Chicago, Vote For Your Favorite Seed

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jan 9, 2012 3:30PM

Imagine an entire city covered in plants, everywhere you look - growing out of alleyways, front yards and window boxes. That's the goal of One Seed Chicago. For the past four years, One Seed Chicago has let Chicagoans pick their favorite seed, then sent thousands of free seed packets around the city to each voter.

One Seed Chicago is a project of NeighborSpace, a non-profit dedicated to promoting community gardening and urban farming in Chicago. They compare One Seed Chicago to One Book, One Chicago; an attempt to get everyone in the city doing something productive together. In previous years, One Seed winners have included beans, bee balm and sunflowers. This years candidates include chamomile, basil and cilantro. (Just FYI, we're voting for basil.) All can be grown in pots or boxes, so you don't need a garden plot to join in the fun.

If you cast your ballot, you'll be put on their mailing list. Then, you get free seeds. It's as easy as that. Voting opened on January 1, and continues until April 1. If you're a teacher, contact the project for more seeds and more materials.