Forest Park Community Garden

Growing Together

2011-11-21T12:54:00.001-08:00

Tothe members of our community,

Within this yearyou've seen us grow from a couple plots in a lot off of Harlem Avenue to a robust, active garden that supplies growing space forthe community and fresh produce for the needy. As a supporter of the garden youhave made this possible by picking up a shovel with us, planting a plot foryourself or the food pantry, or simply standing behind us as we expanded beyondour wildest dreams.

2011 was a huge yearof growth and we plan for 2012 to be a year of refinement and improvement ofour existing garden and programs. We have heard from you on what kind of gardenand educational opportunities you want, and we are working on ways to deliverthe garden you want. Regular upkeep such as soil top-offs, water bills andcost to host programs along with organizing volunteers and management of thegarden space to optimize the experience of all takes precious resources.

Like with all ourendeavors, we could not do it without you. Stake your claim in the success andcontinuation of the garden by making a tax-deductible donation today.

Thank you for yourconsideration. We wish you a healthy, happy holiday season.

Sincerely,

Jessica Rinks,President

Gina Garrison,Vice-President

Michelle Woehrle,Director

Community garden documentary screening

2011-11-18T13:12:00.000-08:00

We are happy to be partnering with Revolution Brewing in Chicago to offer a screening of the film Urban Roots which profiles the role urban farming and gardening is playing in the city of Detroit, Michigan.

You can find out more about the film and see a trailer here:

http://urbanrootsamerica.com/urbanrootsamerica.com/Home.html

The event is being held at Revolution Brewery in Logan Square on Sunday, December 11, 2011. Cost to get into the event is just $5. Also, if you bring a non-perishable food item to donate to their food drive, you will receive ONE FREE BEER TICKET. This is a GREAT deal and will be a chance to meet other people interested in community gardening, see a great independent film that you probably wont be able to see anywhere else, and try some great locally brewed beer. Revolution Brewery is easy to access from Forest Park. Just take the blue line to the California station in Logan Square. If you'd like to join me and other FPCGers taking the train, let me know and we can meet you at the Harlem station and all take the train together.

You must RSVP to this event to fpcommunitygarden@gmail.com)

More info about this event is available here:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/285157488190728/

Free Food Preserving Class Sunday Sept. 11th, 2-4:30pm

2011-09-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Location: Mohr Community Center - 7640 Jackson Blvd.

Please RSVP by clicking here.

Join Forest Park Community Garden and Live Healthy Forest Parkfor a fun workshop where you’ll learn how to preserve your favorite summer foods including:

Home canning basics
Canning your own tomatoes
Making and canning salsa
Making and canning grape jelly
Freezing and dehydrating produce as winter storage

This class is designed for anyone from complete beginners to experienced canners. We hope to see you there!

Plant Seeds Now For Fall Harvest

2011-08-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

What to Plant

Even though the summer is more than half-way over, it’s still not too late to plant many of your favorite vegetables and herbs. The key is to know what to plant and when to plant it. This guide can help! The trick is you have to choose crops that have shorter (fewer than 70 days) maturing times. Don’t try planting watermelon seeds in August. They take 100+ days to produce fruit. They’ll never make it before the frost comes and kills them. Crops that can be planted in late summer include:

Beets	Cabbage	Kale	Radishes	Turnips
Broccoli Raab	Carrots	Kohlrabi	Spinach	Turnip Greens
Bus Beans	Leaf Lettuce	Peas	Swiss Chard

How to Know When to Plant

In order to figure out when the plant your fall crop seeds, you’ll need to know:

the “days to maturity” of your seeds- This number means how many days until your crops will be ready to harvest and is almost always listed on the seed packet
the average first frost date of your area- Here in the Chicago area our first frost occurs around October 15, so you’ll want to make sure your plants will be ready to harvest by this date.
the frost tolerance of your crops- If you’re growing crops that can withstand a few light frosts, then you don’t have to worry so much about making sure they will be mature by your first frost date. To calculate planting time for these plants, add two weeks to your average frost date and use that as your reference point.

In order to figure out when to plant your seeds all you need to do is take your average frost date and then count backwards from that date using the “days to maturity.” Here’s an example:

Crop	Days to Maturity	Frost Tolerant?	Must Be Harvested By:	Must Be Planted By:
Bush Beans “Contender”	50 days	no	October 15th	August 21^st
Baby Carrots	57 days	yes	November 1st	September 1^st

