Chicago Botanic Garden Winter 2019

10 chicagobotanic.org Super Seed Weekend January 25 & 26 When the ground is frozen and covered with snow, gardeners in the Chicago area dream about their gardens. You can make those dreams a reality—start the growing process with seeds from the Chicago Botanic Garden’s ninth annual Seed Swap, part of a full weekend of gardening inspiration. is year, don’t miss Blackberry Farm’s John Coykendall, author, master gar- dener, storyteller, and artist. Learn how our ancestors grew, prepared, and pro- tected seeds for their own tables. e Garden’s Lisa Hilgenberg, horti- culturist at the Regenstein Fruit & Veg- etable Garden, o ers these insider tips for starting seeds indoors. Why start seeds indoors? You can garden all winter long—it’s fun and keeps indoor gardeners healthy and active. You can plant obscure varieties that are not sold in garden shops, and of course, you will save lots of money by growing your own vegetables and herbs rather than buying them in the super- market next spring and summer. When should I start? Calculate the date in your area that is likely to be frost-free. Count backward to determine start date—vegetables, owers, and herbs have di erent ger- mination times. Chances are the best time to start your seeds indoors is in March. What should I plant? Tomatoes and peppers need a long, warm growing season, so they are great candidates for indoor starting, espe- cially in the Chicago area. Parsley, broccoli, and cabbage require a little TLC to germinate, so controlling the atmosphere, as you can in your home, helps these seeds along. Needs for seeds? You will need seeds (and we know just the place to nd them!), soil, contain- ers, light, heat, and moisture. Learn more about all of your seeds’ needs at Super Seed Weekend. Seed Starting Saturday Saturday, January 25 Learn more in how-to courses, work- shops, family program, and tour: Organic Vegetable Gardening Basics, 9 to 11 a.m. Seed Cleaning and Storing Workshop, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Planning Your Garden for Seed Saving, 1 to 3 p.m. Loco for Cocoa, for ages 4 to 10 with an adult, 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 2:30 p.m. Fees apply, preregistration required Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Dixon Na- tional Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank, 10 and 11 a.m.; free, preregistration required. Seed Swap Sunday Sunday, January 26 Learn more in a how-to course: New! Seed-Saving Intensive, 9 a.m to noon Fees apply, preregistration required Attend a lecture: Blackberry Farm master gardener John Coykendall, also an author, speaks on “Preserving our Roots: Saving Seeds and FarmHeritage.” Learn how to save seeds and document their stories as a way of passing down family and farming heri- tage. Coykendall will share some of his sketchbooks and journals that tell of the joys and struggles of tending the garden and enjoying the ourishing crops. Coykendall uses stories, art, and garden- ing to appreciate the way seeds embody the histories of the people who tended to them. e lecture is in Alsdorf Audi- torium at 1:30 p.m. Free, preregistration required Swap seeds: Bring saved or leftover vegetable, ow- er, and herb seeds to share and swap with other gardeners from 3 to 5 p.m. in Burnstein Hall. Experienced seed savers can swap at the Connoisseur’s Corner. ere will be experts and dis- plays on seed saving, starting seeds in- doors, and more in Krehbiel Gallery. Learn more chicagobotanic.org/seedswap chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/ smartgardener