Themed gardens are a great way to put a little bit more thought and creativity into your planting space! It also helps give you a bit of focus on which direction to head with your garden plans, whether you are a newbie gardener who feels a bit overwhelmed on where to start, or an experienced green thumb who's looking to change things up a bit!
Although there are many different garden themes, including creating your own unique ideas, the salsa garden is one of the more popular ones.
Where to Start.
What kind of space and how much room do you have to plant your garden? A wonderful thing about gardens is you can build them straight in the ground, in a raised bed, or in pots if you are limited space! How much space you have will determine how many varieties you can grow!
What varieties should I grow?:
You'll need to decide what veggies you want to grow in your garden.
Classic salsa gardens have both spicy and sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and cilantro! Of course, you may have more or fewer varieties that you want to add ( if ya have an avocado tree, you can even do a guacamole garden! ). The next thing you need to do is decide on the varieties! Do you like mild salsa, sweet salsa, spicy salsa, or cry-your-eyes-out salsa?
- Peppers: Most people grow a green or red Sweet Pepper variety and a couple hotter types such as Anaheim, Jalapeno, or Habanero. If you like your salsa fiery, you could be brave and grow Scotch Bonnets or Carolina Reapers!! There are many many more pepper varieties than mentioned above; pick your favorite! If you need some help deciding, our Spicy Pepper Starter kit has 4 lovely types to get you well on your way!
- Tomatoes: Whether you are growing in a small space/pots or have a large in-ground garden, the kind of garden space you have will help you decide what kind of tomatoes to get. If you are growing in pots, it's best to choose determinate varieties since they only grow to a certain amount. Some determinate varieties are Celebrity, Beefsteak, Amelia, and Roma. Indeterminate are ones that can just keep growing in size! These include( not limited to) Brandywine, Juliet, Cherokee Purple, and San Marzano. These are better for large garden beds.
- Onions: Pick your favorite! You can grow red, white, yellow, or even bunching greens onions! Yellows are an excellent standard cooking variety, especially if you are unsure which one to choose. Red onions have a bit more of a bite to them, while white onions are on the sweeter side. Pick at least two for flavor variety.
- Garlic: You can choose both regular garlic and/or garlic chives! Just keep in mind that garlic takes longer to reach maturity, so it will need to be planted sooner.
- Cilantro: Of course, ya gotta have cilantro in salsa to add that extra zing! It's good to plant a few of these and stagger when you start to grow them. That way, you always have fresh cilantro!
And of course, you can add any other herbs and veggies you'd like into your salsa garden! Our Herbs in the Burbs and 10 Culinary Herb Seed Kit should give you some awesome ideas!
Tips and Encouragement:
- Use tomato cages to support your tomato and pepper plants.
- Make sure you get the right type of soil! If you are starting from seed, get seed starting soil. Once they have sprouted, you will want to put them in potting, raised beds, or garden soil, depending on whether you are growing in the ground or containers.
- You'll want to make sure you can give your plants at least 6 hours of sunlight or have sufficient growing lights!
- Keep plenty of space between your plants! You want them to have good airflow so they can "breathe." Try and use a minimum of 1 square foot per plant, more if you have space.
- Keep a regular watering routine! You never want your soil to dry out, but don't let it stay a swamp either. You can purchase hydration meters online or at your local nursery.
- Feed your plant babies! While they are young, feed them a low nitrogen food that focuses on root growth and soil health. Once they have grown a bit, you can use an organic all-purpose veggie fertilizer.
And if you ever need help or have questions about your Garden Republic seeds/plants, please reach out to us! We have both real people and automated support that allows being available most hours of the day and night! You can contact us on our website, through our Facebook, or by emailing us at wecare@shopgardenrepublic.com 
Ready to get started on your salsa garden? Click here to check on the Spicy Pepper Grow Kit, and click here for our Culinary Herbs Grow Kit.
