THE EDIBLE GARDEN

An intimate conversation on the passion of gardening with Merilee Ganim

Story by Eva Chiamulera

Eva: If you are considering growing vegetables and herbs, what type of garden is best?

Merrilee: It really depends on who’s doing the gardening and their level of commitment; how much space is available, whether you need to keep animals away and most importantly do have adequate sun exposure. Optimally the area you select to grow your plants should have a minimum of six hours of sunlight each day. If you’re tight on space or not sure how committed you will be to maintaining your garden, it may be best to start off using containers on your patio or working a few plants into your landscape beds. Container gardens are great for herbs, cherry or patio tomatoes, and edible flowers such as Nasturtium, Calendulas or Pansies. If you have mobility issues consider raised beds or larger planters that you can easily reach into from either a seated or standing position. If you live in a neighborhood where there is an abundance of deer, rabbits or woodchucks you may want to consider a fenced garden, this has some added benefits of providing a built-in structure for plants to grow on, while protecting your hard work.

Eva: My family enjoys fresh fruit, do you need to have a lot of space to have fruit trees?

Merrilee: No need for a mini-orchard at your home, fruit trees can easily be integrated into your landscape. Many of them have decorative qualities from stunning spring flower displays to beautiful fall color and can be used in similar ways to ornamental flowering trees. Apples, Cherries, Pears, Peaches and Plums blend well into the landscape. The key thing is to know if a tree is self-pollinating or requires a second tree or variety for cross pollination, yields are typically better when a second tree is planted nearby. If you only have room for one, consider a tree that has been grafted with several related varieties, not only does it resolve the cross-pollination question, but solves the issue of selecting what to plant. If you are looking for a native fruiting tree, Amelanchier canadensis, the Shadblow tree is typically found along the edges of lakes and stream banks, covered in lovely white flowers in early April, it produces fruit that looks and tastes like blueberries around the fourth of July. Espalier apples and pear trees are perfect for tight spaces along fence lines, and columnar forms trees can be used to create a formal entrance to your garden.

Eva: Can berries be grown at home without getting out of control?

Merrilee: Raspberries and Blackberries can be a great feature if you are looking for a natural hedge or barrier, and can be grown along the edges of the wooded area. For a more contained standard or semi-dwarf plants can be grown in berry cages, these enclosures typically incorporate raised planters, with T or Box supports that the berry canes are trained onto, with a mesh top to keep the birds and other wildlife at bay. Dwarf raspberry, blueberry and blackberries are perfect for containers on your patio. These have been bred to produce an abundant crop on petite plants, typically 1.5-3 ft in height. Hanging Baskets or Strawberry pots are another way to expand your berry patch, that allows the berries to cascade down the sides. Strawberries in the garden tend to spread quite a bit, but can be a great groundcover plant along the edges of beds or paths.

Eva: How do you prepare your garden before planting?

Merrilee: Amending the garden with compost, Bumper crop, or another soil builder is a great way to get the garden off to a good start by adding nutrients. If you are home composting it’s best to let the compost age for at least a year and so it gets hot enough to kill off any seeds from your leftovers and make sure to turn your pile over several times during the year, the resulting compost looks and feels like fresh soil with earthy odor. To reduce weeds coming up in your soil after you have planted and your seeds have germinated, lightly apply a thin mulch of clean hay or leaf litter to reduce weeds and hold moisture.

Eva: How do you keep pests away from your plants?

Merrilee: A colorful solution is to incorporate plants that naturally repel insects around the perimeter of the garden such as Marigolds, Basil, Chives, Chrysanthemums and lavender. Nasturtium and petunias are examples of decoy plants that draw the insects away from your vegetables. Incorporating plants that attract beneficial insects or in the cooler summer months releasing mail order Ladybugs into your garden can help keep aphids in check. Once your plants are well established you could also try allowing chickens to roam about and remove some of the pests, be observant as they may inadvertently dig your young plants in quest for bugs. Please check to make sure you don’t have any plants that are poisonous to your birds before letting them roam free. In some instances, you may want to remove the insects by hand or consider letting nature take its course. Every now and then you get lucky and that pesky tomato horn worm that was eating your plants has become frozen in place as a host for parasitic wasps.

