It’s time to get out the old shop light and convert the closet into the grow room. Here’s a list of the materials you’ll need: hanging florescent shop light that can be moved to adjust height full spectrum florescent bulbs (or you can get specific plant lights, they’re just more spendy) table you don’t mind [...]
My friend, Katie, made me a bee hotel out of reclaimed wood! Solitary bees are useful pollinators. You don’t have to worry about stings, they lack stingers. The most important part of house placement is that it’s either east or south facing (since these bugs are cold blooded), that you keep them out of the [...]
This weekend, I made a trip to St. Louis and Iowa City. It seemed like I passed through Spring, Winter, and Fall in the two days. Heartland from the passenger seat!
Community gardens are a great way to introduce yourself to the mysticism of gardening. If you don’t have a green space and want to get your hands dirty, take a look at Green Net Chicago for a garden near you. You’ll work with more experienced individuals who can pass on their knowledge. Don’t forget to [...]
Volunteers Needed for Workday The Thomas Street Garden, located at 2655 W Thomas Street in Humboldt Park, will be having two work days coming up soon, on April 23 and May 14. Both work days will start at 9 a.m. and run until some time past noon. We will have plenty of hardscaping projects to [...]
Over 50 years in the making, that’s an heirloom. With open pollination (by wind and winged friend), these plants are allowed to breed naturally and return year after year as gardeners and farmers select from the most hardy and disease resistant of the crew. For years, our seed companies have fixated on the large mega-farm, [...]
If you love a cottage garden, plant sweet pea now! Nick the seeds and plant seeds an inch down. What a wonderful delicate smell! Once they’ve established, sweet peas should come back year after year! Provide a trellis or chain link fence for them to climb. Remember these are not the peas you eat.
It’s time! Get your pruning shears and let go! shrubs- *NOTE- only prune summer flowering trees and shrubs now, wait to prune spring blooming ones til after they’ve flowered* use hand tools and start with stray limbs, diagonals, and anything that looks like it lost to freeze. roses- cut back blackened canes to one inch [...]
If you are into saving seeds and planting heirlooms, you may want to look into becoming a Seed Saver Exchange Member. Seed Savers Exchange is a nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to protect North America’s diverse, but endangered, garden heritage by building a network of people who are committed to collecting, conserving and sharing [...]
In his makeshift greenhouse of an old egg carton, this little seedling emerges!To start your own, look here!