Tips For Starting Your Fall Garden

August is the prime time to plant short season annual crops as well as some perennial vegetable crops such as garlic.
Most “big box” stores get rid of their seed displays in July. To find seeds for sale, try local garden centers or order online.
Try “succession planting” – Instead of planting all your seeds at the same time, stagger your plantings over a three week period. This way your plants will mature at different times providing you with a longer harvest.
If you want to keep some fresh basil plants inside your house over the winter, now is a good time to start those seeds as well. Start them in containers so that they are easy to bring indoors.
The remaining heat during the later part of the summer can make it hard for cool season crop seeds to germinate. Seeds need moist soil and some protection from the hot sun for best germination. After planting the seeds and watering well, keep soil moist and shade plants by lightly covering the soil with a lightweight fabric, window screen, or used plant flat with holes in it. Check on the seeds and provide more water if needed. Once seeds have germinated, remove covering.
If you’d like to grow your own garlic, now is the time to plant. Garlic is grown by planting garlic cloves, not from seed. “Seed garlic cloves” can be purchased on garden centers, or you can plant garlic you buy at the Farmer’s Market. Just break the head of garlic into individual cloves, then plant each clove 6 inches apart and 4 inches deep, anytime from September on. The garlic will wait in the soil over winter and send up green shoots in the early spring. Harvest garlic in mid-summer.
Similar to garlic, you can also plant a variety of onions known as “walking onions.” These onions produce their own baby onion “sets” at the top of a long stem. Once the “set” is large enough it will fall onto the ground, take root, and grow into a new onion plant. A patch left alone will spread throughout a space, hence why they are called “walking onions.” Like garlic, you plant “walking onions” by planting small clove-like “sets” instead of seeds. Online retailers start taking orders for these onions in late summer for fall shipping. “Walking” onions typically produce bunching green onion crops, rather than the large bulbing onions.
If you do plant perennial crops, such as garlic or the “walking onions,” be sure to make yourself a note where you planted what. Most plant markers won’t survive our winters. In the spring when it’s time to start working your garden, you’ll need to know where those perennial crops are so that you don’t disturb them.
You can even extend your harvest past the first frost date by planting frost tolerant crops (such as kale, spinach, and carrots, to name a few) and by providing frost protection such as “frost fabric” or “cold frames.”

Other Resources:

Fall Vegetable Garden

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gardenerscorner/issue_04/Fall_06_04.cfm

Planting Garlic

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gardenerscorner/issue_02/fall_08_05.cfm

Extending the Vegetable Harvest

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gardenerscorner/issue_06/special_05_10.cfm

Fall Vegetable Garden Video

http://web.extension.illinois.edu/podcasts/gc/201007_690.html

Johnny's Select Seeds Fall Planting Calendar

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/Assets/seedstartingfallcrops.xls

Johnny’s Select Seeds Growers Online Resources

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-growers_library.aspx

Article: A Garden For All Seasons by Eliot Coleman

http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/pdfs/garden_for_all_seasons.pdf

Cooperative Extension Information Search Engine

http://www.extension.org/search

Volunteer Day August 21, 2011 9 am - 11 am

2011-08-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

Volunteer Day

Sunday August 21, 2011

9:00-11:00

Calling all gardeners and volunteers! We really need your help to pull weeds in the common areas of the garden as well as the newly planted native gardens. Unfortunately, a large section of the native gardens was mowed down this week because neighbors began to complain about the excessive weed growth. We can only protect these beautiful and important gardens if we work together to manage them. Please, join us this Sunday if you are able.

Also, if you have a gas powered weed trimmer available for use during this work day, please email fpcommunitygarden@gmail.com.

Native Garden Update: What's Blooming August 2011

2011-08-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Now that they've had a couple months to grow, some of the native plants we planted this spring are starting to bloom! While they are still young--many of them will be much taller and have more flowers in subsequent years--its good to see that they seem to be happy in their new garden home. Here's a list of what plants are currently blooming in the garden, where you can find them, and links to more info about each plant. Anyone is invited to come over to the garden and see these plants in person. Just remember to enjoy the plants with your eyes and your cameras, but please do not cut the flowers. Thanks!

Name: Sweet Joe Pye Weed
Location in garden: Southwest shade garden behind bench
More info: http://www.prairienursery.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_plant_info&cPath=64_2&products_id=209

Name: Bishop's Cap
Location in garden: Southwest shade garden - about half way down
More info: http://www.prairienursery.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_plant_info&cPath=64_2&products_id=235

Name: Stiff Coreopsis
Location in garden: Northwest sun garden
More info: http://www.prairienursery.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_plant_info&cPath=64_2&products_id=196

Name: Purple Coneflower
Location in garden: Northwest sun garden
More info: http://www.prairienursery.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_plant_info&cPath=64_2&products_id=203

Name: Brown-Eyed Susans
Location in garden: Right outside the main garden entrance gate on the left
More info: http://www.prairienursery.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_seed_info&cPath=83_1&products_id=126

Free Native Plants June 17th at Forest Park Farmer's Market

2011-06-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

Forest Park Farmer's Market

THE GROVE

at Madison St. & Van Buren St.

7824 Madison Street, Forest Park, IL 60130

Every Friday from 3:30-7:30 pm

June 17^th through October 14^th**

^{**September 9th will be cancelled due to Rib Fest}

As you may know, tomorrow, Friday June 17th is the first Forest Park Farmer's Market of the season. This year the market is moving to The Grove and will be every Friday 3:30 to 7:30 rather than every other Friday as it was last year.

To celebrate the opening of the farmer's market and to help promote our village's new initiative Live Healthy Forest Park! the Forest Park Community Garden will be at the market giving away native plant gardens to the patrons of the farmer's market. These small gardens consist of 6 sun-loving plants or 6 plants for partial shade, depending on your garden needs.

On April 30th Forest Park Community Garden planted over 1000 native plants at the Harlem Ave garden and the plants being given away tomorrow are some of the same ones planted at the community garden. Our goal in sharing these plants is to highlight the native plant gardens now growing at the community garden as well as educating our community about the value of using plants that are native to Illinois in our home landscapes. Once established, these beautiful native plants are maintenance free (no watering!), have very deep roots which helps control weeds and absorb lots of water which can reduce flooding and they also attract butterflies and songbirds to the garden. They are awesome on many levels!

