This spring let’s try a new garden concept—planting a circular garden plot to grow pizza toppings! We’ll all love it. Adults and kids have great fun being part of the process together. In the spring it’s time to plan, make lists, and collect materials. And then it’s on to making it happen! Prepping the soil, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and maybe even building the pizza for the party at the end of the season!
The theme for this garden can lend itself to many incarnations—maybe a salsa garden with varieties of spicy chilis and assorted bell peppers, or possibly a tea garden with lavender and other herbs, perhaps even chamomile.
Some educational farms may have a pizza garden. I was inspired by the charming pizza garden I saw at Clagett Farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and organized by the Capital Area Food Bank. Here’s another example of the pizza garden making basics.
Plan Ahead
Aim to plant your garden by the end of April. Start by selecting a well-draining location that gets at least six hours of direct sun daily. It should be near a water source. Last year, the environmentally focused nonprofit Annapolis Green received a grant from First Christian Community Church to have kids garden during their summer camp. The church grounds had a wide expanse of level lawn adjacent to an outdoor spigot. The plan was to plant a large demo garden and invite the public to participate.
This pizza garden’s diameter was large, at 16 feet, but you may want to start smaller at home. It’s easy to start with a 5’or 6’ diameter and then divide the space into six “pizza slices.” With a smaller garden, it then becomes easier to reach in to harvest from all sides. For the larger demo garden, steppingstones were added to avoid compacting the soil with foot traffic.
Divided into slices, a pizza garden can incorporate tomatoes, basil, oregano, green onions, and peppers—easy growers that come in bright colors and kid-friendly sizes. Herbs add enticing flavors, scents, and shapes, especially if you pick multiple varieties.
Photo by Rita Calvert
Prepare & Shape the “Dough” (Soil)
Veggies grow best in nutrient-rich soil that’s a balanced mix of sand, silt, and clay. This takes a bit of explaining. The soil should drain very well and not be compact; it needs to act like a sponge. That’s why you don’t want people walking on it. Various options are listed for the soil in the materials list below. Then, form the pizza’s outer circle using inexpensive sisal rope, bricks, rocks, or flexible landscape edging. These same materials can also outline the slices.
Choose the Plant Toppings
We recommend buying seedlings at your farmers’ market. Farmers seem to be selling more and more plants in the spring these days. It’s great to support them, and the plants will be healthier than a store that has had them shipped in. Here’s a list of plantings to get your garden started:
Sungold tomato plants; small hands can easily pluck these sweeties from the vine. And this variety is fuss-free.
Pear tomato plants or other tiny tomatoes; they’re available in a range of colors.
plants with medium-size tomatoes; we use Celebrity.
scallion plants; they are fast growing and simple.
mini bell pepper plants; these snack-sized jewels might even charm those who think they don’t like bell peppers.
marigold plants; farmers’ markets may sell them by the flat; they look sprightly and colorful outlining our pizza.
.....You’ll Also Need
- Lots of natural brown cardboard (shipping cartons were perfect) with their labels and tape removed, then flattened.
- Compost: We recommend “Annapolis Green’s Secret Sauce Compost” from Veterans Compost (veterancompost.com) or their original compost since they have expanded to a few varieties. Their website has a list of retailers who carry it. You may need to call around for it, but it’s well worth the effort. Compost should never contain trash, such as bits of plastic. It should look like dark, rich fluffy soil. There are many raised-bed garden soils to choose from; or it is recommended to use 50 percent Maryland Leafgro mixed with 50 percent garden soil.
- Biotone starter fertilizer.
- Round steppingstones.
- Tomato cages or stakes to support tomatoes.
- Water, of course!
- Materials for a pizza garden sign.
- Drill with an auger attachment, if the garden is large and the cardboard (plus under-grass) becomes difficult to dig through by hand.
Choose a “Leader” or Coach
This was very important to the Annapolis Green team. If you want to do this with a group, the team leader should be good at motivating a group and with little ones, to keep the plan in order. It helps that the leader has a voice that carries. We also used a cowbell to call everyone to attention.
Prepare the Garden Plot
The demo project had a large mature lawn to deal with for the new pizza garden. Rather than digging up the grass, the “lasagna” layering technique was chosen (lots of fun to get everyone involved). It’s an easy way to naturally plant above ground with low maintenance. And there’s no need to dig anything up first. Here’s how: Build up thick layers of cardboard, newspaper, or even compost within the circumference of your garden to block the light from reaching the weeds and grass underneath. Water the cardboard to keep it in place and to start the moisture process. Then spread compost at least six inches deep to cover all the cardboard.
Photos by Rita Calvert
Dig In
Plant the edibles following the instructions on the plant tags. Add some Biotone (package directions) to each hole. Place the plant in the hole. Gently press the soil down around the roots, then water thoroughly.
Tend Carefully
Check moisture levels often. Stick a finger about an inch into the dirt. If it feels dry, water well. Weed and watch for pest damage.
Photos by Rita Calvert
Personalize Your Pizza Garden
Get creative when designing your garden! Here, find a few fun ideas to get you started.
Ring the pizza’s outer circle with a pretty “crust” of marigolds, known for deterring pests from edible plants.
Nestle round stepping stones into the slices—they’re your “pepperoni.”
If you don’t have room for an in-ground garden, plant your ingredients in pots instead. The tomatoes will each need five-gallon containers, the peppers three-gallon containers, and the herbs one gallon.
Photos by Rita Calvert
Throw a Pizza Party
The Annapolis Green group considered quite a few different options: make its own pizza and bake on a grill (a store-bought or homemade crust loaded with ingredients such as marinara sauce, cheese, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs is extra tasty when grilled outdoors); have a pizza food truck come to the party; or simply order pizza takeout and have fresh garden toppings available as extras. Because it was a large group and the celebration at dusk, takeout pizza with garden toppings was the choice. As a dessert treat, ice cream cups were enjoyed.
If you want, make your own red sauce by sautéing chopped fresh tomatoes, onions or scallions, and herbs in olive.
The demo pizza garden grew beautifully without any major pest disturbance and everyone had a blast! The kids learned how to prepare a fun garden, then harvest the herbs and vegetables. Everyone that participates in your pizza garden will likely enjoy the effort as much as the result!
