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Plan your garden.
Growing your own food brings many rewards. Start planning your garden now to maximize both your garden space and the growing season. Find expert tips on planning, planting, growing, and managing a great garden, and look over resources to help you know when to plant vegetables in each Illinois plant hardiness zone.
Connect. Learn. Grow.
![close-up view of perodical cicada head](/sites/default/files/styles/cards_image/public/paragraphs/cards/periodical%20cicada%201200x880.jpg?itok=0FulWfd4)
Explore Illinois Cicadas
![cupcakes on a counrt](/sites/default/files/styles/cards_image/public/paragraphs/cards/cupcakes%20700x350.jpg?itok=PYq8axJ2)
Grow Your Food Business
![New bright green plants emerging from the soil in springtime](/sites/default/files/styles/cards_image/public/paragraphs/cards/GC%20Spring_button%20700x350.jpg?itok=sx4X-LAE)
Springtime Brings Growth
![a group of children stand at a table full of potted plants in a classroom](/sites/default/files/styles/spotlight_image/public/2024-04/AdobeStock_438713880.jpeg?itok=aK6HnyAm)
Plant positivity, learn how to grow a school or community garden
URBANA, Ill. — When green spaces fill schoolyards and neighborhoods with flowers and fresh produce, children and communities thrive. But the journey from the idea of starting a community or school-based garden to planting one that is built to last is long. What funding sources are available?…
![Recent quarter-sized holes in the soil made by periodical cicadas](/sites/default/files/styles/spotlight_image/public/2024-04/PeriodicalCicadaNymphHoles_13Apr2024_KJohnson_MediaSpotlight_1200x800.jpg?itok=yIdYwpwl)
Enjoy the silence. Cicadas are coming
If you haven't heard the buzz, you will soon. Billions of periodical cicadas are coming, and University of Illinois Extension is sharing information to help track their moves before emergence.
“Historically speaking, 2024 is a big year for periodical cicadas in Illinois,” says Ken…
![Erin Garret standing next to little bluestem in a garden](/sites/default/files/styles/spotlight_image/public/2024-04/IMG_5833_cropped.jpg?itok=ooKmHg7m)
Grasses at a Glance blog earns award from national Extension organization
URBANA, Ill. — Grasses are a small and often subtle backbone of many ecosystems, making up nearly 30% of the planet’s land cover. They prevent soil erosion, regulate water flow, and provide food and habitat for wildlife and livestock. But ask someone to identify one grass from another, and you…
![Puzzle piece with mindfulness written on it and the word Carlock listed below](/sites/default/files/styles/450_x_253/public/2024-02/Mindfulness%20Image%20-%20Carlock.png?itok=T5Asav4O)
![A landscape of a yard showing how to design your landscaping to manage rain and drainage.](/sites/default/files/styles/450_x_253/public/2024-03/cjmmraingarden.png?itok=bZQmKTw3)
![After School Extravaganza text](/sites/default/files/styles/450_x_253/public/2023-08/Event%20-%204-H%20After%20School%20Extravaganza%20-%20LC_4.jpg?itok=1Jvp4UWz)
Voice of the Wild
Voice of the Wild is brought to you by the University of Illinois Extension Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy program.
![Voice of the Wild Podcast image](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2024-04/VOTW-podcast-1080px.jpg?itok=nyYZJAvW)