Herbs & Vegetables
WE ARE OPEN FOR the 2024 Gardening season! Happy planting!
Edible Plant List
While our list changes from year to year, the quality of our material does not. Please note that these lists are by no means all that we grow and we are constantly testing out new varieties. Supplies may not last, especially post Father’s Day, so call ahead if you are interested in something specific.
Select fruit and vegetable planting guides are available for download on our Resource Guide page.
We pride ourselves on our selection of high quality herbs, vegetables, and fruit (including numerous varieties of tomato and basil plants, melons, peppers, savory herbs and spices, as well as many varieties of lettuces, kales, and even citrus trees). Most of our plants come from local growers, many of whom grow exclusively for us, allowing us to offer a selection that uniquely reflects the diverse tastes of the Chicago community.
Fruit-Trees are available in the Gethsemane Tree & Shrub Department. Citrus trees and bushes can be found in the Gethsemane Greenhouse.
We are excited to welcome all members of the Peterson Garden Project
For more information, we recommend the following references and websites:
For information on our local zone hardiness – see the USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Zone Map
For help with planning your edible garden:
- The Old Farmer’s Almanac has an updated Frost Chart available online as well as list of the best dates for planting transplants in our region and the current spring planting dates for Chicago. – Please note that these are approximate dates derived from previous weather patterns and the location of the moon. The Old Farmer’s Almanac estimates that these dates are about 50% accurate, but should provide you with some general guidance.
- Seed Savers Exchange has a very helpful garden planner available for a modest yearly subscription fee of $25.
- Johnny’s Seeds supplies a number of free tools including a Seed Calculator, a Target Harvest Date Calculator, a Fall Planting Calculator, a Seed Starting Date Calculator, and a Succession Planting Calculator
- The University of Illinois Extension offers a guide on Small Fruit Crops for the Backyard
- How to Plant and Grow Your Own Vegetable Garden
- Vegetable Gardening Online
For help with edible gardens in raised beds and containers:
- How To Do Raised Bed Vegetable Gardens
- How to Make a Raised Bed Garden
- Growing Vegetables in Containers
- Container Vegetable Gardening
- From the University of Illinois Extension – Making Herb and Vegetable Containers
For care and maintenance of your edible garden:
- Vegetable Garden Maintenance
- Insects and Diseases of Plants: A Photo Gallery of Insect Pests, Plant Diseases
- Pest Control Library
- The University of Illinois Extension offers a useful guide to Common Problems for Vegetable Crops
For tips on when to harvest your crops:
Did you notice that our Herbs and Veg yard is set up alphabetically? The yard starts with basil then works its way down through the alphabet to lavender, rosemary, and thyme with all the herbs in between.
Come check out what’s new in the yard including potato bags, almond and olive trees, male and female kiwi plants, herb topiaries, dwarf apple trees, and more!
#gethsemaneveggies
Apr 14
As we prepare for our Sidewalk Sale, we are continuing to mark down our floor model Gro Boxes (plants including) along with our wooden planters and statement arrangements. Swipe through to see what`s in stock and if you see something you like come in or call us. Sale ends Monday August 28th or while supplies last, so come in quick to snatch these deals. Pick up only.
$80 24x36x22 Gro Box
$120 36x36x22 Gro Box
$80 24x36x22 Gro Box
$60 for each 18x36x34 Gethsemane specialty Gro Box
$50 24x24x34 Gro Box trellis includes
$40 for each wooden planter
$80 each Statement Arrangements
$160 36x48x34 Gro Box (this is a sample photo of the size box we have. We are keeping this one, but have an unused box for sale.)
#gethsemaneveggies
Aug 17
Happy Saturday and Happy Summer! Here’s the update from our Herbs & Veg Department:
🌞 All 6” tomato pots ON SALE $5.99!
🌞 54” round cages ON SALE now! Perfect for unruly tomatoes. Now $12.99
🌞 Handcrafted talavera style clay garden plaques ON SALE! These are so pretty 😍, price as marked.
🌞 All varieties of 4” basil pots now $3.99
🌞 6” basil pots now $5.99
🌞 We have limited supply of red leaf lettuce & chard. This is currently our last batch until the fall!
