Growing a Kitchen Garden is really growing the herbs and vegetables you will use to cook with
Also known as potagers in the past as well as victory gardens only a few generations ago, growing a kitchen garden is a trend that even a president has participated in. The White House kitchen garden has received much publicity, and deservedly so. Usually grown close to the kitchen door so that you only need to walk out and pick your seasonings for your dinner pot, the term kitchen garden has enlarged to mean a garden to grow what you personally like and can grow easily. You do not have to grow everything! This will take the stress off you and let you really enjoy kitchen gardening. It is a very relaxing and healthy hobby and creating a beautiful landscape wherever you decide to grow your plants is a great feeling of satisfaction.
To start your kitchen garden, you will need to think where your sunniest area is on your property
If it is close to your kitchen all the better but perhaps it is in front of your house. You may question – vegetables and herbs in the front entry area? But, if you look to where your plants will grow best, you will find they will always be an asset to your landscape and attractive to your visitors. You will get comments and a productive kitchen garden.
Remember when Planting your Kitchen Garden, think of the plant’s needs first, and then find a way to incorporate them into your landscapes
Organic gardening is gardening without chemicals and it is how many prefer to grow their kitchen gardens. Growing organically is not hard at all and incorporates some fun activities like compost tumbling and worm bins. They sound weird, right? Well, they are not and are how our ancestors managed their farms when they relied on the own self-sufficiency. Even today, the preppers and survivalists are right when they say knowing how to garden and grow your own food is a necessary skill. But it is also fun and a great activity to do with your kids.
Many vegetable have attractive foliage and can be used to fill in areas of your border. “Bright Lights” Swiss chard has colorful stems in pinks and oranges while Kale’s leaves are a lovely blue green that are at their best in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall. This will green up your landscape when the other plants are just leafing out and when they are dropping their leaves in fall. Plan to grow 2 crops of this mineral rich leafy green plant. Tomatoes now come in red, yellow, pink and purple , even white in solids and stripes! Along with colorful sweet bell peppers which can be black, chocolate, red, yellow as well as shiny green, they will certainly add color in your landscape and feed you to boot. Plant a Rainbow Kitchen garden with your kids and everyone will enjoy kitchen gardening!
Now, depending on your climate, you may or may not be able to leave the plants out all year. If your temperatures go down to frosts or freezing temperatures, your annual and tender plants (those plants that can grow in your summer but not rated for your winter) will die. Your perennials plants that are rated for your area will survive until spring. The others might just have to come inside with you. No need to spend the winter plant-less while dreaming of your next kitchen garden!
