In this episode of Still Growing…(SG), I feature Part 2  of my interview with Emily Tepe: Author of The Edible Landscape (Episode SG513).  Part 1 was featured in Last week’s Still Growing episode – S512.  To recap, Emily is an edible landscaping expert and a garden writer/researcher.

In Part 1, we covered her background in design and horticulture. Emily also shared her experience in writing her book as well as how she stays current on the latest garden trends.

I discovered Emily through her blog, Artichokesandzinnias.com; eating in season from the edible landscape.  On her blog, Emily shares her genuine appreciation for the aesthetic value of edibles; and she has a particular passion for Swiss Chard. Often times, it’s those little details (like having a soft spot for Swiss Chard), that help us find those kindred spirits among us. I’m quite certain that bit about Swiss Chard lead me straight to Emily.

Ironically, she can’t have a garden of her own… it’s against the rules where she lives.  Why? Because she’s living on an historic ranch INSIDE the Grand Teton National Park! (All gardeners must make some trade-offs!)

As a reminder, at the end of Part 1 of my interview (SG512) Emily had just shared some creative edible gardening practices.  

As we resume the interview, Emily takes us through the world of edibles and shares her top choices in categories like: best color, top edibles for containers and arbors, etc.

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SG513 Emily Tepe: The Edible Landscape (Part 2)

• Incorporating Chickens into the Landscape (12:00)
• The biggest mistake home gardeners make with planting edibles (13:30)
• The 3 most beautiful edibles to grow (15:53)

The three most beautiful edibles to Emily:

Swiss Chard, Blueberries & Celery

• The edibles that are ideal for growing in pots (19:20)
• Overwintering Herbs (21:08)
• Edibles that are perfectly suited for arbors (23:00)
• Top 5 most colorful edibles to grow (23:30)
• Learning to love Kale (24:30)

Favorites from Emily’s Kitchen:

Sautéed Kale Recipe from NYTimes In this sautéed kale recipe, I often use lemon juice at the end instead of vinegar, when I’m not in a ‘vinegary’ mood. The lemon juice is so light and refreshing!

Fast White Bean Stew Recipe from Epicurious This soup recipe is my standby cool weather weekday recipe. Obviously I substitute kale for the lettuce. It takes all of about 15 minutes to throw it all together, and the kale added at the end is absolutely delicious! (and way better than lettuce, in my opinion) 

• The higher maintenance edibles (26:20)
• Bolting: What it is and why gardeners should care (28:30)
• Tips for Urban Gardeners with Limited Space (31:00)

• Emily’s fav’s: Bush Zuchini and Mizuna Mustard (33:00)
• Some Challenging or more-rare edible plants for experienced gardeners (33:50)
• Invasive Edibles (36:00)
• Fruiting Trees (38:00)
• Fool-proof Edibles (40:00)
• Inspiring Edibles to Emily (41:00)
• Design principles for Edibles (42:00)

“Don’t plant in rows.

People always tend to plant food plants in rows and ornamentals in masses. If you can think of your edibles as ornamentals, I think it will make them really look much more interesting and more ornamental.”

– Emily Tepe

• Emily’s Favorite Garden Tools (44:00)
• Getting Kids to Grow Edibles (46:30)
• Emily’s passion for the Minnesota State Fair (52:00)
• Emily’s work on getting Fruiting Tree Fact Sheets online (55:00)
• Emily’s favorite camera (57:00)
• Visit Emily online: Website | Amazon

Mentioned on Still Growing… this week:

Grand Tetons National Park

Malabar Spinach

Bolting

Bush Zucchini

Mizuna Mustard

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Jennifer Ebeling

Producer & Host at Still Growing... Gardening Podcast

Jennifer Ebeling is a proud Minnesotan and U of MN alumni. Gooooooo Gophers! Each week, Jennifer produces and hosts Still Growing - a gardening podcast dedicated to helping you and your garden grow. The show is an in-depth interview format. Guests featured on the show share a passion for gardening and include authors, bloggers, professional gardeners, etc. Listeners and guests of the show can join the Still Growing community on Facebook. It's a place to ask questions, share garden stories, interact with great guests featured on the show, and continue to grow and learn. Jennifer and her husband Philip have four children, a big golden lab named Sonny, and live in lovely Maple Grove, Minnesota. P.S. When she's not teaching her four kids a new card game - or teaching them how to drive a car - Jennifer loves inspiring individuals and groups to maximize and personalize their home & garden.

Latest posts by Jennifer Ebeling (see all)

• Twenty Reasons NOT to Garden and WHY I IGNORE THEM ALL with Garden Humorist Luke Ruggenberg - May 18, 2018
• Stoneleigh: America’s Newest Public Garden, PLUS an in-depth chat with Ethan Kauffman about his vision and the plants he loves most in the garden - May 11, 2018
• Practical Organic Gardening Explained, Plus How to Solve Garden Challenges Naturally with Mark Highland - April 20, 2018

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