Merchant Park Community Garden

Merchant Park Community Garden A community garden in the Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago. Our Mission:
Merchant Park Community Garden provides an opportunity for neighbors and their children to work, play, learn and grow together.

The garden benefits the community through outreach such as donations to a local food bank. Merchant Park Community Garden is an oasis in the 30th Ward - a backyard for us all.

Operating as usual

We are out this morning from 9:00 to 12:00 with w**ding and wood chip distribution!
07/10/2021

We are out this morning from 9:00 to 12:00 with w**ding and wood chip distribution!

We are out this morning from 9:00 to 12:00 with w**ding and wood chip distribution!

Just around the corner from the garden, an opportunity to participate in a community art project organized by renowned a...
07/07/2020

Just around the corner from the garden, an opportunity to participate in a community art project organized by renowned artist Nick Cave, who set up his studio across from Schurz High School.

Please join us this weekend to make #AMENDS by contributing personally to the “community clothesline.” You can come anytime 11-6, Thursday-Sunday. And if you come between 4-6 on Thursday you can contribute to the clothesline, take in AMENDS across the street and also be treated to a live performance by the Kahil El’Zabar Trio featuring Corey Wilkes and Justin Dillard! We will also be providing voter registration on site. Please help spread the word.

Merchant Park Community Garden was honored Oct. 12 as one of Chicago's best community vegetable gardens at the Chicago E...
10/14/2019

Merchant Park Community Garden was honored Oct. 12 as one of Chicago's best community vegetable gardens at the Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards!

University of Illinois Extension
09/12/2019
University of Illinois Extension

University of Illinois Extension

It seems strange, but fall is actually a great time to plant a native garden. Check out Horticulture Educator Gemini Bhalsod's tips to get you started.
University of Illinois Extension: Cook County

The Field Museum is doing their part to preserve monarch butterflies by looking for places where we can grow milkw**d in...
08/23/2019
Commentary: How we can save the monarch butterfly — one office campus at a time

The Field Museum is doing their part to preserve monarch butterflies by looking for places where we can grow milkw**d in cities - glad to see more of it in our gardens and neighborhood too!

Recent work by Field Museum scientists reveals urban landscapes can contribute nearly one-third of the additional milkw**d stems needed to support the monarch butterfly population.

Sounds like fun!
08/09/2019

Sounds like fun!

From Fearless Cooking:

Fearless Cooking GRAND OPENING

It's my party and I'll have a brass band if I want one.

Clear Your Calendars, Folks!

This is one party you don't want to miss.

August 24-25 10am-8pm

After a loooooonnngg wait with too many hurdles to count, we're THRILLED to be celebrating our opening in grand fashion!

Keep scrolling for the full schedule of events.

Schedule of Events

Everything you see below - plus hourly giveaways!

Saturday, August 24

10am The Grandest of Openings with the Four Star Brass Band

12pm Ribbon Cutting with Alderman Jim Gardiner

1-2pm Cooking Demo with local food bloggers We Cook Books

1-4pm Trunk Show with Jenny Guidry of Auburn & Arrow
*Including debut of FC exclusive Old Irving Park wine & beer glasses!

3:30-4:30 Tea Tasting by SenTEAmental Moods

5-7pm Beer Tasting by Printers Row Brewing

8pm Close

Sunday, August 25th

10am Open

12-1pm Cooking Demonstrating by Joey Beato of Community Tavern

2-6pm Knife Sharpening by Sharpening By Dave

2-4pm Coffee Tasting by Veteran Roasters Cup O' Joe Coffee

5-7pm Cocktail Demonstration by Robbie Malinowski of Foundation Tavern & Grille

8pm Close

Fearless Cooking 4410 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL 60630
https://fearlesscookingchicago.com/

Fearless Cooking is a proud member of the Six Corners Association, the only Main Street America accreditted organization in Chicago.
http://www.SixCornersAssociation.com

http://www.fourstarbrassband.com/
https://www.aldermangardiner.com/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/AuburnAndArrow
https://senteamentalmoods.com/
https://www.communitytavern.com/
https://veteranroasters.com/
https://www.foundationtavernchicago.com/

Is this w**d edible? What's a determinant tomato? How about a pollinator garden? Learn more Friday, July 19, at 7:30pm i...
07/17/2019

Is this w**d edible? What's a determinant tomato? How about a pollinator garden? Learn more Friday, July 19, at 7:30pm in the garden. Bring your favorite evening beverage! Friends and neighbors welcome.

