Harvest Festival!

Every year we celebrate the end of gardening season at Harvest Festival. This year's event is at 7 PM Wednesday, September 21 at the Downers Grove Public Library.

You are invited to bring a dish to share as well as photos of your flowers, vegetables and wildlife. In addition, we will be hosting two contests. Bring a vegetable to compete for Best, Biggest, Ugliest or Most Unusual, or bring your favorite tomatoes for a taste test. We'll share our thoughts about the season as well as any information we've learned in our gardens this year. For those of you interested in preserving more of your harvest, there will also be a display of canning equipment.

A Night at the Nowickis

DGOG President Emeritus Vicki Nowicki will host us in her yard on Wednesday August 31 from 6:30- 8:30pm. She will give us a tour of her gorgeous gardens and then lead us in a discussion on Autumn Gardening! Bring your gardening questions!

Vicki has gardened organically for many years and is a much sought-after speaker. She and her husband Ron have a landscaping business, and Vicki is the creator of Liberty Gardens.

Vicki lives at 907 Summit, Downers Grove, near Maple and Main Streets.

Please RSVP to Cathy Hlohowskyj by Monday August 29th at ihorcathy@sbcglobal.net. Guests are welcome!

Rain Barrel Question

We were asked a question about rain barrels, and Jim Kleinwachter with the Conservation Foundation provided an answer.

Question: During a heavy rain a rain barrel's diverter can't handle the excess water and it overflows. Can you recommend a model or refer me to someone who is satisfied with what they have purchased?

Answer: Our rain barrels are repurposed olive/pickle barrels. They are easily adapted for larger overflow, and we have an upgraded model that comes with a large overflow (size of sump pump hose). We also carry an Aquascape model that is larger (75 gallon) and has a large overflow pipe built in the center. We also carry a special downspout diverter that will send water down the downspout when the barrel is full.