🌞 Teak table sets on SALE, $349/set (2 collapsible chairs & table)
#gethsemaneveggies
Jun 24
Join us this Saturday, June 24th, for our next FREE class: Staking and Trellising. Let`s chat about one of the oldest vegetable farming techniques and how you can incorporate this easy and affordable process into your own garden. No reservation required but we encourage you to arrive early to get a seat! The weather is looking beautiful this Saturday, so class will be held outside in our Herb & Veg Yard (Entrance on Clark & Edgewater Ave). See you then at 10am at Gethsemane Garden Center! #gethsemaneveggies
Jun 19
Let’s see what’s growing in our Herbs and Veg yard!
JUST ARRIVED! Beautiful, mature, fruiting blueberries, raspberries,and blackberries. 5-7 years old! $40 per pot. What a steal for the age and size of these plants!
Look at these big 6” Basil and Cilantro plants waiting to be harvested for $8.99
It’s tomato time! We have a vast selection of established tomato plants for $8.99
Don’t miss out on our hardy Rosemary plants for $39 and snag a perennial Munstead Lavender for $8.99. These fragrant beauties will regrow year after year if you cut the spent blooms, place them in a sunny spot, don’t give it too much water and mulch it in the winter time.
Don’t feel like deciding what varieties to grow? No problem, we will can do it for you! Pick up one of our Instant Gardens for $79. Just add sun and water.
Our Father’s Day Fruit Sale has just started. Get a great deal on gooseberry, jostaberry, and currants for $11.99!
#gethsemaneveggies
Jun 10
Join us this Saturday for our next FREE class: Tomatoes 101 & General Vegetable Planting. No reservation required but we encourage you to arrive early to get a seat! Learn from the experts of Windy City Harvest on tomato best practices and what to look out for in order to get the highest yield from your garden. The weather will be beautiful this weekend, so class will be held outside in our Herb & Veg Yard (Entrance on Clark & Edgewater Ave). Tomatoes have been arriving throughout the week and we’ve got them all from heirlooms to hybrids, from slicing to saucy, from cherry to big 1-pounders. Tomato cages, trellises and fertilizers are here too! See you Saturday at 10am at Gethsemane Garden Center! #gethsemaneveggies
May 16
Join us on Sunday, May 21st, as we welcome Celebrity Chef Art Smith to Gethsemane for a Garden Pizza Cooking Demo! Former Personal Chef to Oprah Winfrey, two-time James Beard Foundation Award winner, and owner of numerous restaurants including Navy Pier’s REUNION, Chef is a long time Chicagoan and lover of all things family, friends and food. Watch Chef demonstrate how to make healthy pizza recipes inspired by veggies and herbs you can grow in your own garden. This event is free and open to the public. Limited space available. See you Sunday May 21st at 11am in our Herbs and Veg yard. Bon Appétit! #gethsemanegardencenter #gethsemaneveggies #chefartsmith #summerfoodie
May 8
Have you ever grown fruit before? Try something new this year by planting cranberries, lingonberries, currants, goji, kiwi, huckleberries, white cherries, Haskap (honeyberry), gooseberries, or brazelberries. Or stick to the classics like grape, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry & blueberry. Now is a great time to plant fruit and reap their rewards by mid-summer. Check out our online Resource Guide for additional tips and printable care sheets, link in bio. #gethsemaneveggies
May 3
Gro Boxes are here! Jump start your Spring planning with elevated garden planters. All are made in Illinois & constructed by hand with Western Red Cedar. They are naturally durable, drought & rot resistant. We sell all sizes disassembled but parts and instructions are included. These go fast and sell out every year! Call or stop by to purchase yours today.
Our herbs and veg department is expanding in 2023. Look forward to more herbs, vegetables, and a larger selection of edible flowers. We are adding a pollinator and beneficial section and expanding our custom planting area. We can’t wait for spring to begin.
W” x L” x H”
24 x 24 x 22…. $200
24 x 24 x 34…. $225
24 x 36 x 22…. $230
24 x 36 x 34…. $245
24 x 48 x 22…. $260
24 x 48 x 34…. $290
18 x 36 x 34…. $240*
*(Gethsemane Exclusive Size)
#gethsemaneveggies
Feb 4
Mix & Match Fall Crops 6 for $14.99 or $2.99 each. YUM.
