Hello Community Gardeners!

Happy Fall!  The Wagner Farm Community Garden is now closed.  If you are interested in obtaining a spot in the lottery for the 2016 season, information will be available online or in the spring Glenview Park District brochure.  If you have any further questions, feel free to call me at (847)657-1506.  Hope to see everyone back in the spring!

Alyssa Tadelman
Community Garden Plot Coordinator
Historic Wagner Farm

Hello Community Gardeners!

The 2015 gardening season is coming to a close.   The Community Garden will be closing on Saturday, October 17.  Please prepare your plot for winter by removing all sunflowers and non-organic material (ie-plant ties, tags, strings, tomato cages).  Take home your tools and watering cans as well.  You do not need to pull out all of your plants.  They can be left in your plot. If you fail to follow these closing procedures, you will not be allowed in the lottery next year.    All produce left in your plot after October 17 will be picked and taken to the Northfield Food Pantry.

I have really enjoyed meeting all of you and sharing gardening tips and stories.  Thank you all for being so welcoming to me in my first year as the Community Garden Plot Coordinator.  I look forward to seeing you all again in the spring for the 2016 gardening season.

Sincerely,

Alyssa Tadelman

Dear Gardeners,

Don’t let the gardening fun end.  You can plant a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers from seed RIGHT NOW!  If you have plants that are failing, don’t give up! Pull them out and start with one of the suggestions below.  You can also plant any of these if you have harvested some of your crops already and you have some space in your garden. Make your garden plot a 3 season garden.  These plants sprout quickly and will be ready to harvest for a fall crop.

Planting Suggestions:

•    Arugula (rocket)

•    Beans 

•    Broccoli (transplants)

•    Cabbage

•    Carrots

•    Cauliflower (transplants)

•    Chard

•    Endive

•    Fennel

•    Kale

•    Kohlrabi

•    Lettuce

•    Mizuna ("water greens")

•    Mustard greens

•    Onions (bunching--standard onions harvested before they form bulbs).

•    Pak choi (Bok choy)

•    Radishes

•    Spinach

•    Turnips

•  Coriander (cilantro)

Suggested Flowers:

•  Sunflowers

•  Cosmos

•  Zinnias

Happy Gardening!

Alyssa

FREE Tomato Pruning Demonstration


Learn to prune your tomato plants for optimal health and fruit production.  Pruning your tomato plants helps to prevent disease.  It also helps the plant concentrate more energy on its blossoms and fruit for a better crop and an earlier harvest.  Join me to learn more!


When: Saturday, July 11- 12:30
Where: Wagner Farm Community Garden- Plot C5

Hi Gardeners!

     The praying mantis is a very beneficial insect in the garden.  Seven mantis were released into the Community Garden this spring.  The praying mantis preys on moths, crickets, grasshoppers, flies, beetles, and many other insects.  It can even eat insects that are larger than itself!  It is a great hunter and can turn its head 360 degrees.  It also has big eyes to spot prey.  The mantis has razor sharp legs with serrated hooks to catch its prey.
    The mantis were released into our garden by an entomology student.  If you spot a mantis in the garden, say, "thank you" for eating insect pests in your garden plot!

Happy Gardening!

Alyssa Tadelman

Dear Gardeners,

The Wagner Farm Community Garden is now OPEN for the season!  I have seen sooo many cool gardens being planted.  I can't wait to see how they all look when they are planted.  Please keep the following

1.YOU MAY NOT BE IN THE GARDEN DURING MOWING HOURS.  THE GARDEN IS CLOSED ON MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS from 1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.  Even if the farmers are not working near your plot, you must not be in the garden during mowing times.  This is for your own safety!

2. There is NO PARKING, STOPPING OR DROPPING OFF GARDENING SUPPLIES in the circular driveway.  This weekend, the farm will be starting to give wagon rides.  The horses need the area between the dumpster and the apple tree (where there is a NO PARKING sign) clear at all times.  They will be coming through that area and they need a lot of clearance.  Even an idling car can cause the horses to get spooked.  This can be very dangerous.  Please drop off your supplies on Wagner Rd.  In addition, cars have been blocking the green dumpsters and the farm has been denied garbage pick up for the last 2 weeks.  Please do not park by the dumpsters.

