grafting fruit tress is all about. Learn the the whys and hows with experienced grafters. We will also have an impressive amount of scion wood available for grafting. The purpose of the grafting workshop is to learn how to graft. Nonmember beginners will learn how to graft selected apple varieties on apple rootstock. If you’d like more information about grafting see the Grafting Page on the MidFex website.
THIS SESSION IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC and the less experienced or novice grafter.
Please arrive on time. Lecture begins at 1:00 sharp. Workshop will last until about 4:00 pm.
Location: 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois. Go to the Linnaeus Room in the Regenstein Center building.
Parking: Parking is free for Chicago Botanic Garden members and members of gardens with reciprocal privileges. If you are not a member of the Botanic Gardens you will have to pay the parking fee. Visit Chicago Botanic Garden’s web pages for details on parking and membership.
More Event Details: THE AFTERNOON EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, but only the individuals actually grafting fruit trees will be allowed in the grafting classroom. Friends, spouses, and children are welcome to explore the grounds during the sessions.
Costs: Our workshop and guidance are free. However you will need to buy rootstock if you want to take home a tree. We will have dwarfing apple rootstock available. Cost is $5 each with free scion wood for MidFEx members. Non-members pricing is $5 which includes two pieces of scion wood of their choice. Unless rootstocks were preordered, each attendee will be limited to three (3) rootstocks each. Grafting requires a very sharp knife with a 2-3 inch blade. Bring your own medium-size pocket knife–we can sharpen it for you if needed, or purchase one at the workshop. Other supplies are available for purchase if you would like to continue honing your grafting skills after the workshop is over.
Maps and directions are HERE.

April 7th, 2019 Spring Seed Swap! Presented by the UIC Heritage Garden
2019-04-07 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | IL
What role do seeds play in advancing food sovereignty?
How does community gardening cultivate cultural diversity?
How does gardening heal a community?
Join the UIC Heritage Garden for our Fifth annual Spring Seed Swap! We invite gardeners, organizations, and community members interested in learning more about gardening, environmental sustainability and social justice. Anyone can come share knowledge, stories, and resources with others, and make new friends from around the city.
Admission is free: you do not need to bring seeds to attend. Refreshments will be served.
When: Sunday April 7, 2019 from 1pm-3pm
Where: Jane Addams Hull House Museum. Resident’s Dining Hall, 800 S Halsted St, Chicago IL 6060
If you would like to bring seeds from your garden or organization and need a table to set up your materials (seeds, flyers, etc) please RSVP to heritagegarden.uic@gmail.com by Monday March 25th, 2019. If you need any accommodations, please email us as well.

Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse Organic Plant Sale
2019-05-18 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse, 3501 N. Kilbourn, Chicago, IL, 60641, United States
Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse will offer more than 150 varieties of organically-grown vegetable, herb, and flower seedlings. Customers can expect a wide variety of open-pollinated and heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Other highlights include an assortment of herbs, greens and onions. This year will feature many new plants selected for city gardening in small spaces and containers. These seedlings are grown with the support of a team of dedicated volunteers who make this Plant Sale possible. Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about plant selection and planting. This yearly fundraiser supports the greenhouse and our work to connect kids to nature and healthy foods.
Also Available at the Plant Sale: Perennials and other plants donated by volunteers of the Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse, organic compost, and light snacks. In addition, a cookbook compiled by the Friends of Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse will be available for purchase. Look for the Friends of Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse tables just outside the main gate to the gardens.
Cost: Free Admission, Plant Prices between $2.00 to $5.00 CASH ONLY

CCGA Perennial Distribution at 10am
2019-09-28 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | New Horizons Community Garden, 401 S. Central Park, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Thursday September 26th at 4pm is cutoff date for registering.
Sept. 28, 2019 perennial distribution flyer

Pumpkin Smash - Composting Collection
2019-11-02 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, 3857 W 111th Street, Chicago, IL, 60655, United States
All area residents are invited to drop off their jack-o-lanterns at this one day only composting collection. We’re also collecting gourds, corn stalks and straw bales to keep them out of the landfill. Natural materials only please! That means no googly eyes, yarn, stickers, candles, etc. There is no fee to participate.
Saturday November 2, 2019, 9 am – 12 noon
Chicago High School For Agricultural Sciences
3857 W. 111th Street, Chicago IL 60655
Back Parking lot. Enter driveway East of the School.
Please help us make this event successful by posting a flyer at your business, gym, library or house of worship. Thanks and see you there!
If you have questions or need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Sarah at 773-233-2900 or sbatka@illinois.edu.
to find a Pumpkin Smash in your area, please visit SCARCE’s event locator.

