Have You Seen the Edible Landscape Demo Garden?!

Laddy Lau





If you have not been to the Edible Landscape Garden in Fairmount Park, you are missing a hidden treasure.

Each time I visit, there is something new to explore.  Read more about what is happening at the garden and the great work of the volunteers that are making this space a wonderful place for education and nourishment.

Floating row cover bordered by okra and other 

Lois, master gardener, providing a tour of the garden to visitors

Community gathers to explore the Edible Landscape Demo Garden

 These pics don't do the demo garden justice so visit the Edible Landscape Demo Garden in person.  Explore the paths that lead to vibrant pollinators, rows of peppers, okra, herbs, berries, and so much more!! Located directly behind the large greenhouse of Fairmount Park's Horticultural Center (100 N Horticultural Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19131), you can peruse the Edible Landscape Garden and then venture to the Pollinator Garden that is near the white gazebo.

Passyunk Gardens

A view of Passyunk Gardens from across Wharton ST.
Still productive in late October. 

By Stephanie Rukowicz

In addition to the productive edible food demonstration garden at the Horticulture Center, a second MG edible demonstration garden was added to the project list in Spring 2015: Passyunk Gardens. Located in South Philly at the corner of Wharton ST and East Passyunk AVE, this demonstration vegetable garden is maintained by volunteers.

Established in 2011, the garden is all container. It began with high-raised beds that have no contact with the ground and, over time, additional tub containers have been added to maximize the use of space. Increasingly, perennial plants have also been added around the containers to develop a permaculture.  It is an interesting experiment in what's possible with these true urban conditions.

Passyunk Gardens is a community garden yet different from a typical community garden. All beds and containers are tended and harvested collectively. This togetherness allows for more community interaction, rather than the traditional community garden where individual plots are assigned and the majority of time spent at the garden is by individuals working in and harvesting from individual plots. Produce is shared with neighbors, gardeners and partner organization United Communities. In 2016, the garden donated over 200 lbs of produce to United Communities' food pantry.

A view inside the garden in July 2016.
Photo from garden's Facebook page

One of two murals that brighten the garden space.

PHS City Harvest program provides plants and gardening supplies which are supplemented by neighborhood donations and the support of Passyunk Square Civic Association. Plants are selected with community member interests in mind and experiments are encouraged. The garden has an established bed of hops (which are turned into beer for the annual neighborhood holiday party), grape vines, berries, horseradish, sunchokes (aka jerusalem artichokes), and a variety of perennial pollinator plants.

Trials have included store bought garlic vs. seed garlic, growing tomatoes in woolly pockets and hay bales, experimenting with sorgham from the Experimental Farm Network, a three sisters garden in 2015 and a four sisters garden in 2016 (sunflowers, corn, pole beans, squash), and testing different methods of planting potatoes and sweet potatoes in containers.

There is an extensive herb garden that features flavors from the diverse cooking traditions of its neighbors including lemongrass, papalo, and basil. The garden has also coordinated with neighborhood chefs from East Passyunk Avenue to feature plants of special interest to seasonal menus. Garden leaders are always ready to make bed or container space for new and interesting growing projects.

Make Music Philly Event at Passyunk Gardens in June 2016.
Photo from garden's Facebook page

Workshops and demonstrations are held at the garden during the growing season. Topics have included: seed starting, companion planting, seed saving, organic pest control, wintering the garden, cooking with an herb garden, and sauerkraut making and canning. The garden also hosts nearby schools and youth organizations for tours and hands-on workshops. Art and music events, potlucks, barbecues all play a role in the success of community involvement in this demonstration garden.

During the growing season, workdays are scheduled the first Saturday of the month. All Master Gardeners and trainees are welcome to join.

The garden hosts open hours throughout the growing season on Sundays from 4:00-6:00pm and all who pass by are encouraged to stop in and enjoy the space: an oasis in South Philly.

News from the Edible Landscape Demonstration Garden

Cardoon in bloom

This past week brought the judging panel from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's City Gardens Contest to the garden. It was a beautiful, sunny morning and the garden looked splendid -- not a errant weed, nor a feasting harlequin beetle in sight! The weeks of attentive care by the Master Gardener volunteers were obvious to the four knowledgeable judges, one of whom was a retired Penn State Extension horticulture specialist. We silently chuckled when even she was unable to identify the cardoon in bloom! Winners will be notified sometime after Labor Day. Stay tuned for the update!



Black Turtle and Great White Northern Beans

The shelling bean harvest has begun -- Black Turtle, Great White Northern, Calypso, Whippoorwill -- all are at their height of production. These beans are excellent choices for freezing shelled in small freezer bags. Adding them to homemade soups in the winter adds extra flavor, texture and nutrition.

The first planting of cucumbers have finished fruiting and have made their way to the compost pile. 'Pickle Bush' is a very prolific producer. Our small number of plants produced enough cucumbers for salads, soups and a dozen or more pints of 'bread and butter' and 'spicey ginger' pickles.

The herb beds are in their glory right now. The eight different cultivars of basil are a sight to behold .Summer or winter savory combined with rosemary,sage, thyme and sweet marjoram are ready for drying and making Herbs de Provence. Please stop by after this Saturday's (August 10, 2013) workshop -- Culinary Herbs: Fragrant, Flavorful and Festive Foods -- at the Horticultural Center, N. Horticultural and Montgomery Drvie, Philadelphia, PA 19131. 9:30 am registration. The workshop begins at 10 am. $10 registration fee. For more information: 215-471-2200, ext. 116 or
e-mail at PhiladelphiaExt@psu.edu

News from the Edible Landscape Demonstration Garden

This past week's rainy weather has encouraged plenty of new growth in the vegetable demonstration garden at the Horticulture Center. The various beans -- bush and pole, shelling and string -- have sprouted and their growth can be measured daily in inches. There are small fruits on some of the pepper plants and the tomaotes have reached the first cross pieces on their teepee supports. The grapes that were transplanted in the early spring have grown at least three feet and will soon cover the arched arbor.

Eldredge Ragsdale hard at work

Many of the spring crops including the various lettuces and radishes have been harvested. Various beans and other summer vegetables have been planted in their place. The bush cucumbers are two inches high and will soon be climbing the space-saving trellises.

Visitors to the garden have been signing-in at the information box and taking the educational hand-outs home with them. Stop by and see us anytime you are in the neighborhood!

Edible Garden Ready to be planted 2013

The Edible Demonstration Garden has been prepared and ready for spring planting. Lois Fischer the chairperson along with Mary Ellen Post, Eldridge Ragsdale and others prepared the beds and began planting.






















Many of the perennial herbs in the garden are already coming to life after the warm winter and more are to be planted.
Differnt type of sage and oregano as well as  rosemary can
be seen in the photo below.