The Edible Gardens | Chicago, IL

The Organic Gardener’s flagship project is The Edible Gardens, a 5,000 square-foot urban agriculture project growing in the heart of Lincoln Park Zoo’s Farm-in-the-Zoo. As Green City Market’s primary educational outreach program, The Edible Gardens’ mission is to connect children with their food hands-on, and to ensure that families have the knowledge, experience, and inspiration to help support a sustainable food system.

In 2004, Jeanne Nolan had just returned to the Chicago area after spending seventeen years living and working on an organic communal farm. Looking to get involved with the environmental movement that had grown in her absence, Jeanne took an assistant job with local foods pioneer and Green City Market founder Abby Mandel. In 2005, Abby asked Jeanne to transform the existing John Deere demonstration garden at the Farm-in-the-Zoo located across the street from the market. Abby envisioned an interactive project the likes of Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, CA – a place for children and families to learn about where their food comes from and how to grow it themselves. Jeanne took on her first major urban food production project and created The Edible Gardens.

Today, Jeanne and The Organic Gardener team maintain The Edible Gardens in partnership with Green City Market and Lincoln Park Zoo. Welcoming over 25,000 visitors annually, the Gardens are open to the public from April through November. TOG’s garden educators and Lincoln Park Zoo volunteers work together to host school groups, field trips, and adult workshops throughout the season.

Check out GCM’s calendar or our Appearances page for more information about monthly adult gardening workshops and to RSVP. Local schools and community organizations can arrange for a free tour of The Edible Gardens by contacting ediblegardens@greencitymarket.org.