How start your garden...
Seed Starting. In Chicago we have a relatively short season. Many edibles need to be started inside so they will be a little farther along once the weather warms up. You can purchase starts locally or start your own seeds at home. Check out this article on seed starting, originally published in Punk Planet in March/April 2003. Loads of good information.
Preparing the Soil. It's good to add a little compost to your bed if you didn't already last fall. We make compost at Ruby Garden, and offer it to our plot holders. Contact us if you'd like to use some.
Plant Spacing. Where you put your plants, and how much room they have to grow and breath, is as important as how you care for them after they're in the ground. There are many systems for optimizing small planting spaces. Make sure to pay attention to each plants needs for sunlight and space.
Preparing the Soil. It's good to add a little compost to your bed if you didn't already last fall. We make compost at Ruby Garden, and offer it to our plot holders. Contact us if you'd like to use some.
Plant Spacing. Where you put your plants, and how much room they have to grow and breath, is as important as how you care for them after they're in the ground. There are many systems for optimizing small planting spaces. Make sure to pay attention to each plants needs for sunlight and space.
- Square Foot Gardening: What is It? More at Tim's Square Foot Garden.
- Row planting: Here is a good spacing chart for planting information.
Where to buy supplies.
Organic Seeds
Starter Plants
Soil, Mulch, and Compost
The Ruby Garden makes compost! When it's ready we make it available to plot holders, keeping our garden soil healthy and our little plot of land that much more sustainable. If you think your plot needs extra soil or a bit of compost, please contact the leadership committee. We can help you harvest the compost and occasionally arrange to have soil or mulch delivered to the garden, if needed in large quantities.
If you plan to purchase soil, mulch, or compost for your plot please buy organic products. Gethsemane Garden Center and Lake Street Landscape Supply both carry organic soil amendments and other materials. Selecting the best material can feel complicated. If you have questions about what to get, feel free to send us an email.
- Fedco - Hands down the best place for organic seeds.
- Seeds of Change
- Grow Organic
- The Natural Gardening Company
- Seed Savers Exchange
- Gethsemane Garden Center - Many companies available in the gift shop
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - Beautiful, large, printed seed catalog available
Starter Plants
- Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse Every spring, they have an organic plant sale. It's madness, but you get great plants if you get there early.
- Evanston Farmers' Market Teresa's Fruit and Herbs. Teresa Santiago grows 25 kinds of organic fruit, 30 kinds of organic culinary and tea herbs, and more than 120 varieties of organic vegetable and herb starts. Her starts are fabulous. The Downtown Evanston market is held from 7:30am - 1:00pm every Saturday. 2015 dates are from May 9th to November 7th.
- Gethsemane Garden Center sells herb and vegetable starts in their south lot. Make sure to ask if they are organic!
- The Talking Farm sells starts at various locations to raise money for their operation in Skokie. Check them out!
Soil, Mulch, and Compost
The Ruby Garden makes compost! When it's ready we make it available to plot holders, keeping our garden soil healthy and our little plot of land that much more sustainable. If you think your plot needs extra soil or a bit of compost, please contact the leadership committee. We can help you harvest the compost and occasionally arrange to have soil or mulch delivered to the garden, if needed in large quantities.
If you plan to purchase soil, mulch, or compost for your plot please buy organic products. Gethsemane Garden Center and Lake Street Landscape Supply both carry organic soil amendments and other materials. Selecting the best material can feel complicated. If you have questions about what to get, feel free to send us an email.
