Registration

Giving Gardens: Grow & Give Back 2026

Vegetable and flower gardens are a highlight of Illinois summers. Many families lack access to fresh garden vegetables or the cheery gift of flowers. Offer gifts of the garden to your community this season. Illinois Extension Giving Gardens offers free seeds, plants, and education to gardeners who pledge to donate 50% of their harvest to a friend or neighbor in need. Spread the joy of a Midwestern summer’s bounty when you Grow and Give Back.

Illinois Extension Free Giving Garden Kits

Vegetable Kits

Cottage Kit: Plants: tomatoes (2-slicer, 2-cherry), peppers (2 bell, 2 jalapeno); cucumber seeds
Container Kit: Plants: 2- cherry tomatoes, 2- Corno di Toro peppers; basil seeds, snap pea seeds
Fusion Kit: Plants: 2-tomatillo, 2- Fresno peppers, 4- kale, 2- eggplant; okra seeds

Flower Kits

Cut Flower Seed Kit: Cornflower, Sunflower, Cosmo, Zinnia, Dill, Baby's Breath, (seeds) Gomphrena, Billy Buttons (plants)

Wellness Kits (plants for soothing teas and edible flowers):

Wellness Plant Kit: Calendula, Lemon Balm, German Chamomile, Basil, Cilantro/Coriander, Nasturtium (seeds), Lemon Grass, Mint (plants)

Please note that vegetable kits are limited at this time to one kit per person.
Registration also includes an e-newsletter with monthly garden education, including informative videos to help you grow a healthy, productive garden all season long (May - September). Participants will also receive access to a tracking system to record their vegetable and flower donations. Kits are for residents and organizations in Livingston, McLean, and Woodford Counties.

Illinois Extension Giving Garden Kit Pick-up Dates in each county will be announced via email. Dates will be in early May.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact the McLean County Extension Office at (309) 663-8306 or by emailing Brittnay Haag at bhaag@illinois.edu.

Create an account

Contact Information

First Name

Last Name

Street Address

Street Address 2

City

State

ZIP

Daytime Phone

Evening Phone

E-mail Address

Please select your desired Vegetable Kit below If you do not want a vegetable kit, you may skip this question. One kit per person.

Cottage Kit

[39 of 125 filled]

Container Gardening Kit

[13 of 50 filled]

Fusion Kit

[8 of 50 filled]

Do you want to sign up for a Cut Flower Kit? If not, you may skip this question

Cut Flower Kit

[49 of 200 filled]

Do you want to sign up for a Wellness Plant Kit? (Plants for soothing teas and edible flowers.) If not, you may skip this question

Wellness Plant Kit

[52 of 75 filled]

Pledge to donate and track: This is an expectation for receiving free supplies and participating in the program. (Both must be selected!)

I commit to donating 50% or more of the harvest from my giving garden to community members in need.

I commit to reporting the amount of produce/flowers donated on the tracking site offered by Extension.

What county do you live in? This program is only available to residents/organizations in these 3 counties.

Livingston County

McLean County

Woodford County

I am doing this project as a...

Community Member

Community Organization

4-H/FFA Member

Master Gardener / Naturalist

McLean County Law & Justice Center

Other

If you selected 'Community Organization' or 'Other' above: Please list any other affiliations you are participating in this program through.

Civil Rights Compliance - Participant Info

As part of our commitment to providing equal opportunities in our programming, University of Illinois Extension is required to collect and report overall statistics about the race, ethnicity, and gender of program participants. Your responses are voluntary and appreciated.

Gender

Ethnicity

Race

Illinois Extension

Registration

101 Mumford Hall (MC-710)

1301 W. Gregory Dr.

Urbana, IL 61801

Phone: 217-333-5900