IU Northwest Community Garden: Overview

2020 Session Recordings

Winter Sowing Workshop

During this session, Dolly Foster, Landscape Horticulturist for the Oak Lawn Park District, Master Gardener, and Certified Arborist, provides information about winter sowing, a method of starting seeds outdoors, in the winter.  Winter sowing is best for seeds that need to be stratified (a short cold period) in order to germinate. By winter sowing, you are taking advantage of the natural temperatures and length of day to trigger germination. You do not need seed trays, lights, to treat your soil for damping-off disease, or worry about your seedlings drying out.

Butterfly Gardening

During this session, Dolly Foster, Landscape Horticulturist for the Oak Lawn Park District, Master Gardener, and Certified Arborist, provides information about the best butterfly attracting plants and how to plan your garden to provide food, cover, and host plants for caterpillars. The caterpillar/ butterfly life cycle is an integral part of planning a butterfly garden and is also discussed. The time is now to begin a butterfly habitat in your garden!

Common Garden Diseases and Other Ailments

Rebecca Koetz, Lake County Urban Agriculture Educator with Purdue Extension, presents answers to the most common questions that come in to the Extension office related to garden pests, diseases, and other issues. Rebecca provides the scientifically recommended solutions to these problems, including cultural, mechanical, organic and inorganic options for control. This presentation covers ailments of fruits, vegetables, trees, ornamentals, and lawns.

Eating to Improve Your Immunity

Kim Davis, Nutrition Education Program Assistant for the Purdue Extension, discusses how to improve your immunity through the foods you eat. Learn how to plan meals that include foods high in the vitamins and nutrients needed to support a healthy immune system.

To Bee or Not to Bee

Come delve into the amazing lives of honeybees and learn about what these "super insects" can do, from the regal queen, right down to the aptly named worker bees. In words and pictures, Master Naturalist and Master Gardener Victoria Jostes decodes honeybee secrets, and then ties the facets of her story into a neat and fascinating bundle, that ultimately relates to each of us.

Composting from a Permaculture Perspective

Christine Maloney, an Advanced Permaculture Designer and Educator, discusses permaculture, its three guiding ethics, and how composting relates to each of these ethics. Also discussed are the basics of composting, including what can be composted, the various methods of composting (bin, pile, pit, blender, vermicompost), and whether to turn or not to turn compost. This IUN Community Garden online session was held live on June 12, 2020.

The Negative Impacts of Invasive Plants

Erica Luchik, regional specialist of Southern Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management, shares information about the negative impact invasive plants have on us, our natural areas, and wildlife. Common invasive plants, such as those often found in landscaping, are identified, as are native plant alternatives for Northwest Indiana. This IUN Community Garden online session was originally held live on May 21, 2020.