Please stop by the market tomorrow for shopping, native plants and an overall good time. We want to do all we can to make sure the market is a huge success this year!

As always, thank you for your ongoing support of Forest Park Community Garden.

For more information about native plants please visit Prairie Nursery.

Garden Work Day Sunday June 5th 1:00PM-4:00PM

2011-06-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

We will be meeting in the garden this Sunday to put the finishing touches on the garden. We'll be completing some of the projects we weren't able to finish on our April 30th work day. Work will include:

planting over a thousand baby native prairie plants
spreading compost
spreading wood chips
painting signs for the "giving garden"

If you'd like to help out, shoot me an email at fpcommunitygarden@gmail.com just so I can get a general idea of how many people to expect. If you have a wheel barrel, shovel, garden rake, or gloves, please bring them along. Look forward to seeing you there!

Thanks for reading!

Jessica

Seedling Swap Saturday May 28th 9:00AM

2011-05-27T12:45:00.002-07:00

Do you have a few bare spots to fill in your garden or, do you have a few extra seedlings because your garden is filled to the max?

If so, start your Memorial Day weekend by coming to theForest Park Community Garden Seedling Swap.

That's right, join us on Saturday, May 28th, from 9-10am at the Community Garden (northwest corner of Harlem and I-290). Bring any seedlings you would like to share. If you don't have seedlings to contribute, no worries, come anyway. All plants are there for the taking, to anyone who promises to provide TLC.

This is a fun opportunity to experiment growing plants you might never have considered, at no cost. If you have questions, please contact us at fpcommunitygarden@gmail.com.

No RSVP required.

Any plants that aren't claimed during the plant swap will be left in the public area of the garden with a sign saying "free plants please take." So if you can't make it Saturday morning, you may want to drop by and see if there are any plants left to choose from.

Help Us Pick A Name!

2011-05-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

A new feature of our garden this year is a circular-shaped garden area located outside the fenced area in the southern end of the park. The idea is, this garden will be planted and tended by FPCG volunteers. Once the crops are ready, anyone in the community (gardeners, neighbors, passers-by) will be invited to pick from the garden at their own leisure. Anything that's not harvested when it is ripe, will be given to the Forest Park Food Pantry. We'll have signs labeling each crop and provide info on how to harvest and prepare the crops. We'll have one big sign in the middle that says "Welcome to the _____ garden! Please help yourself! " or something to that effect.

But first, we need to come up with a NAME for this garden space, and that's what we need YOUR help with! We'd like the garden's name to reflect the purpose of the garden (to offer free veggies to anyone who wants them) and/or the appearance of the garden (it looks kind of like a daisy flower).

So put on your thinking caps and leave your name ideas in the comments below. We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Thanks for reading.

Jessica

To Our Volunteers: Thank You!

2011-05-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

On behalf of Forest Park Community Garden we would like to thank you for all your

hard work at the garden on Saturday April 30th. This has been a dream come true and

it would not have been possible without each of you. To our team leaders, Michelle

Woehrle, Andrew Cooper, Nick Ardinger, Monica Angelo, Sally Cody, Rob Kartholl, Irma

Dixler, Dorothy Gillian and Lashone Sanders; your leadership on Saturday was key to the

success of this event. We would also like to thank the Village of Forest Park, including

Mayor Anthony Calderone, Village Administrator Tim Gillian, Sally Cody, Letitia Olmsted,

Denise Murray, and John Doss for their support throughout Live Healthy Forest Park! grant

process and the many hours of hard work at the garden. Finally, we cannot forget the

Comcast Corporation who made our April 30th build day possible by providing volunteers,

refreshments, and other support.

On Saturday April 30th, Forest Park residents, FPCG gardeners, Village employees and

elected officials joined Comcast volunteers and together we were able to transform what

was nearly a blank slate into a vibrant and thriving garden. Together you built and filled

20+ new raised beds which are now available to anyone who needs a place to garden,

3 new accessible beds for people with problems with mobility, a beautiful flagstone path

leading to a new large garden shaped like a flower which was planted with edibles that can

be harvested by anybody in the community. This flower shaped garden will also be used as

a teaching garden and to grow fresh food for the local food pantry. Additionally, we planted

hundreds of native plants which will draw pollinators like butterflies and bees to the garden

and be used as demonstration gardens for an education program we are also planning to

develop to teach our community about the importance of native plants. As you can see,

you accomplished an amazing amount of work Saturday!

We would like to host a gathering in the garden sometime this summer where we hope you

will all join us so that we can get to know you better and celebrate all your hard work. If we

have one regret, it is that we did not have time to chat with you more.

Again, thank you all for your hard work. Know that we appreciate you and that the work

you did will help us make lifelong changes to our community.

With Thanks,

Forest Park Community Garden

April 30th Build Day Success!

