Mindful Living

The garden has come so far! Eleven years ago, we leveled the lot and built several organic raised beds. Now we have a hoop house structure, shed and rearranged perennial and edible beds. The garden is every changing as is the nature of living things 🌿🌻🍅🥕♥️

A standard Chicago lot is 25ft x 150ft 🤷‍♀️

A useful chart!

As the weather gets warmer and we all want to get outside and in the garden, please be mindful of your neighbor and follow social distancing protocol and bring a mask with you if you visit the garden. Here is an article with helpful tips and reminders on how to stay safe and keep others safe as we navigate community gardening during these times 😊

*Note: this is an article from Purdue, which is in Indiana. So some rules and mandates may be slightly different than for Illinois

https://extension.purdue.edu/article/36666

GARDENING: A Guide for Community Gardens During the COVID-19 Pandemic Certain community gardens may continue to operate in capacities related to essential functions. In that event, this guide offers best practices for garden managers, volunteers and visitors on safe, responsible operation.

Just another reason to get outside, in the garden, go for a hike 😊

How immersing yourself in nature benefits your health A growing body of research points to the beneficial effects that exposure to the natural world has on health, reducing stress and promoting healing. Now, policymakers, employers, and healthcare providers are increasingly considering the human need for nature in how they plan and operate.

Some interesting ideas here. Some more practical than others 😊

20 Unique & Easy Raised Garden Bed Ideas You Can Make In Time For Spring It’s well known that raised beds are one of the most efficient and effective ways to garden. They ensure a bountiful harvest by encouraging aeration and drainage, extending the growing seasons and…

In case anyone is planning out there garden already 😊🍅🥦🥕🥒🌽🌶️🌻

Tomatoes Hate Cucumbers: Secrets of Companion Planting and Popular Planting Combinations Find out which fruit and vegetables should and shouldn’t be planted together with our companion planting chart for some of the most popular garden foods!

Turn your Christmas trees into mulch!

https://www.recyclebycity.com/chicago/brief/christmas-tree-recycling

Chicago Christmas Tree Recycling 2020 Recycle your Christmas tree at these 25 Chicago Park locations starting Jan 4th. And discover where to score free mulch.

For those who have a pile of seeds hiding in the closet... 😎

There's talk of a hard frost this weekend or next week! If you haven't already, you might want to start harvesting your more tender crops like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc. 🍅🥒🌶 Greens and root veggies should still be ok for awhile longer 🥬🥕🥦

😃🌿🍅🌻

Anxiety and depression: why doctors are prescribing gardening rather than drugs How gardening can make you happier and healthier.

Come to Veggie Bingo at the HideOut this Wed at 5:30pm! Mindful Living and Avondale Gardening Alliance are the benefactors and it's family friendly 😀 Hope to see you there!

What better way to celebrate the break in this heat tomorrow than getting outside and working in the garden?!? Workday is from 11-2. There are always w**ds to pull and friends to make! See you there 😊

One Dragonfly Can Eat 100s of Mosquitoes per Day: Keep These Plants in Your Yard to Attract Dragonflies! This is why dragonflies are some of the best predators to keep mosquito populations low.

Good advice for small gardens

The Modern Farmer Guide to Small-Space Gardening When space is limited, think twice about your planting plan.

Nothing like ending a holiday weekend with a bit of gardening. Work day at the garden on Drake at 11am Sunday 🌱🌻🍅

Gardening could be the hobby that helps you live to 100 Many of the world's centenarians share one common hobby: gardening. Could you extend your life and drop your stress by taking up the pursuit, too?

Join us for a workday tomorrow, Sunday @ 11am! All this rain means happy plants, especially w**ds!

This would be amazing since we.know not everyone can have a compost bin in their back yard

Cook County Hopes To Expand Composting Program For Food Scraps Cook County officials say they want to expand a composting program to divert more food scraps away from landfills.

Beautiful!

This stunning collection of vegetable portraits from fine-art photographer Lynn Karlin will remind you to love and honor your garden harvest: https://goo.gl/JtoD5n.

Why You Should Leave the Leaves - National Wildlife Federation Every litter bit of leaves can benefit gardens and wildlife

Will miss Michelle and her gardening inspiration but at least the garden will grow on!

Michelle Obama's Kitchen Garden Will Keep Blooming, Even After She Leaves Whether future occupants of the East Wing like Bill Clinton or Melania Trump decide to get their hands dirty in the garden, its future has been cemented on the White House South Lawn.

It may be fall, but our garden is still growing!

Garden night tonight! 6pm until it's dark. We'll be winding down the season soon, so if you need to get your gardening fix in, tonight is a beautiful night!

Sorry gardening friends! I'm still working so won't be able to formally facilitate a work night but please feel free to stop by, w**d and harvest!

We'll meet in the Drake tomorrow at 6pm for a work night. See you there!

Look at our yard long beans! Taking advantage of our vertical space!

Hello fellow gardeners!

After a few weeks off from regular garden nights, we'll be back in the Drake garden tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 6pm to w**d, harvest and prune! Hope to see you there!

Yes! Or from your community garden!

Share if you agree!

We've already started this in the garden. Are you planning for a fall harvest?

Top Tips for Great Fall Gardens Start now for your best fall garden and harvest broccoli, carrots, kale, lettuces, spinach and more for your holiday feasts.

Rain Barrels to Fight Flooding Distributed to Underserved Areas Free barrels for collecting rainwater are being distributed to South and West Side communities prone to flash flooding.