Calendar: Growing great tomatoes

MONTICELLO, Ill. — The free program Growing Great Tomatoes will be from noon to 1 p.m. July 21 in the Kirby Medical Center Community Room, 1000 Medical Center Drive, Monticello. The presentation will cover growing tips, common diseases, pests, and management techniques. It will be followed by a tour of the tomatoes growing in the Monticello Area Community Garden, located adjacent to Kirby Medical Center.

Kirby Medical Center currently requires everyone to wear a mask entering the building and walking to the Community Room. Once inside the Kirby Community Room, fully vaccinated people may remove their mask.

The best cultivars to grow in containers

JERSEYVILLE, Ill. — Promoting local food can start in your backyard, patio, or even indoors. Learn to grow a variety of edibles in containers and use space efficiently from 11 a.m. to noon July 20 at the JCH Wellness Center, 412 Maple Summit Road, Jerseyville. Andrew Holsinger, Extension horticulture educator, will share some of the best cultivars for growing in containers.

Building resiliency in yourself

Every one of us has been challenged by a tough situation sometime in our lives. We have witnessed highly resilient people that have the ability to adapt, recover, and grow stronger from difficult situations.

A free virtual webinar about building resiliency in yourself will be offered from 6 to 7 p.m. July 20.

Learn what characteristics resilient people possess that help them create opportunities from challenges, and how you also can nurture and strengthen your resilience.

Tea and biscuits in herb garden

DANVILLE, Ill. — Join Vermilion County master gardeners at 6 p.m. July 20 for tea and biscuits in the Kennekuk Bunker Hill Herb Garden, 22296-A Henning Road, Danville.

Susan Biggs-Warner of the Vermilion County Conservation District and Master Gardener Kasi Mitchell will have different sweet and savory biscuits with fresh herbal teas to taste along with recipes to take home.

Participants also will have the opportunity to choose a teabag made from dried herbs harvested at the herb garden to brew at home.

Master gardeners will be on hand to give tours of the garden and answer questions.

The Kennekuk Bunker Hill Herb Garden has won a State Master Gardener Teamwork Award and was certified by the Illinois Herb Association in 2015 and contains over 100 labeled plants.

Ewing Agronomy Field Day

EWING, Ill. — After a year’s hiatus from in-person programming, the Ewing Demonstration Center will host its annual Agronomy Field Day from 9 a.m. to noon July 22 with a lunch to follow. The event will feature various educators and campus faculty as they provide best management practices for local growers.

Ewing Demonstration Center has served the agricultural community of southern Illinois since 1910. Research at the center includes various trials for corn, soybeans, sorghum, wheat, and cover crops. The center has featured no-till research and demonstration plots for more than 50 years as it offers representative growing conditions for southern Illinois.

The Ewing Demonstration Center, 16132 N. Ewing Road, is about 20 minutes south of Mt. Vernon. The center is on the north edge of the village of Ewing, north of the Ewing Grade School. Additional signage will be posted near the center.

The field day is free, and lunch will be provided. Certified Crop Advisor CEUs will also be offered. Register at go.illinois.edu/ewing or call 618-439-3178.

Pollinators in the garden

CLINTON, Ill. — Learn about pollinators, which ones are native, and how to attract them with your landscape from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. July 22 at the Vespasian Warner Library, 310 N. Quincy St., Clinton.

For more information, email Beth Miglin at bmiglin@illinois.edu.

Clay County 4-H BBQ July 23

FLORA, Ill. — The Clay County 4-H BBQ will be from 4 to 7 p.m. July 23 at the Clay County Fairgrounds - REA Building, 104 Golf Course Road., Flora.

Tickets are available through Foundation and 4-H members.

Meal includes barbecue sandwich or hot dog, chips, homemade dessert and drink.

Preserve like a pro

Are you planning to preserve your garden’s bounty? The program Preserve Like a Pro will cover the pros and cons of canning, freezing, drying and fermenting your favorite foods. You’ll walk away with a better understanding of which food preservation methods to use and where to find reputable resources.

The online program will be at noon July 21. Register at tinyurl.com/kzy4pk33.

Garden to table

HILLSBORO, Ill. — Learn how to plant, maintain and harvest produce from your own container garden at 10 a.m. July 22 and 23 at the Montgomery County Extension office, #1 Industrial Park Drive, Hillsboro.

Included in this free, two-part series:

Learn how we depend on plants as a source of food.
Start your own garden to take home.
Understand the value of healthy eating habits.
Prep meals and snacks together as a family.
Prep a freezer meal to take home.
Make two types salsa.