2011-05-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

With a volunteer force numbering near 100 people, on April 30th Forest Park Community Garden went through a transformation of major proportions. Despite all odds, the weather was great, all the materials were delivered on time, and we were able to complete almost all of the projects we had hoped. These included:

20+ new raised garden beds
new shed
new "sharing" garden (FPCG will plant and maintain the garden and invite anyone to harvest anything from it)
new prairie garden along fence rows
new decorative shrubs
new wood chips spread throughout garden area

Below are some pictures of the event. Also, you can read the Forest Park Review's story about the build day here. We can't even begin to thank everyone who pitched in for all their hard work. Thank you!

Huge Volunteer Event: April 30th. We Need You!

2011-04-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how excited I am for the 2011 gardening season. We have some BIG plans for expanding the community garden this year!

Please RSVP for the April 30th event by clicking here . If you are bringing multiple members of your family, please fill out a separate RSVP form for each individual. This way we'll be sure to have breakfast, lunch, and t-shirt for everyone in your group!

Thanks to a grant FPCG received, in partnership with the Village of Forest Park, we finally have some resources to make those garden improvements we've all been wanting for a while now. These include:

new fence and gate
tool shed
better water access
more raised beds
a new "Food Pantry" garden where we will grow produce for the Forest Park Food Pantry.
a "Help Yourself" garden where passers by are encouraged to pick some veggies.
huge plantings of native drought tolerant plants

We hope to see you there!

HUGE GARDEN BUILD DAY APRIL 30TH 8-1 FREE FOOD AND T-SHIRT PLEASE RSVP

Please sign up to volunteer at our HUGE work day on April 30th (8AM-1PM). The Comcast Corporation is sponsoring this event and will be bringing 60 of their own people to help. But, we have a LOT of work to do and would like to have at least 100 volunteers that day, so WE NEED YOU! As incentive you will be provided with breakfast, lunch, and a t-shirt from Comcast. We will be building raised beds, moving compost around, planting native plants, and mulching.

Shop At Clover's Garden Center April 24,25,26

2009-04-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

Our very first fundraising event is happening in less than three weeks!! Here's what you need to know:

Clover's Garden Center located in Berwyn at 7065 W. Cermak Road will be donating 10% of all purchases made with our fundraising flyer the weekend of April 24, 25, and 26. All anyone has to do is go to Clover's during these dates, make a purchase, and give our fundraising flyer to the cashier as they check out. Clover's will then send us a check for 10% of the total pre-tax amount of all purchases made with the flyer during that weekend.

So, our goal is to get as many people as possible to buy stuff at Clvoer's in Berwyn April 24-26 and to present our flyer at the time of purchase. If they don't present the flyer, we wont get any money back from Clover's.

What can you do? Dowload and print the flyer (below) and give it to any of your friends, family, and work coleges who would be interested in buying some plants / garden supplies. Tell them about the community garden and how their purchase and Clover's will help us buy materials for raised beds, soil, and seeds so that we can get the garden planted this summer.

here

Shop of Clover's Garden Center April 24-26 and Support Forest ParkCommunity Garden!

2009-04-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

Clover's Garden Center has accepted our application to particpate in their fundraising program. The Clover's Nursery located in Berwyn ( 7065 W. Cermak Road ) will be donating 10% of pre-tax sales for the weekend of April 24 - 26. All that's requires is for customers to present our fundraising flyer (see below) at the time of purchase. At the end of the weekend, Clover's will add up all the purchases made with the flyers and will give us 10% of that! So, if you know you'll be hiting the garden center for your springtime garden needs, why not go to Clovers in Berwyn April 24 - 26, present the flyer, and help support the community garden?

Download and print the flyer below. Feel free to make copies and give them to your friends or display them at your workplace / business. The key to success will be to get as many people as possible to shop at Clover's that weekend.

Clover's Berwyn Fundraising Flyer (pdf)

Our First Meeting

2009-04-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

I think its safe to say that our first meeting at the Brown Cow last week was a roaring success! Considering the fact that two weeks ago, this whole project basically consisted of Gina, me, and our idea, it was really amazing to have 20, former total strangers but soon to be gardening friends, people show up just because they saw our flyer or read our announcement on the FP Forum website. You guys brought a lot of enthusiasm and great ideas!

For the benefit of those who weren't able to make it, I wanted to re-cap what we talked about at the meeting. Here is an informal version of minutes from the meeting:

Gina and Jessica introduce themselves and Gina gives a power point presentation (click to download the PPT- warning, its a big 20MB file). The presentation covered the following:

What is a community garden and why are they awesome? A piece of underused or vacant land transformed into a flower, herb, and/or vegetable garden shared by the community. Community gardens allow residents to produce their own nutritious food while also acting as a catalyst for neighborhood and community development. Community gardens provide gardening space for residents who may not have space at their home.

Did you know: Forest Park had a vibrant and successful community garden in the mid to late 1970's. At its hight, the garden consisted of 260 individual garden plots. The garden was dismantled so that the property could be used for industrial development.

Potential garden elements: small plots ranging in size from 4x4 to 20x20 or even bigger tended by individuals who grow what they choose and harvest what they grow; a larger community plot that is planned and tended by garden volunteers and the produce of which is either sold at farmers markets or to area restaurants or donated to those in need; a children's garden area including small children's garden plots and play equipment; garden tools and a tool shed type structure to store them in; a composting area; a shady space with tables or benches for socializing or holding garden meetings; and a water source for watering crops.

