Garfield Farm workshop to help gardeners go organic

Learn how to grow your own organic vegetable garden at Garfield Farm Museum in Campton Hills on Sunday, March 22. The class begins at 10 a.m., with a hands-on workshop at 2 p.m.

Garden expert Vicki Nowicki will lead the seminar and share her expertise in organic gardening, seed starting and native plants. Her work has been recognized by the Seed Savers Exchange, Slow Food, and the Morton Arboretum. She is the founder of Liberty Gardens Seed Library, which opened in April 2014 at the Downers Grove Historical Museum.

Nowicki's lecture will explore where food originates going back thousands of years. From the beginnings of agriculture to today's industrial food production, she will explain the techniques we still use today and how to avoid intrusive methods utilized by the modern industry. Nowicki will give an overview of the principles of organic gardening that make it so successful.

The hands-on workshop will build on the skills learned during the class by showing students how to properly start and grow seeds for their own gardens.

There is a $6 donation for the class and $15 donation for the workshop, which includes seeds donated by Nowicki.

Garfield Farm Museum is on Garfield Road, off Route 38 five miles west of Geneva. Reservations are encouraged; call (630) 584-8485 or email info@garfieldfarm.org.

Garfield's 374-acre site is a historically intact former 1840s farm and teamster inn being restored as an 1840s working farm museum by volunteers and donors. Visit www.garfieldfarm.org. Follow "Garfield Farm Museum" on Facebook and Twitter.