You are invited to the Downers Legacy Seed Library's Meet & Greet, Snack & Pack event opportunity on Sunday, December 8 from 1pm until 4pm at Vicki Nowicki’s house, 907 Summit St, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Meet with seed library volunteers and help package seeds and enjoy some homemade snacks. We are excited about meeting you and learning about your gardening experiences.

Please RSVP by replying to youneedaseed@gmail.com.

Member Cooking Class with Veronica Porter

Members gathered in Naperville on November 20 to try out some new recipes, including harvest salad, lentil salad, and roasted beet salad.

Members-only events are a perk for dues-paying members, but non-members are welcome to join at any time!

October Meeting: Please note location!

The Downers Grove Organic Gardeners will meet October 16 at 7 PM in Room 307 at the Lincoln Center, 925 Maple Ave. in Downers Grove (note this new location).

Kim White will give a presentation on Biomimicry: Looking to Nature to Solve Today’s Problems. In this fascinating talk, Kim will show you many examples of when science and technology looked to nature to solve complex problems. Some examples: What does a bur have in common with NASA and a kingfisher with a high-speed train? Animals that will be used in this presentation include an Axolotl, Dart Frog, Crested Gecko and Horned Lizard. 

Please share this message with your gardening friends and encourage them to attend with you. You do not need to be a member to attend.

New T-shirts!

We are getting new DGOG T-shirts! They are long-sleeved, black, cotton, with our new logo in green.

Shirts are free for members, $15 each for nonmembers. Sizes from 1XL-4XL are $3 more.

If you would like a shirt, e-mail Carol at midway117@gmail.com and tell her the size and if you are a member. If not, she can e-mail you her the address where you can send the check.

Harvest Fest

The Downers Grove Organic Gardeners will meet September 18 in the Multipurpose Room # 307 at the Lincoln Center, 925 Maple Ave. in Downers Grove (PLEASE NOTE the location). 

Lincoln Center, 925 Maple Avenue

This will be our Annual Harvest Fest. Bring your treats, garden samples, recipes, gardening stories and questions. We'll share what worked and what didn't this summer. There will also be a drawing at this meeting so someone will go home with a prize. Please share this message with your gardening friends and encourage them to attend with you!

Brunch at Cantigny Benefits U of I Extension

Enjoy brunch, a silent auction, and the gardens at Cantigny from 11 am-3pm Saturday, August 17. The $50 fee benefits the University of Illinois Extension programs in DuPage County, including the Master Gardeners Program.

June Meeting Features Veterans Victory Farm

Downers Grove Organic Gardeners will meet from 7 to 9 PM on June 19 at the Downers Grove Public Library (first floor meeting room). Our presenter will be Veronica Porter, aka “Aunt V’, who is the owner of Veterans Victory Farm. 

The Farm provides training and employment for recently discharged veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. She also employs other young people with varying disabilities.The farm uses sustainable methods to provide local, organic, heirloom varieties of fresh produce.

Veronica will talk about growing up in the small farm town community of Naperville, where many people grew and prepared their own food. Much of what she teaches at the Farm comes from her small-town roots. She will discuss the farm and her gardening practices.

"My passion is to create community in all I do, from growing a garden, to preparing a meal, to educating, gathering and enjoying life's harvest," she says.

Plant Sale This Saturday!

Print the plant list here.

Downers Seed Legacy Orientation This Saturday

Want to participate in Downers Legacy Seed Library? If you’ve never saved seeds or want to refresh your skills, you can learn how to save seeds this Saturday, April 13 from 1-3 PM at the Downers Grove Public Library.

This event is required learning for membership in the Library. Our seed collection is composed of rare and endangered, open-pollinated seeds that contain ancient and precious genetic material. We will teach you the correct methods to save the first tier of the easiest seeds which include plants like lettuce and tomatoes. You will be able to check out your first seeds and get started planting. The class is free but registration is required. Email youneedaseed@gmail.com to register.

March Meeting Features Hummingbirds

Join us at 7 PM March 20 at the Downers Grove Public Library for a program by Nancy Carroll who will talk “All About Hummingbirds." A former art and English teacher, master gardener and member of the Hummingbird Society, Nancy will discuss how to attract hummingbirds and correctly use a feeder. She also has a small hummingbird craft project and will have a few good-quality bird feeders to sell.

Spring Into These March Events

The Darien Garden Club's Spring Inspiration is Saturday, March 9 from 8 AM to 2:30 PM at Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe and Banquets in Darien. The program includes a gardening conference, exhibits, lunch, and raffles. The locations owner and chef, Chuck Pine, is an avid gardener who grows his own vegetables on restaurant property.

Register here by March 2.

The DuPage Friends of the University of Illinois Extension's Celebrating Spring Silent Auction is Saturday, March 30 from 10 AM to 12:30 PM at the Extension office, 1100 E. Warrenville Road, Suite 170, Warrenville. Proceeds benefit the Extension programs, including Master Gardeners, Veterans Gardens at Cantigny, gardens at the DuPage Convalescent Home and more.

February Meeting Features Native Plants

We will meet at 7 PM February 20 at the Downers Grove Public Library 1050 Curtiss Street (first floor meeting room).Denise Sandoval will talk about Favorite Native Plants Through the Seasons. She'll discuss native plants she uses most often in her designs because they are beautiful, available at most nurseries or plant sales, easy to grow, and good for wildlife.

Denise is an environmental landscape designer, business owner at Good Natured Landscapes and member of Wild Ones who is looking forward to sharing her wealth of knowledge. Please share this message with your gardening friends and encourage them to attend this meeting with you.

A reminder—It’s time to renew your membership if you haven’t done this. Membership is $20 for individuals and $30 for families. There will be forms at the meeting, or you can find one in the right column of this blog.

January Meeting

Downers Grove Organic Gardeners will meet at 7 P.M. January 16 at the Downers Grove Public Library, 1050 Curtiss St. This will be a general meeting to socialize with other members and discuss upcoming meetings, our plant sale and future field trips. 

We will also share knowledge of “companion gardening," or siting plants together for better crop productivity. Please share this message with your gardening friends and encourage them to attend this meeting with you.

A reminder—It’s time to renew your membership. Membership is $20 for individuals and $30 for families. There will be forms at the meeting, or you can find one on our blog at dgorganicgardeners.blogspot.com.