The Giving Gardens Seed Share Set for March 7
MACOMB, IL – With weather in past weeks giving a glimpse of spring, thoughts are turning to flowers, veggie gardens and warm weather outdoor activities. To get area residents in the 'Think Spring' mode, The Giving Gardens (GG) will host the fourth annual Seed Share event Saturday, March 7.
The event, which is open free to the public, will be held from 10 a.m.-noon in the basement of First Presbyterian Church, 400 E. Carroll St., in Macomb. Participants are invited to peruse the GG seed selection to start their own gardens, and are welcome to bring seeds along to share (not required). Seed packet envelopes will also be on hand for people to choose and pack their own seeds.
“One of the most common mistakes I see with new gardeners is using poor quality seeds that don’t perform well in this part of the world,” Giving Gardens Executive Director John Curtis explained. 'Having the right seed varieties ensures that your hard work in the garden pays off, and is one of The Giving Gardens' secrets.'
Another GG secret is their method of starting seedlings: they use soil blocking tools to quickly create trays of seedlings, no plastic required. Tools, supplies and instruction will be available at the Seed Share event so people can try out this technique for themselves.
The Giving Gardens has already started their own soil blocking, and will be making thousands of blocks to plant in their public-access gardens. These gardens are open to the public at no cost and supply the community with fresh vegetables, herbs, berries and flowers.
Last year, the Giving Gardens managed nine public- access gardens at First Presbyterian Church, Project Insight School, Lincoln School, Wesley Foundation, Mt. Calvary Church, Eisenhower Tower, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and in downtown Colchester and Bushnell.
'We've already tarped a new garden at Edison School, and have plans to grow into other communities in 2026,' Curtis shared.
In addition to the seed sharing event, The Giving Gardens will be hosting three garden workshops at the First Presbyterian Church from 8:30 a.m.noon, Saturdays, March 21 (Gardening for Beginners), April 4 (Next Level Gardening – Part 1) and April 18 (Next Level Gardening – Part 2). Curtis will also be taking part in the Saturday, March 28 Illinois Extension Gardeners Day at Spoon River College in Macomb.
Visit The Giving Gardens on most social media platforms at GivingGardensforAll for updates. More information about GG can be found on their website at givinggardensforall.com, and anyone interested in receiving the GG e-newsletter or mailed newsletter can be added to the contact list by emailing info@givinggardensforall. com.
