Community Garden Coordinator: Becky Kass
Telephone
(847) 448-8256 (dial x102 for voicemail) or send an email.

General Information
Helplines for Gardeners
Garden Sites Information
Gardening Expectations
Garden Plot Rental Fees
Community Garden Meetings
Community Garden Work Days
Communication
Sign-Up for Wait List
Plot Selection Schedule & Availability
Pesticide Use


Laying new paths at Twiggs.


Gardening at McCormick.

Work Day Snacks
Seasonal Rental of Default Gardens
Post Plot Numbers
West Nile Virus
Hoses
Wheelbarrows
Pets at Community Gardens
Plant Waste & Trash Disposal Procedures
Insect Relief
Some Methods to Deter Pilferage
Deer at the Gardens


Working the beds at McCormick.


Two gardeners at James Park.

General Information

Evanston residents can rent garden plots from mid-March through mid-November through the Evanston Community Garden Rental Program. There are four Community Gardens:

  • James Park Gardens on Oakton
  • Twiggs Gardens on Simpson
  • McCormick Gardens on McCormick Blvd.
  • Lighthouse Gardens on Sheridan Road

Each site has water, wheelbarrows and wood chips available. Full plots are about 400 square feet ($65) and half-plots are about 200 square feet ($32.50). James Park Gardens and Twiggs Gardens also have raised beds.

Plots not rented by returning gardeners are available to new gardeners in the spring. The sign-up for the garden rental wait list is open and ongoing. Prospective gardeners will be put on the wait list when the sign-up form is received by the Ecology Center. Gardeners on the wait list will be contacted starting in April.

If you are interested in renting, please stop by the Ecology Center at 2024 McCormick Ave. and pick up a brochure and sign-up form. To request a form to be sent via e-mail, please contact Becky Kass. For additional information, please call 847/448-8256. Please note: joining the wait list does not guarantee a rental. Rentals are based on plot availability at each site.

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Helplines for Gardeners
University of Illinois Cooperative Extension
9AM –1PM, M-F, (773)233-0476

Garfield Park Conservatory
11AM – 4PM, Sat. & Sun. (773)265-9587

Morton Arboretum Plant Clinic
1-4PM, M-F, (630)719-2424

Chicago Botanic Garden Plant Information
9AM – 4PM, Mon. – Sat. (847)835-0972

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Garden Sites Information

James (South of Oakton between McCormick Blvd. and Dodge). This is a locked site. In addition to full and half plots, this site has 3 raised beds.

McCormick (Bridge & McCormick Blvd.). This site has full and half plots and only one raised bed.

Twiggs (Bridge & Simpson). In addition to full and half plots, this site has 8 raised beds.

Lighthouse (Sheridan Road, north of the Lighthouse). This is the smallest site, with only 9-1/2 plots.

Each site has the following:

  1. Water spigots and hoses. The City provides the water and turns it on after danger of frost is past in the spring and turns it off when danger of frost begins in late fall. Gardeners are responsible for taking care of the hoses.
  2. A compost pile and wood-chip pile, for the gardeners to use. The City replenishes these piles as needed. The compost comes from the leaves collected from leaf bags that becomes compost matter over time.
  3. Wheelbarrows for gardeners to use at the site.
  4. Green Waste Cans for non-plant waste and Yellow Waste Cans for plant waste. The City empties the waste cans as needed.

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Gardening Expectations
The average garden requires at least five hours of maintenance a week. The five main requirements of the community gardeners as follows:

  1. Completely clear and substantially plant your rented plot by the end of the first Sunday of June.
  2. Regularly weed and tend your rented plot during the season.
  3. Regularly weed the common access path surrounding your rented plot and wood-chip as necessary. You are allowed to report any common area pathwork beyond 2' X 20' as part of your community garden service requirement.
  4. Provide three hours community garden service for the season and report your service in writing to the Community Garden Coordinator. Service projects will be communicated in newsletters and posted on the garden site message board. Service can be done on your own or at a work day.
  5. Clear rented plot of all dead plants and prepare rented plot for winter by the end of the first Sunday of November.

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Garden Plot Rental Fees

  • Full Plot (Approximately 400 SF): $60.00
  • Half Plot (Approximately 200 SF): $30.00
  • MC/TC Raised Beds: $30.00
  • JP Raised Beds (smaller than MC/TC): $15.00
  • Garden "Spot" (mainly at JP): $ 5.00 (Available in conjuction with other plot rental, for tool storage/composting)
  • Discounts (Do not apply to a Garden "Spot" and cannot be combined with other discounts): -Senior Citizen (Age 55 and older) and Evanston Environmental Association Member receive $10 off a full plot, and $5 off a half plot
  • Fee Assistance available to those who qualify. Call City of Evanston or Ecology Center for Application. Percentage based on need (number of family members in relation to the total family income).

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Community Garden Meetings

A spring meeting and an end of season meeting is held for new and returning gardeners, at the Evanston Ecology Center. The meeting is held to discuss topics regarding the gardens and to give the gardeners a chance to interact with each other.

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Community Garden Work Days

Service projects regarding the common shared areas of the community gardens are worked on during work days. It is a way some gardeners choose to complete their 3 hours of required community garden service. Other gardeners work on projects outside of work days.

Work Days are held Saturday mornings once a month from April through October for James, McCormick, and Twiggs; they are held May and August for Lighthouse. The Garden Coordinator is present at the work days to help with the current projects for that day.

