It's that time of the year again: time to think about planning your garden! You've procrastinated long enough and it may be a little late for ordering seed from a catalogue but store displays still abound with a good selection. It's not too late, however, to think about a completely different approach to your flower beds and choose seeds (or starter plants) accordingly. Depending on exposure to the sun, soil type and accessibility you can convert your flower beds to kitchen gardens (or at least a portion of them).
What is often referred to as a kitchen garden or potager is full of herbs, edible flowers and vegetables, all planted so it's decorative as well as practical. It could be small raised beds with one or more varieties planted to each with symmetry and colours taken into consideration, but an already existing bed along the side of your house in close proximity to your kitchen door, could also work.
Not all vegetables require full sun. Lettuce, swiss chard, beets and several others will tolerate part shade. Oftentimes many vegetables will do better out of the noonday sun and can still thrive on four to six hours of sunlight daily.
Michael Pollan, in his In Defense of Food, says, "The food you grow yourself is fresher than any you can buy and it costs nothing but an hour or two of work each week, plus the price of a few packets of seeds".
It's good for your children or grandchildren to experience self-sufficiency. They can learn by helping to plant and harvest homegrown food. So, think about where you might incorporate a kitchen garden on your property and have young children help with the planting -- it's then they will know that vegetables don't always come from a store.
Some examples of simple kitchen gardens:
In an area approximately three metres by two metres (or even smaller), plant contrasting colours of lettuce in groups or wavy rows along with curly parsley and english or french thyme (which could take over when the lettuce bolts in the heat), followed by basil (dark opal and genovese), then a row of beets forming a rectangle and radishes (that you let bloom so you can eat the flowers and pods). Carrots come next. They frame a planting of chives and kale.
In your perennial border where you might already have daylilies and lavender, add annual calendula, perennial winter savoury, mesclun mix, perhaps, and some bergamot amongst the existing plants. And perhaps, behind on a trellis, plant pole beans (eg. scarlet runner flowers are edible as well as the large beans) alongside other vines.
You may have to add stepping stones to access all the plants and mulch between (mown dried leaves are my favourite), but you could use straw (which will disappear as everything grows) or some other material (woodchips are best left for pathways).
A "garden" can also be added to a planter. What about egyptian onions (walking onion) or lemon grass in the centre -- maybe some garlic chives, and surround with pansies or viola, then seed trailing nasturtiums amongst them to take over when the pansies fade.
Also consider planting garlic alongside rose bushes (they are good companions) -- the scapes can be cut in July and garlic bulbs dug in late-August or September.
Besides those plants already mentioned, try combining these special companions:
- basil and peppers at the base of a support holding red or yellow pear tomatoes;
- red petunias and purple string beans along a walkway;
- strawberries planted with lettuce, onions and spinach in a container.
Did you know ?
Hollyhock flowers are edible, daylily buds are really good for dipping, scented geranium flowers can be used to flavour ice cream or yogurt, johnny-jump-ups (violas) are good candied or in salads.
Note: Use your own organically grown flowers and plants and be sure the flowers used for garnishing aren't poisonous (eg. larkspur and delphinium shouldn't be used).
If you purchase, confirm how plants are grown. Florist flowers are often treated with chemicals.
Kathryn McHolm of Welcome, artist and ecological gardener, sees the world through green eyes. Contact her at kathrynsgarden@sympatico.ca for questions or to pass on ideas.
