November 21, 2007
Southsider Awarded Chicago Community Gardener of the Year
Chicago community gardeners and members of organizations that support them gathered Saturday, November 10 to honor Enrique Gonzalez of Hoxie Prairie Garden, this year's GreenNet Chicago Community Gardener of the Year.
Enrique not only worked tirelessly in the garden but is recruiting and organizing a new generation of gardeners to ensure the strength of the garden for years to come. These young people include his niece, Christina, who has taken on a corner of her own to help beautify her neighborhood. Enrique also works alongside a group of very dedicated and active gardeners in the Hoxie garden which includes Trino Pimentel, Roberto Reyes, Abundio Echeverria, Manuel Garcia, Mickey Roberts and Nicolas Aguado. This year's improvements included a flagstone walkway, a pavilion over a brick barbecue and countless horticultural additions.
Presenting the award was GreenNet, a coalition of organizations supporting Chicago greening, especially community gardening. The award ceremony took place at their annual Community Gardener Harvest Potluck at the Garfield Park Conservatory.
Other gardeners honored included Sammie L. Taylor of the Fulton Street Flower & Vegetable Garden, Mary Kay Freese of the Drake Community Garden, and graduates of Openland's BUGS (Building Urban Gardens) program.
Nomination forms for 2008's community gardener of the year are available on GreenNet's website at http://www.greennetchicago.org/, along with a map of community gardens for folks who would like to get involved.
If you would like more information about GreenNet or the Community Gardener of the Year, please email Julie Samuels at JSamuels@openlands.org.
Contact:
Meredith Sessions
Email: msessions@wrdenvironmental.com
Nancy Kreith
Extension Program Coordinator
University of Illinois Extension
3807 W. 111th Street
Chicago, IL. 60655
office: 773.233.0476
fax: 773.233.0910
cell: 708.567.6101
url: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/cook/
Posted by Ron Wolford at 2:34 PM | Permalink |
November 13, 2007
Master Gardener Beth Botts Wins Writing Award
The Garden Writers of America for 25 years has conducted an annual awards program for talent and products published in the field of garden communications. The purpose of the program is to provide recognition for the vast talents of the GWA membership in the area of writing, photography, graphic design, illustration and electronic media such as radio, television and Internet programming. It is a means of showcasing the many exceptional works created and/or published every year.
I would like to congratulate Chicago Master Gardener Beth Botts for receiving a 2007 Silver Award of Achievement for two articles she wrote in her role as a garden writer for the Chicago Tribune's Home and Garden section. Her winning articles were "Free Water: Its Yours for the Taking" and "How Many Gardeners Does it Take to Change a Bulb Garden"
The rain garden Beth describes in the "Free Water" article was designed by Chicago Master Gardener Sue Cubberly of the Rain Garden Network. The bulb article is about the fall bulb planting at the Lurie Garden which is a Chicago Master Gardener volunteer site.
Beth also writes an excellent garden blog for the Tribune: Chicago Gardener: A Growing Conversation.
Posted by Ron Wolford at 4:30 PM | Permalink |
November 10, 2007
Midwest Organic Production and Marketing Conference
The conference will be held in the Illini Union on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana-Champaign.
Click the link below for details, and register by January 10.
Posted by Ron Wolford at 6:32 PM | Permalink |
November 7, 2007
Season Extension Workshop
Grow Vegetables in Chicago
ALL YEAR LONG! SEASON EXTENSION WORKSHOP
John Biernbaum, PhD
Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences at Michigan State University & Director of the Student Organic Farm: A FOUR SEASON farm run by students in East Lansing, MI
November 17, 2007 (Saturday)
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Chicago Center for Green Technology
445 North Sacramento Avenue
Cost: $20 includes materials
The Hoophouse Handbook/ can also be purchased ($15)
Space is Limited – Register Now!
