Gardens of Eatin’

Summer Vegetables, Home Demonstration Gardens
Landscape Gardener Ted Pew presents garden designs in an "idea lab" setting for visitors to see what might work for their home gardens. A multi-purpose garden design approach fuses color, nature's artistry and summer-long harvest.

This year's gardens take on Middle Eastern and Middle Asians themes that will fit an entire multi-course menu. Pew says this is his first time growing these vegetables with this theme! Check out some of his garden plot designs to see his thought process and some of the specific cultivars he selected.

Peruse these yummy recipes available from the Flavors of the Arboretum Cookbook.

Intensive Gardens
(2) Artichoke, potato, black-eyed peas, pepper, onion, dill, tomato, okra, corn for cornmeal, carrots, cumin, tumeric
(3) Purple carrots, coriander, garlic, Yukon Gold potatoes, zucchini, sweet potato, tomato, chickpeas, onion, celery
(4) Garlic, cilantro, coriander, tahini, sesame, red pepper, chickpea, pomegrante, walnut, sumac

Garden for Small Spaces: Middle Eastern Salad
Mint, Deep Purple carrots, basil, red potato, cilantro, red onion, Romaine lettuce, tomato, broccoli, cucumber, white cabbage, green pepper, celery, garbanzo beans, purple radish, Baby Oakley, lettuce

Ornamental Vegetables Garden with Water Feature
Vegetables to stuff with fixings: pepper, eggplant, tomato, squash

Outer Bed: Mid-East Origins
Onion, lettuce, cauliflower, black and purple carrots, fava beans, okra, cucumber, cabbage, spinach, carrot

Flower/Vegetable Garden by Greenhouse
Vegetables for grilling and roasting/flowers for colorful beauty: asparagus, paprika, verbena, Yukon Gold potatoes, pear, salvia, petunia, Tithonia, capscum, miscanthus, chickpea, calendula, serviceberry, solanum, zinnia

Main Vegetable Bed for Family of 4
For soups and stews with herbs and flowers that like each other. Border: onion, leeks, carrots, chives, garlic, spinach, tomatoe, parsnip, cilantro, fennel. Rows: pepper, marigold, eggplant, green beans, potato, chickpeas, celery, parsley, tomato, mint, zucchini, bean cannellini, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, okra.

Here's some additional early-season gardening tips from Ted:

• It's a good idea to check the soil temperature.  Use a soil thermometer and check if its warm enough to plant.... The appropriate temps should be on the seed packet.  
• It's ok to have planted your lettuce and spinach seed by now. They are  cool season plants.
• Put your tomato plants out the final week in May...not yet! 
• Peppers, eggplant, celery and melon starter plants like warm weather and should be put in around June 1.
• If you're just dying to start gardening, you can create a container garden now!