Garden fences can provide a dual solution as a deterrent for larger animals as well as a structure to train climbing fruits such as grapes and kiwi vines and vegetables including peas and cucumbers. If a fence is out of the question perhaps Deer Scram, Bobbex or similar organic animal repellents are a great alternative.

Eva: How do you decide what to plant and where in your garden?

Merrilee: Most importantly, select vegetables to plant what you and your family enjoy eating so you don’t waste space or time growing items that won’t get consumed. A few things to consider; how the plants interact with each other, how much space is needed and at the end of the day what your personal aesthetic is. A good thing to consider are Companion plants, that share space well and sometimes provide benefits to each other, a good example is tomatoes with basil. You also want to be aware that some plants can be harmful to others by inhibiting growth or attracting pests, dill attracts tomato horn worm, see keep it at distance. Organizing the layout out of the garden will depend upon if you prefer to have plants in spaced out rows or if you would like to maximize your space by using smaller plants around the larger ones. Succession planting is a great way to get more out the garden by planting different crops in same space after each harvest during the season.

Eva: Could you recommend plants that are easy for children to grow?

Merrilee: If you are starting from seedlings, most of them are pretty easy for children to plant, probably the most difficult aspect is getting the plants out of the pot. When starting from seeds we recommend two types, big seeds such as Sunflowers, Corn, Cucumbers, Pumpkins, Squash, peas and beans that are easy to plant, and tend to sprout quickly, to keep young gardeners interested. Parsley, basil, leaf lettuce and poppies are examples of fine seeds that are either simply sprinkled on top of the prepared soil or can be gently raked or scratched into the surface and also work well due to the quick and forgiving planting method.

Children may be interested in learning about the Iroquois legend of the Three Sisters and the associated planting method for corn, beans and pumpkins/squash. This sustainable method of planting not only provided a well-balanced food source but also used these companion plants to reduce maintenance, the corn stalks provided the structure for the beans to climb, the beans fix nitrogen in the soil to help fertilize the corn and the leaves of the pumpkins and squash shaded out weeds to reduce garden maintenance. part, however, it is important to verify—preferably using the Latin name—that the plant is safe to eat by checking with a reputable source, such as the seed company or grower.

Eva: In this day and age, it seems you are never too far from a Farmer’s Market, why do people want to Garden?

Merrilee: There is nothing more satisfying than sitting down to a fresh home grown garden salad of tomatoes and basil that you grew yourself. Many people who get the gardening bug out of the desire to recreate a memory, whether it’s the taste of Grandma’s Strawberry Rhubarb pie or Sunday Sauce with fond memories of time spent with a cherished relative in their garden, it’s hard to deny the emotional connection. The experience of gardening can be very therapeutic, a way to relax, reset and reconnect with your family.

If you dream of creating gorgeous bouquets from your home garden, be sure to select taller varieties; plants that grow two to four feet high have nice long stems and are ideal for making arrangements. Some of the more old-fashioned flowers—dahlias, snapdragons and zinnias—make excellent cut flowers. Annuals also mix well with the cut flowers of perennials and shrubs. The long, trailing flowers of love-lies-bleeding offer a dramatic statement when paired with large, late-season hydrangea flowers. Songbirds also enjoy eating the seeds in the winter months.

Resources:

Merrilee Ganim

Ganim’s Garden Center & Florist

Although you must replant your annuals each spring, doing so provides an opportunity to change the color scheme from year to year. The labor is far outweighed by the reward of seeing beautiful blooms for months—and the satisfaction of growing them yourself.

320 Kings Highway Cutoff Fairfield, CT 06824

Resource:

203.333.5662 ganimsgardencenter.com

Austin Ganim Landscape Design

Eva Chiamulera, ASLA, PLA

Eva Chiamulera, ASLA, PLA

Landscape Architect

Austin Ganim Landscape Design

320 Kings Highway Cutoff Fairfield, CT 06824

320 Kings Highway Cutoff Fairfield, CT 06824

203.333.2003

203.333.2003 austinganimlandscapedesign.com austinganimlandscapedesign.com