Available:
Arugula
Chard ‘Bright Lights’
Chard ‘Ruby Red’
Kale ‘Toscano’
Kale ‘Starbor Blue Curled’
Kale ‘Red Russian’
Lettuce ‘Black-Seeded Simpson’
Lettuce ‘Buttercrunch’
Lettuce ‘Green Star’
Lettuce ‘Romaine’
Lettuce ‘Red Ruby’
Lettuce ‘Wild Mesclun’
We also received a fresh delivery of flat parsley and dill - great for Swallowtail butterfly friends!
#gethsemaneveggies
Sep 1
Fresh off the truck! Cool-season crops have just arrived! Visit us in the Herbs & Vegetables yard to pick your fresh green favorites.
Available: Chard, Kale, Spinach, Lettuce
PS: All mint is now .99 cents (mojito, ginger, spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, julep)
Marigold (Herb yard only) $1.99 4”pot
Citronella $.99 4” pot
Large Rosemary $16.99
We have a few blueberries left @ $5 each!
& a few pollinator pots @ $9.99 each!
Aug 18
The Three Sisters Garden, rooted in Native American history, is a prime example of companion planting. The plants grow together to take advantage of their natural tendencies and relationships. The Three Sisters are made up of corn, beans, and squash.
Corn provides tall stalks for the beans to climb so that they are not out-competed by sprawling squash vines. Beans provide nitrogen to fertilize the soil while also stabilizing the tall corn during heavy winds. The large leaves of squash plants shade the ground which helps retain soil moisture and prevent weeds.
Corn should be planted first so that it can grow tall above the other crops. Plant seeds for beans 2-3 weeks later, or at least when the corn is a few inches tall. When the beans are sending out tendrils to climb the corn will be tall enough to support them. Plant squash seeds 1 week later after the beans have emerged.
A diet of corn, beans, and squash consisting of carbohydrates, protein, amino acids, and various vitamins creates a complete and balanced diet. In Chicago, 3 sisters are usually planted in early Spring, so save this post for next year! #gethsemaneveggies #threesistersgarden #corn #beans #squash #stackedgarden #uprightgarden #growyourownfood
Jul 28
Now is the time to start harvesting your veggies and herbs.
When going to harvest make sure to evaluate your plant. Look at the quality of the leaf and produce. This would be the time to determine if you are going to fertilize your plant to gain another yield or move on and take out your plant. All depends on the quality of the plant. If no new flowers are appearing then you would need to fertilize. Thin the plant first then fertilize.
When fertilizing your plants, a liquid fertilizer is best. Dissolve the recommended amount into a gallon of water and let it sit. Then pour the mixture onto the roots of the plants.
Peppers: when harvesting sweet peppers, always pick when they are green so you are able to enjoy them before the birds, mice, rats, and squirrels get to them. Let the hot ones go to their desired color.
Eggplants and cucumbers: harvest as soon as desired, waiting too long to pick may risk losing your crops
#gethsemaneveggies
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#kitchengarden #harvest #vegetableharvest #summerharvest #veggiegarden #veggiegardening #growyourown #growyourownfood #growyourownveggies #growyourownveg #edibleflowers #wildedibles #ediblegarden #gardengrown #fromthegarden #garden #gardening #gardenchat #chicagogarden #chicagogardener #urbangardening #urbangardener #citygarden #citygardening
Jul 22
With heavy summer watering and recent rainfall, it`s easy for calcium to leach out of the soil. If the calcium is not available when needed, or the plant is allowed to become dry, the resulting conditions could cause ‘Blossom End Rot’. To combat this, use a fertilizer made for tomatoes, such as Tomato-Tone or Bone Meal, which returns calcium to the soil. Throw away spoiled fruit and going forward, water consistently especially for tomato plants grown in pots and coconut liners.
#growyourownfood #tomatoplants #containergardening #blossomendrot #chicagogardener #gethsemaneveggies #tomatoes #gardeningtips
Jul 21
