Grow Your Own Food Garden Series

Have you noticed there is more flavor in a homegrown vegetable than what you buy at the store?  Nothing tastes better than eating fresh veggies from the garden.  The Grow Your Own Food Garden Series will walk you through the many avenues of growing your own vegetables in your own backyard garden.  From selecting what to grow, how and when to start seeds for your garden, and what to expect along the way until harvest time.  Whether you are beginning your gardening adventure, or a seasoned gardener, there is something for everyone.  

Join us for all nine sessions, or pick what topics are of interest and work best for your schedule.  

March 23:  Composting 101
Compost is a way of giving back to the soil all the nutrients  your plants utilized this past growing season.  During this class, Peggy Doty, Extension Natural Resource, Energy and Environment Educator, will cover the basics of getting started with composting, how to manage your compost pile, placement of the pile and what to do with the soil results.

April 3:  Seed Starting (starting at 7 p.m.)
Spring is almost here.  Now is the time to plan your garden and begin the process of starting seeds indoors.  Whether you are new to gardening or have been doing it for years, this program has something for everyone.  Join Master Gardener, Jennifer Crider, and learn about germination, breaking dormancy, scheduling, seeding methods and more.   

 

April 13:  Gardening Through the Seasons
Get the most out of your garden by planning, planting, and maintenance for the 2023 season broken down by spring, summer, and fall.  Bruce Black, Extension Horticulture Educator, will discuss some of the new vegetables for 2023 including the 2023 All-American Selections.

April 20:  The Cook’s Garden
As we get closer to planting a summer vegetable garden, now is a great time to be thinking about unusual and new varieties and vegetables to be adding to the 2023 garden. Broccoli rabe, ‘Pink Banana’ squash, ‘Cheddar’ cauliflower, Okinawa sweet potato, and spelt are just some of the “newer” vegetables and grains showing up as food trends in the last couple of years. This class will look at what you can grow (and can ’t grow) in your summer garden with a focus on produce that will be eaten fresh, made into sauces, and/or is center stage in your cooking. Grains, unique vegetable varieties, microgreens, and flavor focused produce will be covered in this session in helping you identify what to grow this upcoming season.  This session will be led by Grant McCarty, Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator.

May 4: Garden in a Bucket
Growing vegetables doesn’t have to be a huge endeavor or take up a lot of space in your yard.  There are alternative ways to grow your garden using a variety of resources you may already have on hand.  Master Gardener, Pat Castro, will share how to plant and maintain a garden in a bucket as well as other alternative ways to grow your veggies.

June 8: Tea Garden
The tradition of making and taking tea in the garden is steeped in garden history.  Today tea gardens also provide enchanting outdoor spaces that are soothing, productive, sustainable, and lovely to visit.  Learn about different types of tea gardens and the tea garden design components that make these great spaces to enjoy tea.  Various plants used to make tea will also be covered.  This presentation will be offered by Master Gardener, Jennifer Crider.

July 13: What's Bugging My Garden?
Not sure what is bugging your garden?  Learn about the common pests and diseases that affect your garden plants and produce and the best practices to manage them.  Master Gardener, Bobbi Burke, will be leading this presentation.  
 

August 3:  Preserving Herbs
Seasoning is the spice of life.  Let’s preserve our home-grown herbs.  Master Gardeners Maddy Paulson and Minoo Hagshenas, will share how to grow, harvest, and preserve your herbs so that they can be enjoyed throughout the season.   

September 7:  End of Season Gardening
Seed saving, garden cleanup and kitchen scrap gardening are all tasks that when done right can prepare your garden space for the next growing season or extend your current garden.  Master Gardener, Jennifer Crider, will share tips on how to save and store seeds from the veggies in your garden, proper tasks for fall garden cleanup and touch on kitchen scrap gardening.  

 

All sessions will be held at the Boone County Extension office located at 205 Cadillac Ct., Suite 5 in Belvidere at 6PM except for the Seed Starting program on April 3 which will start at 7PM.  The cost is $5 per person, per session.  Space is limited.  Advanced registration is encouraged so that we can make sure we have enough material.  If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program series, please contact Judy Hodge, Program Coordinator at hodg@illinois.edu or 815-544-3710.