CommUnity Garden Blooms at Kick-off Event

Evergreen Park’s only cooperative community garden is now seeking gardeners to participate in the locavore food movement. Now in its second year, the CommUnity Garden offers area residents and youth groups the chance to grow, harvest and enjoy their own food.

Situated in the heart of the village at 3240 W. 98th St. on the grounds of , the CommUnity Garden is a volunteer-run out- reach project that was developed with the goal of instilling the value of sustainability among community members. To fulfill this goal, the garden promotes the use of collected rainwater, composted materials and incorporates found and re-purposed materials into garden structures.

The CommUnity Garden’s raised bed were built in accordance to specifications from the Americans With Disabilities Act and are wheelchair accessible. Further, the beds were constructed to allow for sitting along their perimeters, which minimizes standing and bending.

The site’s western exposure and abundant sun are a gardener’s dream. The Comm-Unity Garden is so conducive to growth that last year one of the gardeners took top honors in a national contest for plants grown from heirloom seeds.

University of Illinois certified Master Gardener and Master Composter will be available to answer gardening-related questions throughout the growing season and will be offering monthly, horticultural-related workshops in the garden.

Each bed can be leased for a $50 seasonal donation. The fee offsets the cost of water, composted soil and site maintenance. For more information or to apply for a bed, please contact head gardener Robin Huiras at 773-503-0528 or huiras@gmail.com.

A garden kick-off event will be held May 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the garden. In case of rain, the event will be held inside United By Faith. Some start up seeds and seedlings will be available as well as a schedule of our Master Gardener events.

The kick-off coincides with a larger church festival highlighting the use of commu- nity, nature and the arts to forge meaningful connections in the world around us.

The will feature arts and crafts vendors, story-telling, music, a bake sale, a healthy-alternatives lunch, and much more.

~Robin Huiras

For more inspiration on gardening and home projects, visit our House and Home section.

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