Gardening with Chicagoist - First Tomatoes and a Fundraiser

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jul 30, 2010 4:00PM

Can you believe it's only been 6 weeks since we planted the garden? Everything we planted has come up wonderfully, and we're finally starting to get a real harvest. Our first tomatoes turned red this week, baby jalapeno peppers are hanging on the plants, and all of the bush beans have flowers. We've already harvested lettuce and radishes twice and the new crops are sprouting! As we mentioned before, our only minor failure was our carrots, but even they have rallied and are now coming up strong. Take a look at our first all-garden salad! It was very tasty.

The Peterson Garden project has blossomed into a wonderful community of gardeners, food activists and volunteers. Food pantry beds, historical garden demos and instructional classes have all brought participants and volunteers together. The Peterson Garden is now the largest organic community growing space in Chicago - after only one season. Clearly, there are tons of people who really want to grow food.

You can get involved, even if you don't want to get your hands dirty. Want to get a look at what we've been up to? Wander the garden, meet some gardeners and contribute to the project? On August 5th, from 7-9 PM, a wine tasting and fundraiser will be held at the garden. Wines from Vinejoy, appetizers created by chef-participants and live music by Alison O'Konis will be the main attractions. In addition, the film-makers creating the documentary about the Peterson Garden project, "Victory: The Home Grown Documentary," will be there to discuss their work. Come on by, contribute to the project and see the Chicagoist plot! Tickets are available on the Peterson Garden site.