Thanks to everyone who is out here helping to clear w**ds for today's work day! We're making good progress and finding f...
07/13/2019

Thanks to everyone who is out here helping to clear w**ds for today's work day! We're making good progress and finding fun critters. Also there are healthy-ish snacks!

06/22/2019

Goodnight everyone! Happy First Day of Summer!

#bonfire #neighbors #solstice #communitygarden #firepit

It's officially summer! Come out and celebrate with us in the garden!#happysolstice #communitygarden #chicago #neighbors
06/22/2019

It's officially summer! Come out and celebrate with us in the garden!

#happysolstice #communitygarden #chicago #neighbors

Hard work and fun at today’s garden work day!
06/09/2019

Hard work and fun at today’s garden work day!

Wednesday 6:30 pm: Sharpening by Dave will be at the garden to take care of your dull knives, scissors & tools! Friends ...
05/22/2019

Wednesday 6:30 pm: Sharpening by Dave will be at the garden to take care of your dull knives, scissors & tools! Friends and neighbors invited! First 10 gardeners in line get 1 item sharpened free (up to $10 value). BYOB and snacks!

A great event!
03/25/2019

A great event!

We hope you're enjoying these first few (chilly) days of Spring! Only 7 days until the 7th Annual Gardeners Conference - there's still time to register! Join fellow Chicago community gardeners for a day of workshops, community building, knowledge sharing, prizes and more. Kids are welcome! Register at chicagocommunitygardens.org

Dreaming of home-grown tomatoes? Merchant Park Community Garden has one open plot left for the 2019 season. Send a messa...
02/27/2019

Dreaming of home-grown tomatoes? Merchant Park Community Garden has one open plot left for the 2019 season. Send a message if you're interested!

Learn more from our aldermanic candidates about key local issues at this forum this Saturday!
02/15/2019

Learn more from our aldermanic candidates about key local issues at this forum this Saturday!

Do you:
✓ Live in Wards 29, 30, or 31?
✓ Have questions for your next Alderman?

Then join us Feb. 16th for our Aldermanic Forum! Send us a message below and we'll add your question/concern to our moderated Q&A!

Our new neighborhood library is getting close to completion!
01/17/2019

Our new neighborhood library is getting close to completion!

Peeking in through the windows. Our new branch opening...soon! No exact date yet, but books racks are filling up. Thx for pix, Chris Geymer.

Peterson Garden Project
12/26/2018

Peterson Garden Project

Hoe, hoe, hoe!

Let out your inner child!
11/29/2018

Let out your inner child!

No complaints about snow on the ground from our preschoolers. They love it! Kilbourn Park

Address

3568 N Keeler Ave
Chicago, IL
60641

Website

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Videos

Gladiator training in the garden today.

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Our Story

We are located on Chicago's Northwest Side, inside the southeast corner of Addison and Milwaukee, in a triangle of land bordered by three alleys. This piece of land sat unused for over 100 years. We have 50 individual plots, each 8' by 8' in size.

We're all booked for the 2019 growing season, but message us here or email [email protected] to be added to the waiting list.

If you are a member of the Merchant Park Community Garden, please visit our private Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2035830906737821/ and message us to join.

