The garden’s 250 acres not only include a huge array of herbs but also feature 30,000 trees, many of which produce fruit and flavorings such as maple syrup, and a vegetable garden that includes eggplants, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, chard, lettuce, garlic, radishes and zucchini. Committed to plants, local food and teaching the public how to grow their own sustenance, The New York Botanical Garden hosted an exhibit called The Edible Garden in the summer of 2009. Visitors toured existing gardens and special features established for the event, such as Martha Stewart’s Culinary Herb Garden and the Beginner’s Vegetable Garden.

Growing vegetables and herbs saves money, allowing you to pick fresh produce from your own garden rather than buy it from the grocery store. It’s also eco-friendly when you use organic fertilizers and pesticides, such as Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Fertilizer and Milky Spore Grub Control, available at The Home Depot.

In your garden, it’s safe to plant cold-hardy crops such as onions, peas and spinach as soon as the soil can be worked. Other cool-season vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cilantro, dill and lettuce can tolerate a light frost and should be sown outdoors a few weeks before the last spring frost. Warm-season crops such as basil, cucumber, squash, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers can be planted outside after the last frost; you can also sow them indoors 2 months before the last frost to get a head start on the gardening season. Learn more about Starting Veggies from Seed Inside now.

Each edible bed at The New York Botanical Garden is located in a sunny area because vegetables, herbs and flowers generally need 6 hours of sun a day to thrive.

Do as the pros do and plant your garden in a full-sun spot that doesn’t get a lot of wind, since strong breezes can dry plants and lead to breakage. Also, the plot must have healthy soil with adequate drainage. Soil should hold moisture but not retain standing water and should be amended with compost and commercial fertilizer 1 month before planting and again 4–6 weeks after planting, depending on the crop.

When designing your edible garden, first consider scale. A smaller well-maintained garden is better than a big plot that’s susceptible to weeds and neglect. It’s easy to start a veggie garden in a small space.

In order to prevent taller crops from overshadowing shorter ones, plant in rows from east to west, with the tallest crops on the north side of the plot and the successively shorter ones to the south.

Surround an edible garden with a fence or mesh high enough to keep out household pets and hungry wildlife such as deer, raccoons and rabbits. The fence can also act as a trellis for climbing crops such as tomatoes, beans and peas.

Designers at The New York Botanical Garden protect beds of lavender and sage with tightly clipped evergreen parterres. Consider doing the same in your garden.

Pathways are incorporated throughout the raised beds at The New York Botanical Garden for visual interest and to keep visitors from walking on plants. Establish your paths early to avoid compacting beds or stomping on new growth.