Location: MCC Café
Parking: Please park in the B lot and enter at the Leucht Auditorium door B12
The Great Seed and Soil Event is back for its fourth year, brought to you by the Center for Agrarian Learning at MCC and the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners! This popular annual event is designed for anyone interested in growing their own food and expanding home gardening skills.
We have amazing vendors and non-profits, kids' activities and demonstrations throughout the day, and lots of free seeds to give away! Come pick out veggies, herbs, natives, and flowers for free!
Drop by the free Seed Swap anytime during the day in the Scot Room. Bring your saved seeds to swap with other local growers, or simply stop in to chat—participation is completely voluntary!
Micro-Talks and Expert Presentations:
Past sessions feature short, actionable presentations on home food production and ecosystem restoration. Previous topics and speakers include:
2026: Building a 10-by-10 Pocket Prairie (Will Akin, Braided Roots), Urban Agroforestry Food Forests (Stephanie Tesmer), and Home and Commercial Composting (Midwest Organics Recycling and ISFCC).
2025: Basics of Home Hydroponics (Jason Jurey, CropKing), Restoring Illinois Native Landscapes (Nick Fuller, Natural Communities), Growing Grains from Garden to Table (Scott Hucker, Great Lakes Staple Seeds), and Project Wingspan Seed Collection (Eleanor Schumacher).
Live Demonstrations:
Interactive stations hosted throughout the day by Master Gardeners and community partners. Recurring demonstrations include:
- Home composting setups and soil care
- Winter sowing techniques and indoor lighting systems
- Hands-on kids' art and educational activities
- Barn Words
- Blazing Star
- Boone-Dutch Creeks Watershed Alliance
- Braided Roots
- Catalyst Campus/University Center
- Center for Agrarian Learning
- Conscious Cup Coffee
- Russ Crow, seed collector of heirloom beans
- Flying Friends
- Golden Gills
- High Mowing Seeds
- Hongik ECO Farm
- Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition
- Julie Ann Gardens
- Little Ducky Flowers
- Master Gardeners
- McHenry County Conservation District
- McHenry County Defenders
- Midwest Organics Recycling
- Natural Communities
- Northern Illinois Worm Farm
- Pizzo Habitat Restoration
- Platt Hill Nursery
- Small Waters Education
- Snap-On Tools
- Sucre Petite Bakery
- Sun and Soil Botanicals
- T Creative Designs
- The Land Conservancy
- Tikvah Farms
- Tribe Country Farm
- Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee
- Wonderfarm
- Woodstock Garden Club
- Xerces Society
Thank you to our past sponsors!
Bloom Level Sponsors
Sprout Level Sponsors
Seed Level Sponsors
This event is in partnership with:
