Living In Oak Park -- Community

Environment

Street & Parkway
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Urban gardening - environmentally friendly and tasty

Whether you have a large or small backyard — or even no yard at all — growing vegetables in Oak Park is possible and may be even easier than you thought. Village and Park District staff, along with representatives from throughout the local gardening community, are working together to spread the word about urban gardening and how it can work in the community. The goal of this effort is to educate and promote urban agriculture as an environmentally friendlier — and tastier — way to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to the dining tables of Oak Parkers (like the heirloom tomatoes at left grown last season at Cheney Mansion, 220 N. Euclid Avenue).

The Oak Park Department of Public Health is spearheading the initiative by bringing together those in the community who can help. In addition to Village municipal staff, those involved in the effort include the Oak Park Farmers’ Market and Environmental & Energy Advisory commissions, staff members from the Oak Park Conservatory and Cheney Mansion, and members of the Garden Club of Oak Park & River Forest, the Park District's Green Advisory Committee and Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory. Using local experts and resources to help residents become successful — or more successful as the case may be — at growing their own fruits and vegetables, is an integral part of the process.

Becoming urban gardeners is an ideal way for residents to lessen their reliance on mass-produced or imported food, reduce their carbon footprint, foster a sense of community or save on their grocery bills. This web page was created to provide a clearinghouse of links to information valuable to urban gardeners. For more information on Oak Park’s urban gardening initiative, e-mail the Health Department .