AT:Chicago Reader Leah wrote to say: "On the garden tip, I thought I'd send you this link to a great program that allows all of us apartment dwellers to garden who don't actually have the space to garden!"
NeighborSpace works to purchase and protect community gardens, many of which were once vacant lots. They focus on parcels where neighborhood groups have already established gardens or parks. By working with governmental agencies, private and public partners and non-profits, they aim to "preserve the beauty and legacy of community gardens in Chicago".
yeah, I was going to mention the Logan Square Neighbors Garden (scroll about 2/3 of the way down)... but apparently there isn't much information about it online.
we have something similar in Toronto - www.foodshare.net
Hey guys, I'm on the central staff of NeighborSpace, if you'd believe it. It is as cool as it sounds (and if anyone is interested, we have nifty, me-created, interactive CDs that tell anyone who's interested all about us and how to apply.)
If anyone has questions about what NBSP does, feel free to email me (at my work email, S.V.P.: mdoyle (at) neighbor-space.org )
:-)
Oops, I should have added, most of our gardeners love volunteers, BUT (BUT BUT) most of the gardens that need most of the help, as you might imagine, are in underserved nabes. So if you're open to helping out some of our community partners, say, in Austin or Grand Crossing, there's a better shot of a gardening opportunity being available.