Backyard chicken coops have steadily been gaining popularity in the U.S. during the past several years. Backyard chickens make innovative pets and function as an extremely local food source, offering the most fresh and delicious eggs direct from your own backyard. Learn everything you need to know about raising backyard chickens during an information session […]
University of Illinois Extension,
Posted inArts & Culture
Feeding our community
Saving Seeds and Growing Community On Wednesday, Dec. 3, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., join the University of Illinois Extension local food system and small farms educator Bill Davis for a program on seed saving and why seed libraries foster community and help participants save money. Earlier this year, Bill helped launch the Normal Seed […]
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Group gardens
University of Illinois Extension will host Roots to Rooftop Tour: Community Gardens, Urban Agriculture and a Rooftop Garden on Sunday, July 27. Extension educator Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant says that “each site will have a knowledgeable host who can talk about a number of topics, including different types of gardening, composting, beekeeping, permaculture, and more.” Sites include genHkids […]
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Think spring
Get in the spring mindset with this vegetable gardening workshop at the University of Illinois Extension office Saturday, March 1. Learn ways that you can enhance the crop you grow in your garden this year. Preregistration is required. Go online to web.extension.illinois.edu/lms. The U of I Extension is also offering Wicked Plants on March 5 […]
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Food for thought
Slow Food Springfield, Benedictine University’s Green Club and the University of Illinois Extension present The Slow Food Springfield Film Festival at Benedictine University’s Library on Saturday, Jan. 25. Ingredients, The Movie and Food, Inc. will be shown at 2 p.m. Two Angry Moms and The Future of Food: A Looming Crisis will be screened at 4:15. Refreshments and dinner will be provided […]
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The plot thickens
Sunday, July 28, will be a great time to visit one or all of Springfield’s community vegetable gardens in the University of Illinois Extension’s Roots to Rooftop tour. There are eight sites on the tour: genHkids gardens at Douglas School, genHkids Seeds of Possibility community garden, Illinois Department of Agriculture community garden, Jefferson Park community […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Grow spinach, tasty, cool and easy
The arrival of yellow daffodils, green lawns and garden fresh salad are sure signs of spring. Leafy greens are among the easiest vegetables to grow, according to a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. “You are sure to enjoy the best-tasting salad with greens that you have grown,” promised Jennifer Fishburn. “Spring greens such as […]
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Home sweet ‘green’ home
When Harv Koplo and Annette Chinuge met at Sangamon State University during the 1970s they had no idea their interest in preserving the earth would lead them to become pioneers for sustainable living in Springfield. “Nobody had heard of green or sustainable, but that doesn’t mean the principles weren’t there,” said Chinuge. “I think it […]
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Beat the heat with less air conditioning
It doesn’t seem possible, but 60 years ago people survived without air conditioning. Not only did they survive, but they may have even enjoyed life more, since they actually went outside in summertime and talked to their neighbors. Today the only people without it are the poor and radical environmentalists doing their part to avert […]
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Rain barrels save dollars and make sense
The drought of 2012 took a great toll, not only on the plants in the garden, but also on the gardener’s wallet. “It was tough for some gardeners to decide which plants to water and which to let survive on their own,” said University of Illinois horticulture educator Candice Miller. “Unfortunately, if a gardener did […]
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New and recommended flowers and vegetables
There seems to be an award for everything, whether it is for the best picture, best actor, best country music video or best automobile for 2013, and gardening is no exception, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. “There are plenty of ‘new’ things out there to try. For many gardeners, the problem is […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Another dry gardening season?
Gardeners were really glad to see the cooler weather and some rainfall at the end of the 2012 gardening season. The question is whether 2013 will be any better, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. “For a lot of areas in Illinois, the usual fall rain did not materialize, and through mid-January snow […]