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Communication

A spring, summer, and fall/winter newsletter is issued each year to update the gardeners about the community gardens. In addition each site has a message board where information is posted. Gardeners can contact the Garden Coordinator with questions. Phone numbers of gardeners, who agree to release their numbers, are included in the spring newsletter (issued in June).

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Sign-Up for Wait List

Contact Becky Kass, the Garden Coordinator, via one of the following:

  • Phone: 847-448-8256, ext. 102
  • Mail: Evanston Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd. Evanston, IL 60201
  • E-mail

Provide your first and last name (spell them if leaving a phone message), your full address including zip code, your phone number, which type of plot you want (full, half, raised bed), and which site(s).

If you contact the Garden Coordinator by January, you will receive a packet in February introducing you to the community garden program. Those who call after this time, will receive an introductory packet after February.

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Plot Selection Schedule & Availability

During January and February, returning gardeners sign up for their garden rentals. Once this is completed, during the months of March through May, remaining garden plots are available to rent to new gardeners.

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Pesticide Use
The garden contract stipulates that only pesticides meant for vegetable crops are allowed. WEED KILLER IS NOT ALLOWED. Do not use weed killer in the gardens! If you are found to be using weed killer, you will seriously jeopardize being able to continue gardening with the Community Garden Program. Some methods to control weeds is to dig them out, then cover areas with mulch, newspaper, landscape cloth, or wood-chips. If you use a pesticide meant for a vegetable crop, you must post your intent 24 hours prior and 24 hours after application.

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Seasonal Rental of Default Gardens
Default gardens are available at McCormick and James. A default garden plot is available to rent for one season only and can be divided into sections according to the number of gardeners interested in renting it. Default garden rental rates vary according to condition of plot and date of availability.

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Post Plot Numbers
Please post your plot number at your plot. This helps prevent your garden from being misidentified by new gardeners or those renting default gardens. Gardeners with the best signs will be given awards at season’s end.

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West Nile Virus – Standing Water Prevention
Please take care not to have any standing water (saucers, buckets, indentation in a tarp, etc.) as this is where mosquitoes breed. It only takes a few days for eggs to be laid and hatch.

If you have a watering can, please place it upside down on a pole. Absolutely no large containers left standing to collect water.If your neighbor has forgotten to clear their tarp, etc. please do us all a favor and empty it for them.

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Hoses
Gardeners are expected to bring their own hoses. It is generally okay to borrow someone’s hose as long as you put it back where you found it once you are done using it.

At James Park, there are many "splitters" on the spigots with hoses running many directions. Many times gardeners turn on a variety of hoses to get their one hose on, and leave the ones they are not using on. Letting water run unchecked wastes water and also can over-water other gardeners’ plots.

When using a hose, find the end of the hose you intend to use. Then proceed to switch on the water to that hose. If you have turned other switches that do not control your hose, please switch them back off. Please also try your best to keep hoses from being piled up in pathways.

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Wheelbarrows
Please turn wheelbarrows upside down when done using so they do not collect water. This helps prevent bottoms from rusting out.

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Pets at Community Gardens
Please keep any pets brought to the gardens on a leash and not in other plots.

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Plant Waste & Trash Disposal Procedures

  • Plant Waste: Shake dirt off roots when removing plant waste from plot and retain soil at plot. Dispose of plant waste in yellow barrels only! Only place plant waste next to yellow barrels if they are full.
  • Non-Plant Waste: Dispose of non-plant waste, such as plastic, wire, rope, etc. in green barrels. Only put wood boards that are the same height as the green cans in the green cans. Taller boards can be placed neatly beside the green cans. Do not put rocks or cement chunks in the green cans, lay them neatly next to green cans, or place as part of the community flower bed borders if at McCormick or James.

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Insect Relief: Cucumber &/or Western Corn Root Worm Beetle
These are some solutions to combat Cucumber &/or Western Corn Root Worm Beetle damage. It is up to the individual gardener how they wish to proceed:

  • Handpicking/vacuuming
  • Funnel-and-bag system
  • Sticky traps
  • Floating row covers
  • Encourage insect enemies of the beetle
  • Grow resistant and/or repulsive plant varieties (such as the non-bitter type of cucumber)
  • Apply beneficial nematodes
  • Apply kaolin-clay spray
  • Apply Rotenone (organic)
  • Be wary of growing corn since larvae feed on corn roots the next season
  • Clear garden debris in fall
  • Till soil in autumn to eliminate overwintering hideouts

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Some Methods to Deter Pilferage

Fencing in your individual garden can help. However, sometimes a pilferer will try to climb over a fence and damage it. Also, having a fence makes it a little harder to remove weeds/saplings growing along fence lines.

One gardener at Twiggs put a cage around her tomatoes and then grew either beans or flowering vines on the cages to hide the tomatoes growing inside. She had success with this method.

There are varieties of tomatoes that are ripe when they are green or yellow which are less appealing to the potential pilferer. Also, picking tomatoes just before they are fully ripe or sprinkling baking soda on your veggies to make them look undesirable can help reduce pilfering.

Please note, if a garden looks untended and the vegetables are not being harvested, please do not help yourself. Call Becky to find out the status of the garden. Back to top.

Deer at the Gardens
Gardeners can put deer repellent on their plants, such as "Hinder", which is sold at gardening centers, such as Chalet or Frank’s. Gardeners can also build a fence to make it less easy for the deer to wander on to their plot.

If you spot a deer at any of the community gardens, please call Becky and provide as much information as possible: description of the deer, color of the tags, tag number, and approximate time the deer was spotted.

This information is helpful for our records and we share the information with other agencies who track the location of deer.

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Last updated December 3, 2009.