Avondale Gardening Alliance Seed Swap
2020-02-23 12:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Metropolitan Brewery, 3057 North Rockwell, Chicago, Illinois, 60618
Seed swap! Come meet your neighbors and talk garden plans! Lots of seeds available, even if you don’t have your own to trade. Soup and bread available for small donation. Come enjoy the fantastic view of the Chicago River from Metropolitan Brewery.

CCGA Vegetable Workshop & Tool Distribution
2020-03-07 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Center for Green Technology, 445 North Sacramento, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
We are delighted that vegetable growing expert Dan Gibbs will give a workshop on early season vegetables you can get started soon in your community garden (or on your window sill). Each attending community garden will receive packets of the appropriate seeds. Also, the Resources Committee has purchased brand new garden tools from Lowes (at a big discount). We will distribute a tool to each community garden attending Dan’s workshop.

Please pre-register and email your name and the name and address of your garden to mamiegray2012@gmail.com by Friday, March 6 at 4:00pm.

Little Village Gardeners Coalition Seed Swap / Coalicion de jardineros de la Villita Intercambio de Semillas
2020-03-07 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Iglesia Amor de Dios, 2356 N. Sawyer, Chicago, IL, 60623, United States

CCGA Resources Perennial Distribution
2020-09-25 12:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | New Horizons Community Garden, 401 S. Central Park, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
CCGA Fall Perennial Distribution Flyer

CCGA Resources Perennial Distribution
Friday September 25th starting at Noon
New Horizons Community Garden, 425 S. Central Park Blvd. Chicago, IL 60624
Presented By: CCGA Resources Committee

Summer Distribution Friday July 16, 2021 - New Horizons
2021-07-16 11:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | 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 (America/Chicago) | 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

Sip + Swap: Chalet Plant Swap Event
2021-09-19 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Chicago) | 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.

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

Houseplants & Coleus Distribution
2022-03-19 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | The Hatchery Chicago, 135 N. Kedzie, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
Houseplants & Coleus Distribution 3-19-2022 Flyer

Community Compost Collection
2022-04-07 11:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Plant Chicago ‘Firehouse”, 4459 S Marshfield Ave, Chicago, IL, 60609, United States
Plant Chicago
Saturday April 16, 11 am – 3 pm
4459 S Marshfield, Chicago
https://go.illinois.edu/CompostPlantChgo
University of Illinois Extension in Cook County and Plant Chicago have teamed up to keep food scraps out of landfills for Earth Day 2022.
Residents can drop off kitchen waste to be composted and pick up a bucket of finished compost. Please BYOB (bring your own bucket). Finished compost is first come, first served. At the event you can sign up for a chance to win a grow bag or bed, pick up free plant starts donated by Gotham Greens or a native tree provided by The Morton Arboretum/Chicago Region Trees Initiative, purchase locally-grown and made products, visit Plant Chicago’s indoor and outdoor gardens, learn more about how to compost, see a worm bin in action, talk to an Illinois Extension Master Gardener or Compost Ambassador, and take part in a free compost tea workshop from noon to 1 p.m. Please register in advance for the workshop.
Help us reach our goal of collecting 1 ton of compostable food scraps at this one-day-only event. This event is free and open to the public. I hope you can join us!

UIC Heritage Garden - Spring Seed Swap
2022-04-09 11:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | University of Illinois Chicago, Jane Addams Hull House 800 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL, 60607, United States
Join the UIC Heritage Garden for the annual Spring Seed Swap! We invite
gardeners, organizations, and community members interested in learning more
about gardening, environmental sustainability, and social justice. Anyone
can come to share knowledge, stories, and resources with others, and make
new friends from around the city.
Admission is free! Masks are required.
Participants do not need to bring seeds to attend.
Date: Saturday April 9th, 2022
Time: 11 am – 2 pm
Location: Fishbowl Room SES 221
Math and Science Learning Center at UIC
845 West Taylor Street, 2nd Floor SES
To RSVP scan the QR code or go to https://go.uic.edu/SeedSwap22
​​For access needs or questions, email heritagegarden.uic@gmail.com or call
312-996-3143. All audiences are welcome. Paid parking available. The space
is wheelchair accessible.

