2024 Food Forest Work and Learn Days
Volunteer Days run April through October.
Sign up on our Events page to check availability, but the 2024 schedule is every Saturday, 10 a.m.–Noon.
PRODUCE SHARING
Donate What You Grow: Edible Evanston’s Food Sharing Initiative.
Food Forest
Permaculture in a public park.
Education
Classes, demos, and help to grow more local food, year round.
New Gardeners
Expanding local food growing gardens and mentoring gardeners.
Donations
Financial donations as well as donations of tools (in good condition) are most welcome. Click to donate online and email foodforest@edibleevanston.org to donate tools.
Get Involved
Edible Evanston is always looking for assistance. Get involved in many ways, from occasional volunteering to leadership. Contact us at volunteer@edibleevanston.org.
Share your produce
2025 produce-sharing season starts June 8th and runs through October 12, 2025. Announcing new times (Sunday Noon to Monday 9 a.m.) for North Evanston pickups.
Tours
Food Forest tours may be available in our events section, but you are always welcome to visit on your own.
Food Forest volunteer opportunities
Our 2025 volunteer schedule runs April 5 through November 1 with events every Saturday, 10-noon. Register
What is a Food Forest?
Find out what the food forest is all about… watch this short video:
Events
Education/Giveaway/Swap
Saturday, March 7, 2026 - 12:00pm
Get free seeds and share your saved seeds at Robert Crown Center.
Education/Giveaway/Swap
Thursday, March 12, 2026 - 6:00pm
One of a series of four beginner classes offered in 2026, Planning and Preparing helps you set the stage for a successful growing year.
Education/Giveaway/Swap
Sunday, March 22, 2026 - 11:00am
Get free seeds and share your saved seeds at Ridgeville's Kamen Field House (1111 South Blvd)
Eggleston Park Food Forest
The Eggleston Park Food Forest is a diverse planting of perennial edible trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants— including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and herbs—designed to mimic the natural balance of a forest by utilizing permaculture principles.
Permaculture Primer: An introduction
By Tim Sonder, Education chair
If you have been volunteering with Edible Evanston you have, no doubt, been hearing about “Permaculture.” But what is it?
Most of the techniques applied by those working with permaculture aren’t revolutionary, they are evolutionary. But the way of looking at the world—and I mean that in the broadest sense—often feels revolutionary. Permaculture becomes a way of framing one’s outlook. And that can be applied not just to agriculture, but also to architecture and engineering, to urban planning, and to societal questions.
Education
We teach practical classes about urban agriculture and gardening throughout the year and distribute free seeds each spring.
2024 Food Forest Work and Learn Days
Volunteer Days run April through October.
Sign up on our Events page to check availability, but the 2024 schedule is every Saturday, 10 a.m.–Noon.
Permaculture Principle #11: Use Edges and Value the Marginal
"Don’t think you are on the right track just because it is a well beaten path"
Commentary by Tim Sonder, Edible Evanston (November, 2019)
The interface between things is where the most interesting events take place. These are often the most valuable, diverse and productive elements in the system.
Think of the ocean, and then look at tide pools and marshes. Where do you see a greater diversity and density of life? Look at a forest, and then study the area where it transitions to meadow or lake or stream, and you will, once again, find a greater diversity.
Events
Education/Giveaway/Swap
Saturday, March 7, 2026 - 12:00pm
Get free seeds and share your saved seeds at Robert Crown Center.
Education/Giveaway/Swap
Thursday, March 12, 2026 - 6:00pm
One of a series of four beginner classes offered in 2026, Planning and Preparing helps you set the stage for a successful growing year.
Education/Giveaway/Swap
Sunday, March 22, 2026 - 11:00am
Get free seeds and share your saved seeds at Ridgeville's Kamen Field House (1111 South Blvd)
Education/Giveaway/Swap
Thursday, May 14, 2026 - 6:00pm
One of a series of four beginner classes offered in 2026, Planting class will guide you from seedlings to a planted garden, and set you up for a successful harvest.
Education/Giveaway/Swap
Thursday, July 30, 2026 - 6:00pm
One of a series of four beginner classes offered in 2026, Weeding, Watering, Snipping guides you to keep your crops strong and healthy and productive.
Education/Giveaway/Swap
Thursday, October 22, 2026 - 6:00pm
One of a series of four beginner classes offered in 2026, our Winter Prep class will wrap up the year.
New Gardeners
Edible Evanston assists novice food gardeners set up a vegetable garden and provides a mentor to help make them successful. We are continually looking for experienced gardeners to mentor our new trainees and build a few gardens ever year with only volunteer labor.
Be a Mentor to our New Gardeners!
Experienced vegetable gardeners wanted!
Whether you have been successfully vegetable gardening for just a few seasons, are a Master Gardener, or are someone with tons of experience growing food on a home-gardening scale, we hope you will join our network of mentors. Sign up today!