How much will this cost? A very preliminary estimate is that the garden could be up and running with as little as $3,000 - $5,000. Start-up costs will depend on soil conditions (if the soil is very poor or contains toxic medals we may need to build raised beds and fill them with clean soil / compost), whether or not there is already water service at the site, and whether or not there is an existing fence at the site. Once the garden is up and running, ongoing expenses will include: leasing costs ($1 a year is typical, but not a guarantee, for community garden projects); monthly water meter costs, and other various site maintenance materials.

Where will we get the $$? For start up costs, donations of money and materials will be solicited from area residents and businesses. Also,we will look for mini-grant sources from nonprofit or government sources. There is a small chance that the Village may be able to give us some $$ from their Parks and Recreations budget, although there is no guarantee this will be possible. Once the garden is in operation, income will be generated from rental fees of the individual garden plots which could average around $30 a year. Additionally, if produce from the community plot is sold, that would also create revenue for the garden.

Potential garden locations: Based on our initial conversation with the Forest Park Recreation Board, we have identified and evaluated three potential garden locations. They are as follows:

Another Shout Out in the Forest Park Review

2009-03-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Forest Park Community Garden was mentioned quite extensively in a column by Stephanie Kuehnert in this weeks' Forest Park Review. You can read the column here . We're always looking for ways to get the word out, and this sort of thing definitely helps that effort along.

If you read about us in today's column and are checking out the website to see what we'll all about- Welcome! If you're looking for more info about the garden or would like to get involved, just email us at fpcommunitygarden@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you! :)

Click here to read the article that appeared in the Review last July.

Seed Planting Party Success!

2009-03-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to those of you who were able to make it to this past Sunday's Planting Party. It was beautiful weather so we gathered on the patio and spent a couple hours planting nearly 400 herb, flower, and veggie seeds. Hopefully these seeds will turn into vigourous plants that people will be happy to buy from us during our two plant sales to come in May (May 9th outside the Green Home Experts store on Oak Park Avenue just north of I-290 and May 16 at the What's Blooming on Harrison festival on Harrison street between Austin and Ridgeland also in Oak Park). We're growing some old favorites--Marigolds, Basil, "Beefstake" Tomatos, "California Wonder" Bell peppers--and some harder to find varieties--"Peruvian Purple" Chili Peppers and Cuban Oregano--so we're hoping that we'll have something that will appeal to every type of gardener. Keep us in mind as you make your plant purchases this season.

Here are some pictures from the Planting Party fun! Thanks again to all those who helped out. I should also acknowledge a few others who weren't able to make it to the Planting Party but who will be donating some of their own plant seedlings or other gardening goodies--thanks!

[gallery]

Bake Sale June 13th at Oak Park Farmer's Market

2009-02-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

Don't look now but we've got our first planned fundraising event set up, finally!

On June 13th, 2009 we'll have a booth set up at the Oak Park Farmer's Market for a Bake Sale.

If you bake, get those recipes ready. And if you don't, put the date on your calendar and stop by to say hi.

Potential Layout For Planting Areas At Community Garden

2008-11-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

I've Got Good News And I've Got Bad News

2008-11-05T18:36:00.000-08:00

First, the good news. We received word on Monday November 3rd that we CAN use the Harlem site for the new community garden. This has taken much longer than any of us imagined, although I'm not sure why I would imagine anything dealing with the State of Illinois would take less than like a million years!

The bad news is that the site is basically a big ole pile of rubble. (As a side-note, I think the word "rubble" is seriously under-used and under-appreciated and I personally plan to use it every chance I get for a while.) As Jessica described in her post about taking the soil test samples, there is only about 4 inches of dirt, then she hit rubble in every spot she sampled. I know it'd be much easier if this site was pure rice dirt just waiting to be planted, but that's usually not the reality of community gardens. The idea is usually to take a spot that nobody wants and turn it into something beautiful for the community to enjoy and to create a place where folks who might not have the space to garden can grow their own food. This is just that sort of space. We'll just use raised beds (which many people prefer, anyway) and plant right on top of the rubble.

Bonus good news: Jessica also finally received the results of the soil test and the lead levels were fine for planting.

So, moving forward, our new best friends are the folks over at the Park District of Forest Park. They currently maintain the property and are very excited to work with us to make the Forest Park Community Garden a success.

Uh Oh (Maybe)

2008-07-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

I went to the park at Harlem and I-290 yesterday to take some soil samples. We want to make sure there aren't any toxic heavy metals in the soil that can sometimes be caused by car emissions or past land use on or near the site that would be harmful to us as we work in the soil or eat the food we grow. To take the sample, I was supposed to dig down six inches in five different spots, gather dirt from each spot, mix it all together, and send it to central Illinois for a lead test.

What's the problem, you ask? The problem is, in four of the five holes I dug, the shovel hit gravel about four inches down. We knew that there were homes in this spot prior to the expressway, so I can only assume that the gravel we're hitting is the pulvariezed remains of those homes.

