The garden education podcast series is more than anything else presented to encourage the expansion of the home and community garden universe in Chicago and elsewhere, In the United States 95% of us do not eat the recommended amount of fiber and 88% of us are metabolically unhealthy. It is our hope that gardening will be one component of a comprehensive generational program to reverse these troubling trends.
Well, finally the season is in full swing after some weather-related setbacks for many gardeners and even urban farmers here in Chicago. Congratulations to our partners in the Chicago Grows Food (CGF) coalition for the installation of 50 home garden installations. The installations consisted of either 12 five-gallon grow bags, wooded raised beds, or a 100-gallon grow bag/raised bed system. Participants also received all necessary soil, seedlings, and/or seed and organic fertilizer. Additionally, participants have access to various members of the coalition for weekly "office hours" to assist with any issues they may be encountering. Kudos CGF!
Like virtually anything else fabric grow bag containers have pros and cons. To me, the pros greatly outweigh the cons, especially in a place like Chicago because our soils are of poor quality and often contaminated after decades of industrialization. Grow bags make gardening possible for many households in Chicago as a low-cost, versatile, and safer option.
Supporting this episode are a few videos that I came across during my research for the episode. The gardeners feature here are located in hardiness and climatic zones similar to our, in Chicago.
The Gardening Channel With James Prigioni:
Seven Crops You Can Still Grow in July
How to Grow Squash in Containers From Seed to Harvest
How to Grow a Container Garden Cheap and Easy
How to Grow Beans in Containers From Seed to Harvest
Hint: The information about growing in containers is transferable to the fabric grow bags that I prefer and that are used in the CGF programs.
Growfully with Jenna:
More on vegetable gardening in hardiness zone 6:
Seeds to Plant for a Fall Harvest in USDA Hardiness Zone 6
How to Grow Cabbage in a Container
Pepper Geek:
How to Grow Peppers in Grow Bags
Growing in the Garden:
Gardening in Grow Bags 5 Tips for Success
Want to contact me? orrinw@uic.edu or orrin@cutchicago.org
HAPPY & SUCCESSFUL GARDENING!
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Partnerships, or the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their health care professionals.