For More Information & to Register
YOU MUST Call or Email:
Angelic Organics Learning Center
773-288-5462 Urban Initiative (Chicago)
chicago@learngrowconnect.org
Made possible with generous support from USDA's Risk Management Agency
Posted by Ron Wolford at 4:28 PM | Permalink |
November 4, 2007
Mayor Daley's 2007 Landscape Awards
Today Nancy Kreith and I attended the Mayor Daley's 2007 Landscape Awards at Garfield Park Conservatory. This event is sort like a reunion of gardeners from across the city every year. I really enjoy this event, listening to the descriptions of the winning gardens from Pilsen to the Gold Coast.
The mayor arrived around 11 a.m and spoke about "greening" in the city. He was introduced by Suzanne Malec-McKenna, the new Commissioner of the Department of Environment. I can remember probably 20 years ago when Suzanne was working for Openlands developing community gardens. Extension worked with Suzanne 10 years ago developing the Greencorps Chicago program.
The awards ceremony was well organized. Every winning group got a plaque, a gift bag and a picture with the Mayor. The Mayor stayed after the event to chat and sign autographs.
Cook County Extension Urban Horticulture Projects and Chicago Master Gardeners received awards:
Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital Roof Top Garden: 1st Place Green Roofs
1401 South California
28th Ward
Chicago Master Gardeners assisted with maintenance.
Mt. Greenwood Library Garden: 2nd Place Public Institutions
11010 South Kedzie
19th Ward
Master Gardeners Donna Pochie and Rita Daniel-Suchor who are also members of the Mt. Greenwood Garden Club helped to design the gardens.
Cook County Sheriff's Garden: 3rd Place Public Institutions
2600 South California
12th Ward
Extension financially supported this garden and Nancy Kreith and Master Gardeners provided technical assistance
Mt. Greenwood Children's Garden: 1st Place Specialized Gardens
3807 West 111th Street
19th Ward
Extension financially supported this garden and Nancy Kreith, Master Gardeners and Ag School Interns provided technical assistance and organized activities with youth and adults from Mt. Greenwood Park's Special Recreation program.
Sheffield Neighborhood Association: 1st Place Community Landscapes, Region 3
2200 North Clifton
32nd Ward
Master Gardener Laury Lewis provided technical assistance.
Sheffield Neighborhood Association: 3rd Place Community Landscapes, Region 3
Multiple Streetside Planters
32nd and 43rd Wards
Master Gardener Laury Lewis provided technical assistance.
Brickyard Community Garden: 2nd Place Community Landscapes, Region 5
6115 South Woodlawn
20th Ward
This community garden was started by Master Gardener Dorothy Pytel.
True Spirit International Ministries: 3rd Place Community Landscapes, Region 5
539 West 120th Street
34th Ward
Extension financially supported this garden. Nancy Kreith, Master Gardeners and students from Fenger High School provided technical assistance. Retired Chicago Public School teacher, June Bethly started this garden.
Whittier School Xochiquetzal Peace Garden: 2nd Place Schools, Region 4
1900 West 23rd Street
25th Ward
Extension has financially supported this garden and Master Gardeners have provided technical assistance
University of Illinois Extension Demonstration Gardens:2nd Place, Schools, Region 5
3807 West 111th Street
19th Ward
Nancy Kreith, Ron Wolford, Ag School Interns and Master Gardeners have coordinated, planted and maintained the demo gardens outside of the Extension office at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences.
Multi-Unit Residential, Region 5: 1st Place
1404-08 West 119th Street
34th Ward
Master Gardener Aletha M. Cohen won this award for her garden
Posted by Ron Wolford at 4:07 AM | Permalink |
November 4, 2007
The Message Bean
Here is something new-a Message Bean. A Message Bean is a can of soil with a bean seed in it that when it is watered the bean will emerge with a message burned into the seed like "love," "good luck," "happy birthday" and coming soon, "Happy Holidays".
Posted by Ron Wolford at 12:20 AM | Permalink |
