Shea McGee is back to tackle a new home renovation project this spring—but this time, the interior designer is going outdoors to overhaul her gardening space, and she posted a video of the process to provide home gardeners with a few essential tips.
To create her dream garden, McGee called in some expert help: Nicole Burke of Gardenary, a garden tech and education company, visited her home with plenty of plants, seeds, and bulbs in tow. Here's how they turned the empty space into a future oasis.
Shea McGee's Spring Garden Refresh
The Soil
McGee had with six empty garden beds and two trellises to work with, and Burke began by creating what she calls “the best garden soil." She simply mixes equal parts sand, topsoil, and compost to help her plants and produce thrive. She also showed viewers the easiest way to determine whether or not you’re working with a good soil mix: When you take a handful of soil and squeeze it, it should hold its shape but start to crumble slightly.
The Garden Bed Layout
There’s more than meets the eye to creating the perfect garden bed—Burke explained she was thinking about both the look and functionality of harvesting when she chose where to place McGee’s plants. The designers made sure to bring the soil right up to the edges of the beds, as Burke planned to plant next to the edges to make it appear fuller.
STUDIO MCGEE
The Plants
And Burke's decision of what to plant along the edges was intentional: She went with perennial herbs. This way, McGee’s beds will look beautiful throughout the changing of the seasons, even as the annual plants in the middle die off. Plus, she’ll always have something to harvest. Perennial herbs can also help to keep pests away—so no more worrying about pesticides lingering in your homegrown veggies.
McGee and Burke planted herbs like sage, rosemary, lavender, thyme, and oregano. Looking to plant your own McGee-approved garden beds? Just make sure you know which plants will thrive in your planting zone.
After taking care of the outside border, the duo created another border of annual plants between the edge and center of each bed. The very middle of the garden beds were left for plants that bear fruit. Since they need more time to grow (and less harvesting), the center is the best place for them.
The Trellises
As for the modern black trellises McGee has—both spanning two garden beds each—Burke plants young tomato plants and cucumbers for McGee to train up both trellises. Not only will they add color and provide delicious summer snacking, growing them vertically will also make them easier to harvest.
STUDIO MCGEE
Burke's Other Must-Know Miscellaneous Gardening Tips
- To fill up your garden bed, Burke recommends planting your selection closer together than you might think you should. When designing McGee’s beds, she mimicked how plants grow naturally in the wild. Leaving less space not only improves the look of your garden bed, it can even help protect your plants.
- To keep the garden beds looking fresh, Burke advises always harvesting border herbs from the inside-facing part of the plant. Keeping those perennial herbs along the edges healthy is the key to a pristine bed, and harvesting from the inside makes the outward-facing part of the plant look full.
- When it comes to root vegetables, think about the size of the veggie you’re trying to grow, and make sure you plant your seeds that far apart. She recommends two finger-lengths for radishes, three for carrots, and four for beets. This gives them enough space to grow to maturity underground.
- When you’re planting from seed, Burke recommends slightly over-planting to cover for any errors (planting too deep, germination duds, thievery from local birds). She also cautions McGee to always plant her seeds last, so that they don’t get mixed around in the soil after other herbs are planted.
To watch the full webisode (and get more future updates on McGee’s remodeled garden beds), visit Studio McGee’s website or YouTube channel. If you want to know exactly what went into McGee’s garden beds, take a look at the the Gardenary official website to view Studio McGee’s garden bed planting plans.