By Catherine Edman
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Friday, Sept. 16, 2005

There's nothing like a drought to reinforce the "basics" to gardeners.

Good soil is important, as are plant selection, overall plant health and proper watering schedules.

Even the most experienced gardeners, though, can always use more information in their arsenals in the battle to grow better, healthier, more productive fruits and vegetables.

And when doing so benefits neighbors in need, those lessons seem even more important.

The Daily Herald is helping round up gardening experts from around the region and bringing them together for a day of discovery and education Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Giving Garden Day activities will spread out across the Regenstein Fruit and Vegetable Island and include speakers and displays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Daily Herald's Giving Garden program urges gardeners to grow a little extra in their fruit and vegetable plots and donate the surplus to participating drop-off sites, primarily food pantries.

Folks planning to attend the Sept. 11 event can also help food pantries by picking any surplus vegetables from their own gardens and bringing them to a special one-day drop-off site helping Northern Illinois Food Bank.

The 4-acre island houses a series of garden beds that showcase the range of fruits and vegetables that perform best in the Chicago area. Among those are the healthy eating and the rainbow beds, which both focus on the idea that it's best to eat at least five vegetables each day, explained Kristie Webber, director of interpretive programs.

"The idea is to think about nutrition when you're gardening," she said.

The rainbow bed features the top vegetables research shows are really good for you. One way the botanic garden has helped highlight that is by planting the vegetables in a rainbow of colors.

"If you try to eat a rainbow, you're going to get a good range of vitamins, minerals, nutrients and be healthy," Webber said.

A walking tour during the day's events will highlight some of those fruits and vegetables.

Mike Nowak, host of WGN radio's "Let's Talk Gardening," also will explain to visitors the importance of keeping garden soil in top shape in his presentation "Creating Healthy Soil." And he'll explain methods of doing so in more untraditional ways.

In the past, he said, everyone just used conventional fertilizers, plus some calcium and magnesium.

"Now we realize there are millions of microbes and organisms in the soil that are required for good soil health," he said.

They need more than just fertilizer to thrive, he said. And he'll explain ways to make sure earthworms, centipedes and other critters crucial to soil health are present and thriving.

Another presentation during the day will focus on growing fruit in this area, whether it be blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, peaches or nectarines. All those plants are growing in and on display at the Regenstein gardens.

Other events and activities include:

o Limited number of free seed-starting kits from the Giving Garden booth to help get gardeners going next spring. It includes sterile seed-starting mix from Fafard, the soil company, and some seed packets.

o People who live in townhouses or condominiums and still want to grow vegetables can stop by the display - and presentation - by Pesche's Garden Center in Des Plaines. Experts will show folks how to get the most out of container gardening.

o High school students who work with the botanic garden's Green Youth Farm project will show people the best ways to harvest their fruits and vegetables.

o Michelle Byrne Walsh, associate editor of Chicagoland Gardening Magazine, will discuss vegetable gardening basics and also take visitors on a walk on the garden island.

The Giving Garden program continues through Oct. 1 and has a goal of raising 71,000 pounds for participating agencies this summer.