Seed swap a sign Fox Valley gardening season is near
So what if the forecast for late Friday and early Saturday called for cold and sleet?
Vegetable gardeners are rarin' to go on this year's crop, and some events and places are satisfying that itch.
Seed swap
The Batavia Depot Museum opens an exhibit about Victory Gardens by having a seed swap 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.
Even if you don't have excess seeds, clean pots or garden supplies to trade, you are welcome because Menards has donated seeds to give away.
There will also be a station to show how to start plants from seeds. Admission is $5. Proceeds benefit the exhibit and the Batavia Environmental Commission.
The event is in the Lodge at Laurelwood, 800 N. River St. (Route 25). Drop-ins are welcome, but registration is encouraged. Call the park district at (630) 879-5235, or register at bataviaparks.org.
The museum is planting its garden in a former 400-square-foot flower bed on the east side of its campus. Employees and volunteers will grow 17 to 19 vegetables that would have been grown in World War I and II, museum director Jennifer Putzier said.
That will include things familiar to us now, but foreign to Americans back then: broccoli, chard and kohlrabi.
The government promoted war/liberty/victory gardens in World War I, to avoid food rationing here and to free up food to send to soldiers and allies overseas. During World War II, the gardens were a way to supplement food rationing here. Eating fresh food grown locally was touted as a patriotic act, conserving resources.
"Many of the same goals that we had in World War I and II" are the same today in the local-foods movement, Putzier said. "The seed swap is a great way to connect with that spirit by sharing resources, working with neighbors and fellow gardeners to make food production a local, community activity."
Plots at business
A Maple Park-area business is getting in on the growing trend by renting garden plots.
Kane County Country Market, 4N250 Route 47, has 15 20-by-20-feet plots, according to store manager Mary Ellen Pound. She has already rented two at $65 apiece.
"We're agriculture here," she said, and it is something owners planned from the beginning. The store and restaurant opened in August, so this is its first full growing season in business.
The plots will be just west of the market's buildings.
"It's so pretty up there, because it is up on a hill. It's peaceful," Pound said.
The market will sell seeds, plants, fertilizer, clothing, home decor and cooking items. Call (630) 654-5226.
Park plots to rent
The Fox Valley Park District rents plots for $15 ($30 for nonresidents) at two sites: at Jericho and Barnes roads in Montgomery (west of the Stuart Sports Complex), and at Oakhurst Forest Preserve in Aurora. In-person registration for the Stuart site is at the Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora; for Oakhurst, sign up at the Eola Community Center, 555 S. Eola Road.
The Geneva Park District's Community Garden plots at Peck and Bricher roads will be available in early April, weather permitting. Plots are $45 for residents, $60 for nonresidents. Apply in person at the Sunset Community Center, 710 S. Western Ave.
The St. Charles Park District offers plots at Breen Community Park off Peck Road, and Primrose Farm Park at Bolcum and Crane roads. Registration for new renters begins at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Pottawatomie Community Center, 8 North Ave. Plots cost $25 to $45, depending on size and location. First-timers must register in person.
Kane County's Fit for Kids program offers garden plots at the county health department's Aurora site. Details will be available in April on the program's website.
The Renewed Roots Initiative nonprofit farm at 1921 Jericho, Aurora, is offering plots for $25 to $40. Sign up at renewedroots.org.