Spring Plant Distribution & Vegetable Planting Workshop
2022-04-16 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | The Hatchery Chicago, 135 N. Kedzie, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
4-16-2022 Spring Vegetable Distribution Flyer

Community Compost Collection
2022-04-16 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave. , Chicago, IL, United States
Garfield Park Conservatory
Sat April 16, 10 am – 2 pm
300 N Central Park Ave, South Parking Lot, Chicago
https://go.illinois.edu/CompostGPCA
Residents can drop off kitchen waste to be composted and pick up a bucket of finished compost. Please BYOB (bring your own bucket). Finished compost is first come, first served. At the event you can also win a grow bag or bed, pick up free plant starts donated by Gotham Greens, trees from Chicago Regional Tree Initiative, learn more about how to compost at home, see a worm bin in action, and talk to an Illinois Extension Master Gardener or Compost Ambassador. If you’d like to tour Garfield Park Conservatory’s outdoor composting system and gardens, please make a reservation.
Help us reach our goal of collecting 1 ton of compostable food scraps at this one-day-only event.

Mushroom Growing Workshop & Plant Sale Saturday April 30th at 10am
2022-04-30 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | The Hatchery Chicago, 135 N. Kedzie, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
[pdf-embedder url=”http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Houseplants_April-30.pdf” title=”4-30-22 Mushroom Growing Workshop & Plant

Community Compost Collection - Park Forest
2022-07-16 07:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Village of Park Forest, 297 Liberty Drive, Park Forest, IL, 60466
University of Illinois Extension in Cook County and The Village of Park Forest have teamed up to keep food scraps out of landfills this summer.
Residents can drop off kitchen waste to be composted and pick up a bucket of finished compost. Please BYOB (bring your own bucket). Finished compost is first come, first served. At the event you can win a grow bag, pick up free plant starts donated by Gotham Greens, learn more about how to compost, see a worm bin in action, talk to an Illinois Extension Master Gardener or Compost Ambassador, and more.
Help us reach our goal of collecting 1 ton of compostable food scraps at this one-day-only event.
No yard waste will be accepted at this years’ event.
Location: Parking lot at Forest Blvd. and Liberty Drive
Time: 7 a.m. to noon
If you have questions or need a reasonable accommodation, please contact Sarah Batka, 217-300-8636.
Event details are HERE.
To learn more about Illinois Extension’s composting efforts visit the Cook County Composting Initiative webpage.

CCGA July Perennial Distribution
2022-07-22 11:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | New Horizons Community Garden, 401 S. Central Park, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
7-22-2022 July Perennial Distribution Flyer

Community Compost Collection - Homewood Farmer’s Market
2022-07-23 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Homewood Farmers Market, 18000 Martin Ave, Homewood, IL, 60430
University of Illinois Extension in Cook County, The Village of Homewood, and the Homewood Farmers’ Market have teamed up to keep food scraps out of landfills this summer.
Residents can drop off kitchen waste to be composted and pick up a bucket of finished compost. Please BYOB (bring your own bucket). Finished compost is first come, first served. At the event you can win a grow bag, pick up free plant starts donated by Gotham Greens, learn more about how to compost, see a worm bin in action, talk to an Illinois Extension Master Gardener or Compost Ambassador, and more.
Help us reach our goal of collecting 1 ton of compostable food scraps at this one-day-only event.
No yard waste will be accepted at this years’ event.
Location: Homewood Farmers Market on Martin Ave (behind Homewood Science Center)
Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 Noon
If you have questions or need a reasonable accommodation, please contact Sarah Batka, 217-300-8636.
Event details are HERE.
To learn more about Illinois Extension’s composting efforts visit the Cook County Composting Initiative webpage.