Nearby government services

Other Chicago government services

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Comments

Hi garden friends! I will be unable to water my plot from July 2 through July 6. So depending on the weather if it could be watered a couple times (I’m going to water it tomorrow, July 1) it would be much appreciated! And if there is any produce (maybe some cucumbers and okra) during that time please do help yourself.
Community members, neighbors, and staff of Scammon Elementary have come together to set up a rapid, response mutual aid fund for Scammon students and families impacted by Covid-19. Right now families are struggling to pay for food, housing, healthcare, school supplies, and/or other critical needs. We want to make sure that everyone in our community has what they need for the remainder of this crisis. As a former student, neighbor, and current educator of this school, I know how much I have been blessed by our families over the years. It’s now time to give back, for the benefit of us all. The Scammon Solidarity Fund is live and open for donations via Venmo. If you are able, please donate today. This is your local CPS elementary school. All funds will be disbursed to Scammon families in need of immediate support. Venmo: ​@Scammon-Solidarity-Fund For: Scammon Solidarity Fund (If the app prompts you for a pin, it is ​6913​) If you know someone from within the Scammon boundary, roughly Irving Park to WELLINGTON, Pulaski to Cicero Ave, who needs financial relief please email us at: [email protected]​. **NOTE: This solidarity fund is in no way affiliated with Scammon​ ​or CPS. This is an effort put forth by community members for our school community. This is NOT a tax-deductible contribution - solidarity, not charity.**
Hi neighbors! I am sad to say I'm in the process of moving out and I have this lovely jam packed bag of seeds, plant food, seed envelopes, and plant markers that I would love to pass along. Please let me know if you'd like this bag of garden goodies.
Today’s Harvest! Lettuce, green beans, garlic chives, carrots and a few radishes..
Today’s harvest! Lettuce, green beans, garlic chives, and a few carrots and radishes!
Hello everyone! My wife and I are leaving for vacation tomorrow morning and are wondering if anyone can water our plot while we're away from July 27th until August 5th. We are willing to do a trade with someone and water for you! We're plot #23 -- mostly tomatoes and basil!
The garden is lush, beautiful, and productive. Wednesday mornings we harvest plot 50 for the Irving Park Food Pantry. If you have more in your plot than you can eat, let us know, we will lightly harvest, we’d never take everything! Respond to this post with your plot number. THANKS!
Lots of greens and herbs in this week’s donation to the Irving Park Food Pantry. The garden is thriving and we have veggies going to waste - please let us know if there is anything we can harvest from your plot. We lightly harvest if you choose to donate!
Urgent: The lock to the water tank may be broken. It looks like the combo reset cap on the side eiher fell off or someone deliberately took it off and was messing with it. Now the lock is stuck in an unlocked position.
Hi, This is new gardener Mary Wisniewski O'Malley. We're in plot #9. I unfortunately wasn't able to go to the first day of gardening because of a first Communion party way out in the northern suburbs. I got to my plot in the early evening and found many mysteries. It seems that our plot has not been used for a while. There is what seems to be a raspberry bush grown wild in one corner, and a strawberry plant, but other things I couldn't identify. I cleared out the w**d trees and obvious w**ds, but hesitated pulling other things, for fear they are perennials. Can I meet some expert plant identifier to see what I should pull, and what I should save? I could meet you at 3 p.m. Sunday, if that works for anyone. Looking forward to gardening -- it's a nice sunny plot.
Hi everyone. As we get ready for garden season, please save the date for our garden party. It’s our 5th anniversary of hosting a garden party for a local non-profit. We decided to host the garden party for Filament Theatre one more year. I didn’t even realize last year that the average ticket price for a child is only $9 while the average cost for Filament to serve each audience member, adult or child, is $40. Keeping ticket prices low is one way Filament realizes their goal of giving every child in our community access to a cultural experience that is empowering, inclusive and artistically excellent. Join us to celebrate and support our community.
30th Ward Alderman Candidate Forum -> Online this Friday: https://www.facebook.com/events/2244049419007994/ I tried and failed to get a live, in-person event with a few other neighbors but couldn't convince Reboyras to come out. You can also see my public post where I asked a few of my questions: https://www.facebook.com/micheleaymold/posts/10157015347314740?__xts__[0]=68.ARBst-HDdwlApOIuhDOxJWOL7O1aST4NoaAzpr7Sdmfs0R9utRCQiJt17mjpC6lYYSmojNST3zDDi3MZbldI4lsOr_9_B5hvEcRRks9tmxUBvZNExpMJFhv5rDiPk5RjtdQCpnmaFYIqHziuxMJL-A8P65AiY-4YHkYDYYz-1HOY3EgJSumbaF65szmaF1f-oE91WM_osZtwFQ&__tn__=-R I'm personally interested in what I see as business-vs-residents issues and would love to see more businesses working with residents, and more businesses in the ward run by residents of the ward. As one of the most jerrymandered wards in Chicago, it's so difficult for us to come together as neighbors - hope more of you feel a need for this and will join online on Friday.