By Katy Lydon, Garden Dreams Urban Farm & Nursery

The most important thing to remember when starting a themed garden is to have fun with it! A themed garden may be centered around any number of things—from your favorite color or childhood story, to your favorite thing to eat. Once you have decided on a theme, choose plants that you are familiar with to set yourself up for success. Make sure the plants you select are compatible, regionally and seasonally appropriate, and with similar growing requirements (i.e. full sun vs. shade, soil type, etc.). Next, you will need to choose a spot in your garden to make your dream a reality. When planning the layout of your themed garden, don’t forget to put the tallest plants on the north end of the bed to ensure the other plants are getting enough sunlight! The plants in these guides are listed from tallest to shortest to help you plan your themed garden. Remember to have fun and use your imagination when planning your garden—the themes below are just suggestions! Happy growing!

Join Garden Dreams for “Gardening for Beneficial Insects” hosted at the East End Food Co-op on Wednesday, June 20th and a family-friendly “Bug Hotel & Hunt” hosted at Garden Dreams Urban Farm & Nursery in Wilkinsburg on Saturday, June 23rd. More info about these events are on the back page.

Kimchi Garden

Plant  Name Days to maturity No. of Plants Spacing
Chi-Chien Spicy Hot Pepper 75 3 1 sq. ft.
Golden Acres Cabbage 65 6 1 sq. ft.
Scallions 100 days for bulb 3 -4 doz. sets 3 sq. in.
Carrots 65 48 3 sq. in.
Daikon Radish 55 24 6 sq. in., staggered

Pasta Sauce Garden

Plant  Name Days to maturity No. of Plants Spacing
Amish Paste Tomato 85 2 16-18 sq. in., staggered
Principe Borghese Paste Tomato 75 1 1 sq. ft., staggered
Hinkelhatz Spicy Hot Pepper 88 2 1 sq. ft., staggered
Petite Marseillais 65 2 1 sq. ft., staggered
Genovese Basil 7 4 6 sq. in.,
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley 75 2 6 sq. in.
Scallions or Green Onions 65-100 2-3 doz. sets 3 sq. in.
Greek Oregano 40 2 6 sq. in.

Medicinal Herb Garden

Plant  Name Days to maturity No. of Plants Spacing
Amish Paste Tomato 85 2 16-18 sq. in., staggered
Principe Borghese Paste Tomato 75 1 1 sq. ft., staggered
Hinkelhatz Spicy Hot Pepper 88 2 1 sq. ft., staggered
Petite Marseillais 65 2 1 sq. ft., staggered
Genovese Basil 7 4 6 sq. in.,
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley 75 2 6 sq. in.
Scallions or Green Onions 65-100 2-3 doz. sets 3 sq. in.
Greek Oregano 40 2 6 sq. in.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarf Tomatoes Garden

Plant  Name Days to maturity No. of Plants Spacing
Snow White Cherry Tomato 75 1 1 sq. ft., staggered
Arctic Rose Dwarf Tomato 60 1 1 sq. ft., staggered
Lemon Ice Dwarf Tomato 58 1 1 sq. ft., staggered
Pink Berkeley Tie Dye Dwarf Tomato 75 1 1 sq. ft., staggered
Pink Passion Dwarf Tomato 67 1 1 sq. ft., staggered
Purple Heart Dwarf Tomato 67 1 1 sq. ft., staggered
Scarlet Heart Dwarf Tomato 65 1 1 sq. ft., staggered
Uluru Ochre Dwarf Tomato 67 1 1 sq. ft., staggered

 Katy Lydon has been farming for the better part of a decade, all across the country on both rural and urban operations, growing vegetables and raising a number of different animals. Katy is a recent transplant to Pittsburgh and is the new Sales and Outreach Manager at Garden Dreams Urban Farm & Nursery. She is looking forward to becoming a part of the growing urban agriculture movement!