Ready to GROW
A plant expert sows the seeds of inspiration and preparation as we head into gardening season
Tiffany Mah has been helping people introduce greenery to their homes since starting her planterior design company, Plant Mahmah, in 2020. Mah specializes in plant walls (“living art”) and the rescue and maintenance of house plants and container gardens. Now is a great time to start preparing for the latter, she says.
The key when planning your garden is to know what light you’re working with. “A lot of the times people will choose the wrong plants for their environment,” Mah explains. East-facing yards and balconies get a lot of morning sun, while west-facing will get harsh afternoon sun. “In that case, you’re going to want to choose plants that are hearty for full sun,” she says. Southern sun is a gardener’s dream — almost anything can grow in that light — while those facing north will want to stick to planting things that do well in the shade.
So when is a good time to plant outdoors? Tracking the current weather will tell you. “You want to wait until your overnight temperatures are consistently above 10 to 15 degrees,” Mah says. Nurturing seedlings can be done indoors until that time.
If you’re after an herb garden, basil, parsley and cilantro are the easiest to grow. “Those are three basic ones that are in a lot of recipes but also are very easy to take care of, very forgiving,” she says. For vegetables, cherry tomatoes (technically a fruit) are beginner friendly. “If you forget a day of watering, the plant will bounce back if you make sure to water the next day.” They’re also prolific — you’ll be rewarded for your efforts — and you can use a tomato cage to help them stay upright, which can be found anywhere that sells garden supplies. A good rule of thumb: Small vegetables work best in small gardens. In other words, zucchini might be a challenge.
Source your seedlings from a nursery to ensure quality. “They have a team of horticulturists and greenhouse staff that has been babying these seedlings for months in advance and they won’t put it onto the retail floor until it passes a certain standard for them,” Mah says. And always use potting soil in container gardens — one that allows for ample drainage.