2004 Stories

RSS

Adverse conditions don't deter Plant a Row gardeners

Forget the best of times: Most summer vegetable gardens in the area went through the worst of times. A cold, rainy spring deterred many gardeners. When folks finally did get seedlings into the ground, there was a marked absence of heat - something generally considered important for plant growth.

Full Story published 10/17/2004

Plant A Row for the Hungry numbers

Here's how the agencies participating locally in Plant a Row for the Hungry fared this year, and the number of pounds of produce that gardeners donated this year and in 2003.

Full Story published 10/17/2004

Plant a Row for the Hungry Day

The Regenstein Fruit and Vegetable Island at the Chicago Botanic Garden will be filled with experts next Sunday to help improve your home vegetable gardens.

Full Story published 9/7/2004

A day for sharing

If there's any one thing common to gardeners, it is their never-ending quest to improve. They want stronger plants, better yields, fewer diseases, new varieties and the latest proven success stories.

Full Story published 9/7/2004

Gardener provides campaign with steady supply of veggies

Chubby cucumbers are the veggies du jour in George Tresnak's Elburn garden. He doesn't grow skinny ones - just big chubby ones. And they grow in abundance.

Full Story published 8/30/2004

Plant a Row a perfect place for extra produce

A farm girl at heart, Karen Belt loathes seeing vegetables rotting on the vine. Food is too important to waste. "That''s the way you survived on a farm was to plant these things," the South Elgin gardener said.

Full Story published 8/13/2004

Prolific Palatine gardener shares abundance

At 4,500-square-feet, Tom Anderson's Palatine garden is larger than most people's homes. And with 40 tomato plants and 25 fruit trees among his vast collection, the eventual yield is much greater than his family can eat.

Full Story published 8/9/2004

Parishioners reap the fruit of their labors

St. Isidore is the patron saint of farmers, so it's fitting that his Bloomingdale flock works the fields. Tucked behind the Catholic church bearing St. Isidore's name is a prolific vegetable garden with a gracious purpose.

Full Story published 8/9/2004

With a little help, young gardeners blossom

The little beds at the Green Earth Institute in Naperville are designed to help tomorrow's gardeners blossom. Children learn the basics about planting seeds, fertilizing the soil, weeding the rows and even picking vegetables.

Full Story published 8/3/2004

Brownies get chance to use their green thumbs

Carl Lytle historically grows a large vegetable garden. He plants and his wife, Jean, cans the results. They make quite a tag team.

Full Story published 7/19/2004

Garden club producing for Plant a Row

Peppers, yellow squash, green beans and zucchini are veggies with a purpose. It's not enough that the rows of vegetables thrive under the care of the Hoffman Estates Garden Club. The plants need to produce results: Food pantry clients are depending on them.

Full Story published 7/12/2004

Vegetables full of nutritional benefits

Participating in Plant a Row for the Hungry means helping ensure someone will get a fresh, nutritious meal. It's important, then, to choose wisely in the types of garden produce donated to food pantries participating in the local campaign sponsored by the Daily Herald and Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Full Story published 6/7/2004

Here's crop of Plant a Row workshops

Here is a schedule of Plant a Row for the Hungry workshops at the Morton Arboretum.

Full Story published 4/25/2004