Experts will tell all at Chicago Flower & Garden Show

Posted February 26, 2010 10:00 pm

By Deborah Donovan

We've gotten the message: Homegrown vegetables taste better, cost less and are better for you.

But what if your yard is tiny or just a balcony, and you have a lot of shade? What are some of the prettiest varieties to plant in containers or among flowers? And no matter what the size of your garden, what's the best way to get started growing edibles?

Melinda Myers, author, columnist for Birds & Blooms magazine and host of PBS gardening shows, will spell it all out when she speaks at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, March 7, at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show.

We caught up with her early to get some tips.

First and foremost, this horticulturalist is a passionate advocate for gardening who thinks she has a shot at luring cooks out of the kitchen.

"Being a gardener allows you to experiment with things you wouldn't do if you went to the grocery store," said Myers.

While you might resist buying a new vegetable - especially if it seems pricey - you could see the fun in planting a few seeds then trying a new recipe.

Myers doesn't consider herself much of a cook, but thinks it's rather elegant to have guests pluck their own mint from beside the deck for their iced tea or mojitos. And she does enjoy more culinary inspiration when cooking with her own produce.

"Herbs bring life to your landscape and a whole different kind of conversation to an event," she said. "Even non-gardeners find it fun."

Toss a few colorful nasturtiums - Alaska Mix or Jewel of Africa, say - on your salad of homegrown greens, and you look like a gourmet cook, says our guru.

One thing we really like is that Myers tucks attractive edibles everywhere on her small Milwaukee lot - even in the front yard.

Start with greensGreens can be a good first choice for a decorative vegetable garden. You can plant them earlier in the spring, and they grow quickly, producing that quick payoff that everyone likes. Greens also require less sun than the ever-popular tomatoes and peppers, and container gardening can help you maximize your sunny spots.Red Sails lettuce - which grows in all but the hottest weather - or maybe Sweet Valentine could perk up your garden. Oak leaf adds an interesting shape to the display. Arugula or mesclun are coveted for salads, and loose-head lettuces like Buttercrunch do better in our climate than iceberg. When you're looking for decorative herbs, parsley is an easy choice, as is Tricolor sage. And a golden oregano can add a lot to your look.Bright Lights Swiss chard in shades of red, orange, yellow and even pink and purple provides a vertical accent in your container. When creating a spring greens container, Myers adds pansies and maybe a trailing vinca or ivy. Then in the summer she replaces the cool-weather flowers with calendula or edible marigolds from the Signet series, which have a citrus taste. But everything in the container doesn't have to be edible, so you can just add your favorite flowers.Root vegetablesRoot vegetables need sun, but in partial shade will do better than those like tomatoes that grow on plants.And even these can be attractive. Bull's Blood beets present beautiful, edible red leaves to the world. This is an heirloom that Myers is seeing in more garden centers.If you have heavy soil with lots of clay, an easy way to improve that all-important drainage, especially for root vegetables, is to mound the earth a little. When Myers gardened in a community plot, she just moved the soil off the paths into her rows, and that helped drainage. A container does the same thing because you usually put artificial soil in it, she said. Of course, you'll plant short carrots in the container.The biggest mistake most beginning gardeners make is their inability to thin their root crops. It's so hard to throw away carrots or radishes."I've been there," she said. "I once planted a whole package of carrot seeds in a 30-foot row."Tomatoes peppersIf container gardening is your choice, Myers suggests Tumbling Tom tomatoes, which are fun to grow in a hanging basket. Juliet and Sugary are small, sweet tomatoes - even people who say they don't like tomatoes pop these into their mouths.She's a fan of sticking a painted trellis among your tomatoes in the garden or planter to add color before the fruit appears.The very popular hot peppers are small, ornamental and easier to grow than the classic bells.Etc.Here are a few more tips from Myers.bull;Sweet corn, as magical as it is, takes up a lot of room. The youngsters you garden with might have just as much fun growing Strawberry popcorn.bull;Don't forget the importance of fragrance in your garden and landscape, which is why Myers plants heliotrope.bull;If you like okra - and if you haven't tried it, you really should - it's in the hibiscus family. That means it's very attractive in your garden.PerfectionStart small. Try to limit yourself to five things you think your family would enjoy when you're a beginning vegetable gardener."I don't think any gardener has 100 percent success every year," said Myer. "It's Mother Nature you're working with. We are not in charge."One year Myers planted a Three Sisters container with visions of taking it to the Wisconsin State Fair. In this traditional Native American garden, the beans grow up the sweet corn, and that squash looks so nice vining around while mulching and shading the roots.The reality: The corn tasseled at 6 inches tall, and she never did figure out why. And the squash got borers. That's one container that stayed home from the fair.False20001339Indoor garden displays are always a big hit at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show. False What: Chicago Flower & Garden ShowWhere: Navy Pier, ChicagoDates: March 6-14Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays Admission: $15 weekdays; $17 weekends; Children 4-12, $5 every dayFeatures: Gardens based on great plays, educational talks, competitions, tabletop displays, chef demonstrationsSpecial events: Preview benefit 6-9:30 p.m. Friday, March 5, $135, which goes toward the donor's choice of four organizations, including Chicago Botanic Garden; Mix & Mingle Party, 5-8 p.m. Friday, March 12, with music and a cash bar.Information: (773) 435-1250 or visit <a href="http://chicagoflower.com" target="new">chicagoflower.com</a>

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