What does this mean for the garden? Well, it means that in order to use this location at all--regardless of what the soil test tells us about soil toxicity--we will have to build raised beds with at least 12 inch high sides and we'll have to buy clean topsoil and compost to fill them. This could actually be really awesome. Personally I like the look of raised beds as well as the control that starting with all new soil gives us. A lot of the community gardens you can read about on Google use raised beds, so its not an uncommon practice. Some of them even use raised beds over concrete to create gardens in abandoned parking lots so its definitely technically do-able. However, raised beds and the soil to fill them will definitely add costs for us. The beds should probably be built out of cedar boards, since it weathers well naturally and doesn't contain any potentially harmful chemicals that treated wood or railroad ties can have. But cedar is also pretty expensive. And, of course, we'd also have to build the beds, which isn't too hard in principal, but would be quite an undertaking at this large of a scale. Building one bed in your backyard is pretty easy but building 50 beds could take a while.

So, we need to decide whether this discovery is going to mean that the Harlem / I-290 location wont work and start looking for another property.
What do you guys think?

Leave comments to this post and tell me what your feelings are.

Thanks for reading!

Cha-Ching

2008-07-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

We had our second ever meeting last night, and although we had about half the number of people come as we did at our first meeting there was tons of energy and good ideas passed around. We met in what is currently our most preferred garden location. It was nice to be in the space. I'm sure its the most use the park has seen in, um, forever? hehe. Here are some pictures of the park (located on the northwest corner of the Harlem Ave. / I-290 interchange).

But, don't get too excited quite yet. The land isn't "ours", and as we move forward in the process, not having a piece of land to use runs the risk of hindering progress toward that very goal.
Gina and I realized pretty early on that there was going to be a question about which should come first: raising the money to build the garden or securing a piece of land to use. How do we ask for money if we don't know the details of the space we will be using such as soil conditions and availability of water and a fence? How do we convince people that we're serious if we don't have a space to point to? But, how do we convince the Village, the Park District, and all others involved that we're really serious about this idea until we are able to demonstrate that we can really raise the money to pull this off? Which comes first, the money or the land?

After the meeting last night, I think we've decided that the answer is: the money should come first. Money is always one of the most important questions that comes up no matter who we're talking to about the garden. How are we going to raise the money to do this? (Answer: We really have no idea and little other than a feeling that "things will work out somehow" to guide us.) How much money do we have? (Answer: Zero, negative actually if you count the money Gina and I have already spent out of our own pockets on the website, food for the first meeting, and other stuff I've already forgotten about.) Also, we are beginning to get the feeling that getting the land situation set is going to take a while. There will be red tape, lease agreements, governmental approval to get through. While all that is happening (most of it is out of our hands) why not spend our time and energy improving our financial situation?

So that's what we're doing, folks. At the meeting we came up with several ideas regarding funding sources. They include: fundraising events such as car washes, hot dog stands, and restaurant give-back days; soliciting money and in-kind donations (aka: garden supplies rather than money) from local landscape / garden businesses; and any grant program we can find. I left the meeting feeling very optimistic about the ideas we came up with and the level of energy the group has to put toward pursuing them. We're also starting to get a more realistic hold on just how much this is all going to cost us.

We found out earlier this week that there is no water access at the park currently and that it will cost $5,000 to have water access installed. This sounded great, since we had been told that the dog park paid $13,000 for their water access. $5,000 seems like a steal, although it pretty much doubles our original budget. Other major spending items which may or may not be in our future include: clean soil and raised beds which would be necesary if the soil tests positive for lead (we'll have those results in about three weeks); and the cost of a new, prettier and more secure fence, if we decide that the short rickety not-so-pretty fence that's there right now wont work. We'll also soon be registering as a nonprofit corporation which will make it a lot easier for us to accept donations and get a bank account and all that stuff.

Thanks to everyone who came to the meeting last night and brought such great energy and enthusiasm. About once I week I get overwhelmed and wonder if I have the time and energy to see this project through. However, all I have to do is meet up with some of my garden groupies and I feel all better again. I hope that the garden itself can serve a similar purpose for all of us once its up and running: give us a place to relax, get away from the stresses of everyday life, and recharge.

Thanks for reading. :)

No Autographs, Please

2008-07-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Now that we made the local Forest Park newspaper, does this mean we're famous?

The Forest Park Review published an article in today's paper about our efforts to garner support for the community garden. I think Jessica and I both agree that we hate the picture. The photographer that took it was really nice. We asked him what we should do as far as posing and he informed us that we should just act like he's not there. We were like "dude, we would totally NOT be here if you hadn't asked us to come!" Now that the article has hit the newspaper, we're really hoping people will visit the website, take the survey and maybe even sign up to help with the garden.

The Forest Park Review is a community newspaper published every Wednesday. I love it because they only publish local interest articles. I have no idea how many Forest Park residents read the newspaper, but I read it, and I don't even read newspapers.

Our next step is to set up another meeting to begin to develop strategies for planning and fundraising.

We're still looking for ways to get the word out and recruit new volunteers to help plan and fund-raise for the community garden so leave us a comment if you've got any good ideas.

Getting The Word Out

2008-06-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

Now that the first volunteer event has been planned, we needed to think about how to let people know about it.

The flyers have been made and tomorrow we'll be going door-to-door to some local businesses to ask them to allow us to put a sign in their window.

We'll also be taking pictures of the potential sites that have been mentioned so far. Stay tuned, they'll be posted here later.

Ice Cream and Gardens

2008-06-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

The Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor is the best place to be in Forest Park, hands down. They make a lot of the ice cream themselves and every flavor I've tried is spectacular. The ice cream parlor has only been in business a few years but it is so popular (lines out the door in the winter time etc...) that they've already moved to a larger space.

