Roscoe Gardening Club planting seeds for the future
Current projects: community garden, scholarships, and much more
With the arrival of spring, the Roscoe Gardening Club is planting seeds for future growth and development.
The club started in January 2024. It is an inclusive, welcoming group, free to all who wish to join. The nonprofit club is structured to rely solely on donations and sponsorship, rather than membership dues. This enables the community centered group to host monthly meetings with speakers who align with the club mission.
The Roscoe Gardening Club is an organization dedicated to promoting the love of gardening, wildlife, civic beautification and development.
Meetings are held on the second Saturday of each month (other than the garden walk in June) at the Roscoe Township Community Center located at Founders Park, 4562 Hononegah Rd, Roscoe, IL. A calendar of events can be found on the group’s Facebook page or on their website. Friends are encouraged to join by signing up on the club's very active Facebook page.
- On April 12, the club will welcome Master Naturalist Connie McIntosh on April 12 where she will speak about Famous Frogs.
- In May, Vice President Sheri Henson will present the topic of Reuse, Re purpose and Recycling.
- Dane Johnson from RAMP is the guest speaker on July 12, speaking on Accessible Gardening.
The Roscoe Gardening Club is looking to award $1,000 in scholarship funds to one student, or $500 each to two high school seniors, who will be furthering their education at a four year institution and majoring in environmental studies or similar coursework.
Applications are being accepted for their 2025 scholarship program.
“It is our hope that this scholarship program will encourage students to pursue coursework in environmental studies and then bring that knowledge back to our communities. It is critical to our natural world that we educate future generations of gardeners, scientists and landscapers to protect our green space,” states Roscoe Gardening Club president Renee Lopez Mealey.
“If this scholarship can help a young person pursue a 'green' career, then we will all benefit.”
High school seniors planning to continue their education in environmental studies are encouraged to complete an application and submit it to the Roscoe Gardening Club by May 31, 2025.
Applications can be obtained from high school guidance counselors, high school science department heads, or by going to the Roscoe Gardening Club website at www.roscoegardeningclub.org.
At each meeting members can take part in a seed swap, magazine swap, a plant swap or choose items from an “abundance” table.
The club's marketing director Lisa Brown explains, "Members bring in excess produce during the growing season." She says some of it was distributed to various locations by their president Renee Mealey. Vice president Sheri Henson delivered produce to the Harlem Roscoe Fire Department. The club plans to keep distributing, determining where a need can best be filled.
The club plans to create a new community garden in Rockton. In mid-April they have scheduled a hands on work experience called "Troops for the Scoop Day”
Dirt for raised beds is expected to be delivered on April 17, followed by workdays on April 18 and 19, where help is needed to layer and fill the beds.
Community members can join in the fun at the Rockton United Methodist Church at 102 W. Chapel Street in Rockton.
Several people have already stepped up to help with this project. One club member is taking care of the seeds, which includes 10 different varieties of Brussels sprouts, broccoli, squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Two spouses donated a bench for the garden area. Another person from the congregation has donated a wheelbarrow and garden tools.
Club president Renee Mealey has donated landscaping fabric. She and her husband Andrew have spent a considerable amount of time putting a total of four beds together. They estimated 120 plus screws were required for the bed assembly.
One church member has donated $1,000 toward the purchase of the beds. A second member, Lori Lee, has committed her stepfather's landscaping services to help prepare the site and to lay the landscaping fabric.
The club has received generous donations from a couple of businesses. Slabaugh Services has donated five yards of dirt to fill the beds.
Last year the club interacted with senior citizens at North Pointe Terrace and veterans at the Roscoe VFW Post by delivering cheerful greetings, giving away flowers from their gardens through their Bodacious Bouquets program.
The club will hold a plant sale on May 10 and 11 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m, at the Roscoe Township Community Center. Residents can find plants to beautify their workplace or the grounds of their home.
Last June the club held their first garden walk at five locations. It was geared toward anyone seeking inspiration or advice for their next garden bed. Participants will have the opportunity to get answers to their inquiries, or to find tranquility in taking a stroll through beautiful gardens. The second annual garden walk is coming on June 14 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Members of the Roscoe Gardening Club are planning to greet visitors at the Beloit Farmers Market on May 17 and at the first Rockton River Market on May 21.
Last summer a community building project encouraged friendly fun between Rockton and Roscoe with a rock snake competition. Local residents in each town designed and added painted rocks to their snake, with the goal of seeing how long it could grow. This project resulted in making lifelong memories for participants. Outside the Talcott Free Library, Rocky the Rock Snake reached a length of 378 stones, while Roscoe the Snake came in with 324.
Join the fun as the Roscoe Gardening Club plants seed toward future growth and development.
