3 Fun Garden Ideas for Every Taste

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (May 4, 2022) – Growing your own produce not only feeds you and your family, it creates a feeling of accomplishment. But what if you could design your vegetable garden this year around your favorite foods and beverages? From salsa to pizza, these fun garden ideas from Westlake Ace Hardware will give you ample produce and optimum flavor well into the fall.

The Salsa Garden

The sweet tomatoes, spicy peppers, and tangy onions in garden-fresh homemade salsa is always a crowd-pleaser. The best part is you can grow all the ingredients for a Salsa Garden in a simple four-foot square bed.

To build a space-saving and productive Salsa Garden, fill a 4 x 4 raised bed with premium-quality raised bed soil, such as Whitney Farms Organic Fruit and Vegetable Raised Bed Mix. Divide the bed into three sections.

Area One: Plant four cilantro plants, 22 red onions bulbs, and ten 10 white onion bulbs.

Area Two: Plant two pepper plants in cages or trellises (one jalapeño, one red bell pepper)

Area Three: If you like red salsa, plant two tomato plants. If you prefer salsa verde, plant two tomatillo plants (you must have two tomatillo plants for cross-pollination and fruit production). Make sure to surround the plants with tomato cages or trellises.

Follow the spacing on the plant labels, adding a few more plants if space allows. Remember to feed the plants regularly to help ensure they get all the nutrition they need throughout the season.

The Cocktail Garden

One of life’s little pleasures is relaxing in the backyard on a summer evening with a fresh cocktail (or mocktail) in hand. This season, why not plant some garden-fresh herbs to plus-up your mixology game? Whether it’s a sprig of lavender to beautify and add fragrance to a gin and tonic or adding infused mint or basil to a simple syrup, herbs add freshness and depth to any libation. The best part is that herbs are low maintenance, and you can easily grow them in containers or a raised bed.

Creating a Cocktail Garden using containers is also smart, since you can bring them inside for the winter and enjoy herbs year-round in drinks and dishes. Make sure to use high-quality potting soil and position the containers so the plants receive at least six to eight hours of full sun every day (morning sun and afternoon shade are preferable). Water and feed according to each plant’s instructions.

Basil, cilantro, lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, and thyme are fantastic herbs to use in most drinks. They can be muddled, used as a garnish, or infused into simple syrups, bitters, or shrubs. Here are some inspiring cocktail ideas using herbs:

Mint: https://www.traegergrills.com/recipes/grilled-peach-smash-cocktail

Basil: https://www.traegergrills.com/recipes/strawberry-basil-daiquiri-cocktail

Thyme: https://www.traegergrills.com/recipes/plum-thyme-fizz-cocktail

Rosemary: https://www.traegergrills.com/recipes/garden-gimlet-cocktail

The Pizza Garden

Nearly everyone loves fresh-from-the-oven, piping hot pizza. It’s even better when you’ve grown the toppings in your own garden. Growing and creating pizzas is a great activity for the whole family so remember to get the kids involved in watering plants, harvesting the bounty, and helping add toppings to sauce-covered pizza crust.

One 4 x 4 raised bed or a series of containers is plenty of room to grow all the tomatoes, peppers, arugula, garlic, basil, rosemary, and oregano you’ll need to make memorable, homemade pizzas. Here are a few tips to ensure your Pizza Garden thrives all season long:

• Make sure the garden receives six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day.
• Either amend your existing soil with compost or peat, or use pre-packaged soils that are specifically labeled for container or garden use.
• Make sure to read each plant’s tag for the planting and care instructions, especially when it comes to watering.

When you’re ready to create your masterpiece, either use an easy refrigerated dough or mix up a fresh batch from scratch and fire up an outdoor pizza grill on the patio. Here are some great pizza recipes from Ooni.

All Westlake Ace Hardware stores offer many convenient ways to shop:

• In-store
• Online with pickup in-store or free curbside pickup
• Delivery from store (certain restrictions apply)
• Mobile app