San Rafael resident Beth LaDove (pictured) is a master gardener who has set up edible gardens for numerous restaurants in the past, including Piatti in Mill Valley and Comal in Berkeley. She met fellow master gardener Jenn Long, of Larkspur, and the two recognized a need for a community where prospective gardeners could receive expert advice. Two years in, and business is blooming. “We were thinking this would be local, but then orders began coming in from Australia and Mexico,” says LaDove. Here she shares some tips on how to start your own edible garden this summer. gardentribe.com
PLANT Summer is a great time to start root vegetables that are ready to harvest in the fall. Think beets, kale, chard and radishes.
PLOT Start small with a 3-by-8-foot or a 4-by-10-foot area of land. Take it slow and focus on just three to five crops.
SAVE Herbs are truly cost saving. Try perennials like rosemary, oregano, marjoram, sage or thyme. Sage and oregano look especially nice in gardens.
This article originally appeared in Marin Magazine’s print edition under the headline: “Backyard Greens.”
