Melinda Myers Reveals Fall Gardening Secrets

September 11, 2021September 14, 2021 Mike Nowak Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, climate change, environment, Faith in Place, fall gardening, gardening, gardening expert Melinda Myers, Guerrilla Recycling Project, Peggy Malecki, Rev. Brian Sauder, Rooted for Healing, sustainability, The Mike Nowak Show

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(September 12, 2021) We’re back! And so is Melinda Myers. And so is autumn. Whaat? So soon? That’s the way it works, folks. Just when you think you have this gardening thing figured out, it’s time to move on to another season. Mother Nature is relentless that way. But that’s why we count on nationally respected Melinda Myers for expert advice.

When she joined us back in April, I borrowed a slogan from her website for my headline: “practical and reliable.” But she’s also accomplished. Her gardening books include Can’t Miss Small Space Gardening and Midwest Gardener’s Handbook. Melinda hosts the internationally distributed Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series. That features the latest Food Gardening for Everyone DVD set. A few years ago, she got smart and ditched radio. However, can see her on television via “Melinda’s Garden Moment” segments. In 2017, she became a Hall of Famer when GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators bestowed that honor on her.

Whew! So many honors, so little time!

Fall prep for your garden

Coincidentally (or not), Melinda talks about fall garden care next week. The “Preparing Your Landscape for Winter” webinar will be presented by Pasquesi Home & Gardens. You can register here. You can preview the talk by listening to our show today. Or, you can read this article in the September issue of Natural Awakenings Chicago. Melinda writes,

Put fall leaves to work improving the soil, reducing maintenance and creating winter homes for toads, frogs and beneficial insects. Mow over leaves that land on the lawn. It may take a couple of passes, but once the fall leaves are the size of a quarter, leave them on the lawn to add organic matter and nutrients to the soil.

Or, mow, bag and add the shredded leaves to annual flowers or vegetable gardens. Dig several inches of shredded leaves into the top eight to 12 inches of garden soil. The leaves will decompose over winter, adding organic matter to the soil. If there are still more leaves, add them to the compost pile. Mixing this carbon-rich plant debris to greens like plant-based kitchen scraps, manure and worm castings makes for great compost.

Bring your gardening questions today. We’re ready for ’em. Abd we have Melinda Myers on our team.

Recycling in Chicago: stuck in first gear

Chicago is famous for many things. Some are good. Some are not. Not surprisingly, recycling falls into the latter category. I have railed about the City’s abysmal rates for a couple of decades now. Some things never change. Full disclosure: I was president of the Chicago Recycling Coalition for six years. And I’m currently on the board of the Illinois Recycling Foundation. So it’s not surprising that we report on this issue from time to time, like we did in May of this year.

That followed a report by the Chicago Office of Inspector General that the Department of Streets and Sanitation was dropping the ball when it comes to recycling.

Recycling Failures 101 — The state of recycling in Chicago

Additionally, at that time we were waiting for a study by the Delta Institute that would provide recommendations for the City of Chicago. That report came out in July. It contained 63 “strategic recommendations.” Most were very practical. Unfortunately, some were “duh!” moments. For instance, Delta recommended bringing back the Chicago Department of the Environment. But I don’t fault Delta for that. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot promised to restore that department when she ran for mayor. Environmentalists throughout the City are in favor of that. Has it happened? No.

Meanwhile, our recycling rate is stuck at around 8%. Not good. Additionally, many high rise buildings get off scot-free. Better Government Association reporter Madison Hopkins detailed that in an article titled How Many Of Chicago’s 77,000 Big Buildings Recycle? Nobody Knows.

Guerrilla Recycling Project

So, here we are in 2021. Enter Katherine Tellock. Basically, she’s an environmental activist She co-founded a Facebook page called Chicago Environmentalists. She is also the founder and director of Cleanup Club Chicago, a volunteer group that is tackling Chicago’s litter pollution problem through group cleanups, city outreach, and general waste reduction. And she took a Chicago Conservation Corps (CCC) Leadership Training Course at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. For her final project, she is tackling high rise recycling in Chicago. To do this, she is utilizing data points from https://mybuildingdoesntrecycle.com/ and ultimately reporting violators through the 311 system. But she needs volunteers. You can volunteer here.

Each volunteer will report on local buildings, file the report with 311, and then follow up as needed. Tellock will provide us with more details in a short segment on today’s show.

Clean energy for Illinois?

Finally, it’s been a busy couple of weeks in regard to clean energy in Illinois. On September 9, the Illinois House passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (SB2408). The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC), in a fact sheet, states that the act “sets Illinois on a path to a
100% clean energy future by 2050.” It will close fossil fuel plants “on timelines that guarantee climate action, public health protection and prioritization of environmental justice communities. There is some bad with the good. But environmental organizations are lauding the passage of the bill, which now goes to the Illinois Senate.

Faith in Place is a member of the ICJC. The timing for the faith-based environmental justice organization couldn’t be better. As SB2408 heads across the finish line, FIP is hosting its 6th annual Green Team Summit. This year’s theme is “Rooted for Healing.” The event happens over three evenings, September 12 through 14 and it’s free. You can register here.

You can choose to attend all or some of the seminars:

Sunday, 9/12: Healing from an Eco-Womanist Perspective, 5:00-6:15pm
Monday, 9/13: Healing with Land & Water, 5:30-6:30pm; Healing with Youth, 7:00-8:00pm
Tuesday, 9/14: Racial Healing, 5:00-6:00pm; Healing with Food, 6:30-7:30pm; Healing Practices, 8:00-8:45pm

President and Executive Director Rev. Brian Sauder returns to our show today to preview this year’s summit. In addition, we will ask him about the CEJA bill in the Illinois General Assembly. We hope you join us.