3. Heritage Center Gift Shop- This month, there are a variety of NEW gardening items.  Some of theses items include: herb savers and herb triple blade scissors.  Check out these items and more at the gift shop Monday-Saturday from 9-5 or Sunday 9-3!

4. Unfortunately, the red wagons were available for Opening Weekend only.  Please provide your own cart or wagon from now on.


I look forward to seeing everyone in the garden soon!

Alyssa Tadelman

Dear Gardeners!

This weekend, several volunteers and I worked to set up all of the stakes in the community garden.  It was raining, but that did not stop us.  A big thank you to the volunteers for helping with this!  I couldn't have done it without you!

The garden has been tilled three times and amendments have been added.  CURRENTLY, THE GARDEN IS CLOSED!!!  You may NOT work in your plot and you may NOT begin planting at this time.

This week, the farmers will work to edge the plots and till the areas that have remaining grass and weeds.  Weather permitting, we are hoping to open the garden NEXT SATURDAY, MAY 23.  At this time, the soil is too wet to work with.  Working the soil when it is too wet will compact the soil, ruin the natural soil structure, and make it difficult for plant roots to grow.  

I promise to keep you posted and let you know as soon as the garden is ready to open.  I can't wait to get into the garden too!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Alyssa Tadelman  

Spring in the Garden

Hello gardeners!

Spring is here!  The birds are signing and our farmers, Trae and Andres, are busy preparing the garden plots.  So far, they have tilled the plots and taken soil samples for testing.  They are currently working on adding amendments to the soil.  I will keep everyone posted by e-mail to let you know when the plots are ready.  We are hoping to open the garden by mid to late May.

Welcome 2015 Gardeners!

The lottery has been spun!  Those of you who secured a garden plot should have been notified by e-mail.  The organizational meetings are on Thursday, March 10 at 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday, March 14 at 9:00 a.m.  Attendance at one of the meetings is mandatory.  *Returning community gardeners are still required to attend one of the meetings, as there are changes to the program and new people to meet. *  If you have not already done so, please let me know which meeting you are attending. 

Hello Gardeners! 

My name is Alyssa Tadelman and I am so excited to have the opportunity to be the Community Garden Coordinator at Wagner Farm.  I have been working at Wagner Farm for the past two years as a programmer, a farmhouse docent, at the front desk, and as the assistant manager of the farmer’s market. 

I love gardening!!!  I enjoy gardening in the backyard of my Glenview home with my two daughters, Julia and Bonnie.  Each winter, I can’t wait to order my seeds and start planning my garden for spring.  Another hobby of mine is starting my vegetable plants from seed.  I start many plants indoors under grow lights.  I am always trying new varieties and techniques for growing them.  I can’t wait garden and swap gardening ideas with all of you!

In addition to being a gardener, I am a reading teacher at South School in Glencoe.  At my school, I secured a grant to create a native plant garden with students over a two-year period.  I researched local native plants to learn where and how to plant the garden so that our natives would thrive.  Then I planned and coordinated a planting and education day with one hundred-fifty first grade students and their teachers in the garden.  Currently, I take students on educational tours of the garden and assist teachers with using the garden as an outdoor learning space.  I am the volunteer steward of the garden and sponsor of the South School native plant club.

I look forward to meeting all of you!  See you at one of our organizational meetings.

Alyssa Tadelman

2015 Community Garden Plot Registration

Spring is right around the corner so it's time to start dreaming of green plants and juicy vegetables! The Glenview Park District spring brochure will be delivered to residents around Saturday, February 14. Resident registration begins on Thursday, February 19 and lasts until Sunday, March 2.  If the program goes to lottery, we will spin that on Monday, March 3 and you will be notified by email if you have received a plot.  If the program does not go to lottery then registration opens to all on Monday, March 3 on a first-come, first-served basis.  Click here to access the online registration system.
We look forward to seeing you all this year!