So, what better place to hold an event that you want to lure people to so that you can ask them to help with your community garden? That's right! We are having the first community garden event at the Brown Cow.

When I told my neighbors where the meeting was, they practically started booing me. Not booing me as in "bad place for a meeting" but booing as in "you low down dirty scoundrel you know that nobody will say no to a meeting at the Brown Cow!" What can I say, we are smart girls!

So, here's the deal. Be at the Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor on June 25th at 7:00 or you are not cool like us.

Your Honor, We Think You Should Let Us Have a Community Garden

2008-06-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the recreation board meeting. We found tons of great information about how to start a community garden on the American Community Garden Association website that we used for the presentation.

The recreation board is made up of volunteers from the community who maintain all the "pocket parks" in the area. Each person is assigned a park and if something breaks at your park or your park is looking particularly crappy, you are responsible for reporting the problem and making sure that it gets fixed. I love that!

Our presentation went well. Everyone was extremely supportive and it turns out that there used to be a community garden in this area back in the 70's. That was great news to hear because it means that this community has proven that it will support a community garden. When the old garden was closed, it had over 260 plots which was over 100 plots more than when it first started.

After we discussed the idea and potential locations for the garden, we were asked to find more helpers and come back to the next meeting on the first Tuesday in July.

Thank you recreation board! We will be back!

Where's My Delorean?

2008-06-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

This week I sort of feel like that crazy scientist from Back to the Future.

I can't believe I just made the first contact yesterday and we are already headed to a board meeting. It just so happens that they meet the first Tuesday of every month and that would be tomorrow.

Not knowing how to go about contacting our local community government to discuss the community garden idea, I started by taking a look around their website. I contacted our Commissioner of Public Property who invited us to the Recreation Board Meeting to present our community garden idea.

So we've got 24 hours to prepare a presentation. This should be interesting.

About Us

2006-05-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

Mission Statement

History

Board of Directors

Mission Statement

2006-05-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

To educate the community on how to build organic sustainable food systems, to provide fresh organic produce to needy families and to beautify our community through gardening.

History

2006-05-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

Forest Park Community Garden (FPCG) was started by two local gardeners, Jessica Rinks and Gina Thomas, in the summer of 2009. In its first year we built 15 raised beds, 12 of which were rented to residents in the community and 3 were planted and maintained by volunteers, the food grown there all donated to our local food pantry. We had no water that year so gardeners were only able to water their plants using what they could carry from home. In the second year we built 15 more beds and were lucky to have 10 rain barrels donated which were filled by the fire department each week. Having a solution for water helped us keep the plots rented but because the space was unsecure we experienced a fair amount of theft of vegetables that year. There was also no space to store tools which meant gardeners had to lug all their tools back and forth every trip. As an organization we explored options for improving security and providing storage but because our only revenue was the small plot rental fees we charge residents along with fundraisers like plant and bake sales, our options were very limited.

In November of 2010 we were asked by the Village of Forest Park to partner with them in applying for a Model Communities grant aimed at implementing programs to help improve the health of residents. Obviously this was an exciting opportunity for FPCG since it would help advance our mission of teaching the community how to build organic sustainable food systems. We were over the moon to learn that the Village of Forest Park had been awarded the grant and that we would now have the resources to expand FPCG in a manner that was consistent with our original vision. Still, though we had some funds available for supplies, we were struggling to find a way to get the work done without exhausting all the grant money in labor costs. And then another gift, seemingly out of nowhere, Comcast contacted the Village of Forest Park to ask if there were any opportunities for their annual Comcast Cares volunteer day. They preferred something outside and would love it if it were gardening related. Unbelievable.

On Saturday April 30th, Forest Park residents, FPCG gardeners, Village employees and elected officials joined Comcast volunteers and together transformed what was nearly a blank slate into a vibrant and thriving garden. 21 new raised beds were built, which will be made available to residents who need a place to garden as well as 3 new accessible beds, a beautiful flagstone path leading to a large flower-shaped garden which was planted with edibles that can be harvested by anybody in the community. The flower-shaped garden will also be used as a teaching garden and to grow fresh food for the local food pantry. Additionally, we planted hundreds of native plants which will draw pollinators, butterflies, and birds to our garden and used as demonstration gardens for an education program we are also planning to develop to teach our community about the importance of native plants.

Board of Directors

2006-05-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Jessica Rinks, MPA

President and Cofounder

Jessica is an Urban Planner specializing in the field of public transportation planning. She has worked for Vlecides-Schroeder Associates, a Chicago planning firm, since 2006. She received her Masters of Public Administration in 2006 from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Jessica has been an avid gardener for several years, and became a University of Illinois Master Gardener in 2008. She is particularly interested in growing edible plants, and during Chicago's wonderful but often too brief summers she grows the majority of her household’s vegetable supply. In 2010 she decided to take vegetable gardening a step further and began growing produce for sale at the Logan Square Farmer's Market. She also started her own garden design and management company and currently manages a 900+ square foot raised bed restaurant garden in downtown Chicago.

