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.

Basically, they want it all.

Finding it all in one place is usually the challenge, but the Daily Herald is aiming to deliver information about those quests Sunday, Sept. 12, at Plant a Row for the Hungry Day.

The activities will spread out over the Regenstein Fruit and Vegetable island at the Chicago Botanic Garden and feature guest speakers on a wide range of topics.

Experts will explain which bugs are good and which ones aren't when it comes to vegetable health, how to best grow a vegetable container garden in a small space, ways to determine and improve soil health and seed starting basics.

As long as you're going to the botanic garden, pick the produce in your yard and bring it along: Northern Illinois Food Bank will be on hand to accept donations. The donor who brings in the single largest donation of fresh, edible fruits and vegetables, will receive a prize guaranteed to enhance the garden for years to come.

Walking tours of the island are scheduled to show people which vegetables most important to good health grow best in this region. And teenagers involved with the Botanic Garden's Green Youth Farm will demonstrate how to build a teepee for green beans using willow branches.

For those with time to spare between demonstrations, there's plenty to learn from and see in the island's garden beds themselves, explained Kristie Webber, director of interpretive programs.

Sitting on nearly 4 acres, the island has a series of garden beds and orchards showcasing not only a wide variety of vegetables but fruit trees and bushes as well.

There are beds and baskets all dedicated to showing gardeners how to work with small spaces, Webber said. And there are unusual displays, too, such as the one with upside-down tomato plants hanging from coconut-liner baskets.

"A lot of time you think about a 20-foot by 40-foot old-fashioned vegetable garden," Webber said. The small area examples prove there are many other options.

Growing vegetables and participating in Plant a Row don't require owning 10 acres of farmland. The program urges gardeners to plant an extra row, or even one more plant, and donate the surplus to participating area food pantries.

It's promoted nationally by the Garden Writers Association and sponsored locally by the Daily Herald and Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Many of the vegetables donated are grown at the botanic garden, where the most hardy and prolific varieties are on display.

One of the many beds showcases things people most frequently plant: tomatoes, eggplant, squash and beans. Another area includes more than 30 varieties of peppers. The island houses more than 400 varieties of edible plants chosen because they grow best in this area.

"There's so many varieties it blows your mind," Webber said.

Other slated events and offers include:

• The first 125 people to stop by the Plant a Row booth will receive a planting kit to help them get started next spring: It includes sterilized seed-starter mix from Fafard and packets of vegetable seeds.

• Chicago Parent magazine will give away gardening trowels to the first 300 children who stop by the booth, where they can then pot arugula.

• Mike Nowak, host of WGN-Radio's "Let's Talk Gardening," will discuss "Good Plants are Hard to Find" and share recommendations for organic gardening methods.

• Russel Higgins of the University of Illinois Extension Service talks about "The Good, the Bad and the Bugly," exploring insects and the effect they have on gardens

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

• Storyteller Nelli Yellin will weave her tales for children through the early afternoon, and a professional face painter will be on hand later with creative designs.

• Many people wonder which of the many garden gloves on the market is right for them. Wells Lamont, which produces gloves, will have a variety on hand for people to try and will explain which style matches each garden job.