It's been quite a while!

The Fulton Street Vegetable and Flower Garden is being planted as we enter a warm and sunny June!

Join us at the Hideout on June 16th from 6-8 PM for a game of bingo to support our garden! The Hideout and NeighborSpace are hosting. Additionally, Veggie Bingo will be held every Wednesday through September 29th, and will benefit a different garden each week!

And don't forget our annual Iced Tea Social! July 17th from 12-4 PM. More details to follow.

Back to blogging

We are having a few rainy days that are too reminiscent of fall, if you ask me. It does not feel like we have experienced a dramatic fall harvest just yet, although we have enjoyed quite a few delicious garden meals.

Spending more time indoors, however, gives me the chance to catch up on the Fulton Street blog...check for updates and photos this weekend!

First Sunday at GSG Famers' Market!

After a busy holiday weekend, Ted, Jim and I showed up early at the garden to harvest tons of mustard greens, cabbage leaves, lettuce heads, some beets, a bit of kale, herbs, zucchini blossoms, and radishes to take over to Grand Street Gardens (2200 W. Grand Ave.), along with a lots of recently harvested peas.  

We arrived to find out that we were the only garden that came to sell today.  We set up right on the corner in full view of the street.  The garden center was so kind to give us a few accents- a pretty mat and umbrella, some flower bouquets, and pots for our radishes and greens to rest in.  

We sat out at the table from about 9 AM-12 PM and encouraged cars, kids, joggers, gardeners, dog-walkers, etc. to come buy our vegetables.  One woman who bought a bag of peas and a head of lettuce said she would be back next Sunday!  Another man happened to have a plot at Frankie Machine Garden, and was very supportive of our endeavor.  Market traffic was a bit slow on our first day, but we still enjoyed the experience and look forward to more summer Sundays at Grand Street Gardens.  

Come for a visit in July!

This year so far...

We are working this year to transform the garden into a self-sustaining project.  Currently and in the past, the garden has benefitted from the kindness of many organizations, including Neighborspace, Greencorps/Chicago Department of Environment, Openlands, the Chicago Botanic Gardens, the Garfield Park Conservatory, and many more.  

So, we turned six of our garden beds into production beds.  Earlier this season, we planted kale, cabbage, tomatoes, beets, cucumbers, radishes, okra, and collards in these beds, hoping to sell them at different farmers' markets.  Our first chance will come next Sunday, July 5th, at Grand Street Gardens.  They are holding their first farmers' market and we will be able to sell our Garfield Park produce there! 

Today I set lots of oregano out to dry, and we will also have lettuce, collards, kale, cabbage leaves, radish, a few peas, maybe some cut flowers, basil, and thyme.  This is a new type of endeavor for the Fulton Street Garden so we are nervous, but excited.  Let's hope for the best!