With her friend and co-founder, Gina Thomas, Jessica founded Forest Park Community Garden in 2009, motivated by her own passion for growing food and a desire to share that passion with others. She believes that a lack of garden space, knowledge, or confidence should not stop any person from gardening.
Gina Thomas, BS

Vice President and Cofounder

Gina is the Supervisor of Transplant IT at Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she has been employed since 2002. Her professional experience includes policy and procedure development, project management, process improvement and staff management. Gina holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Behavior from Northwestern University and an Associate of Applied Science in Medical Technology from Southwest Tennessee Community College.
Gina has been gardening since the summer of 2007 when she decided to grow an organic tomato. Today most of the yard of her small house has been replaced by vegetable and perennial gardens. While she still considers herself a novice gardener killing the occasional plant, she also grows and builds some cool stuff. Her greatest gardening accomplishments are the cedar pergola built over a weekend with good friends, raised vegetable beds she constructed herself and the trip to Las Vegas she won in a tastiest tomato contest with a Cherokee Purple tomato she grew from a plant purchased at Jewel grocery. In 2009 Gina partnered with her friend Jessica Rinks to start Forest Park Community Garden believing that everyone in her community who wants to garden should have a place to do so.

Michelle Woehrle, MPA

Director

Michelle is the director of administration for MPN Research Foundation, which funds research into a group of rare blood cancers. In 2010 she received her Masters in Public Administration with a focus on non-profit management from Roosevelt University. Michelle's professional experience includes administration and management within the non-profit sector, and customer service and sales in the insurance industry.
Michelle has been gardening full force since 2008 after she bought a house with her partner on a particularly sunny lot in Forest Park. She watched her mother and grandmother's successes growing all manner of vegetables and flowers and wanted to see whether she could turn her all-grass backyard into something a little more useful and maybe a bit special. A high point was turning over and tilling the yard herself and later leading in the construction of a couple raised beds. Favorites include basil, oregano, cherry tomatoes, and strawberry popcorn. Poppies are proving to be a challenge but she intends to persevere.

Contact Us

2006-05-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

Phone: 708-792-3724

Email: fpcommunitygarden@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fpcommunitygarden

Twitter: www.twitter.com/teamFPCG

2006-05-20T12:18:00.001-07:00

Volunteer

There are many ways to get involved with the community garden. We have a growing list of volunteers that we call on for community education, garden work days and fundraising. Most of our volunteers do not have a plot at the garden. If you are interested in any of the following opportunities, please contact us.

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities

Weekend of June 4, 2011 - Help us put the finishing details on our garden expansion. We'll be moving compost, planting native prairie seedlings and shrubs, planting edibles in the Sharing garden, and spreading more wood chips.

2006-05-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

Events

Under Construction

2006-05-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Garden With Us

In addition to our community service and education projects, we also offer garden plot spaces where members of the community can grow their own vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Many residents in our area live in apartments or condominiums and don’t have access to outdoor gardening space. Others may have a yard, but may be lacking in sufficient sunlight to grow certain types of plants, especially edibles. Our garden plots are built from sustainable non-toxic cedar lumber and are filled with a topsoil and compost mixture. We ask that all gardeners adhere to organic gardening methods.

If you would like more information about our rules or how to apply for a plot, please download our 2011 Member Agreement.

LocationForest Park Community Garden is located at the North West corner of Harlem Ave and I-290. Enter the garden from the alley.

ParkingThere is no parking allowed in the alley. Respecting this no parking law is a condition of participation for all plot renters. We encourage you to ride your bike to the park (it’s great exercise and great for the environment!) or secure appropriate parking nearby, and walk to the garden.

CostIn order to help us cover maintenance expenses at the garden, we require a plot fee of $30.00 per growing season (April 15-October 31) per plot (plots measure 4 feet by 8 feet). If you would like to plant perennials or garden through the winter, the fee is $30. There is also a security deposit of $15 per plot. Security deposits are refundable at the end of your growing season if you are in good standing per the terms of the Member Agreement. All beds are filled with a mixture of top soil and compost.

Gardening MethodsThe use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and soil amendments is prohibited. If you are having trouble with a particular problem and need ideas on an organic solution, call or email us for help. We have many experienced organic gardeners who will be glad to provide a natural remedy for any problem you encounter.

How to Rent a PlotWe currently have a wait list but if you are interested in renting a plot please fill out this form and someone will update you on plot availability.

How to VolunteerIf you are interested in volunteering, please email us at fpcommunitygarden@gmail.com or call us at (708) 792-3724. We are currently looking for gardening help as well as help with fundraising.

Need More Information?

Email your questions to fpcommunitygarden@gmail.com.

2006-05-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

Donate

PayPal

You can make a tax-deductible donation to FPCG any time by using our Paypal link in the right side bar. All funds will help us pay for the upkeep of our garden location as well as fund our other educational and outreach programs. Thank you so much for your support!

Wish List

Below is a list of items we need for our garden. If you have something new or used that you'd like to donate, let us know!

free standing shelving units (help us keep our shed organized)
plastic storage boxes (any size)
pitch fork
sprinklers, spray hoses, or soaker hoses (help us keep our new prairie garden well watered while the baby plants get established)
dry erase and/or cork board (we'll hang it in the shed and use it as a way to communication with one another)

Sponsorship Opportunities

If your business would like to become a sponsor of FPCG., please contact us at fpcommunitygarden@gmail.com