ST. CHARLES, Ill. – Fight the gardening blues and get a jump on spring with a variety of low-cost or free winter events hosted by University of Illinois Extension of DuPage, Kane, and Kendall counties.
Seed Swap events in each county
Celebrate National Seed Swap Day with certified Master Gardener volunteers at local Extension offices in the tri-county area. Choose from three unique ways to participate:
- In Naperville, bring seeds to share and swap with other gardeners and network with Master Gardener volunteers. This option is free, and registration is encouraged.
- In Yorkville, get free seeds and free advice with the Kendall County Master Gardeners at the 8th annual open house. No registration required.
- In St. Charles, swap or snag seeds for your garden, and try your hand at making seedballs, winter sowing, and planting microgreens. All for just $5; registration required. In addition to Master Gardeners on hand for questions, Extension Educator Alexis Barnes will share research and information on cover crop ideas.
Find links to these local Seed Swap Day events at go.illinois.edu/HorticultureDKK.
Winter sowing workshop in St. Charles
Learn about winter seed sowing techniques, see a demonstration, and create your own sample to take home during this February workshop hosted by the Kane County Master Gardeners.
Winter sowing is a cost-effective, low-maintenance way of starting plants outdoors, during winter, for next year’s garden. Frost-tolerant native plants and perennials are great options to withstand the cold temperatures of early winter. Seeds are planted in upcycled or recycled containers that act as “mini greenhouses.”
This workshop will be 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Kane County Extension office in St. Charles. Registration is required, and space may be limited. To register or learn more, visit go.illinois.edu/KaneWinterSowing2025.
Pruning workshop in Naperville
Led by the DuPage County Master Gardeners, workshop attendees will learn when to prune different types of trees and shrubs, what types of pruners to use, and how and where to make the right cut. The group also will cover spring pruning tasks and provide pruning practice after the presentation.
This free, hands-on workshop will be 10-11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 at the DuPage County Extension office in Naperville. Registration is required for each person, and space is limited.
Find all of these upcoming events with links to register at go.illinois.edu/HorticultureDKK.
For questions about these events or if you need reasonable accommodation to participate, call the office at 630-584-6166, email uie-dkk@illinois.edu, or contact the program coordinator listed oat registration. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting access needs.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.