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lavender_lass

Vegetables in the cottage garden

lavender_lass
12 years ago

I know we've talked about this before, but since CMK is adding veggies (as am I) and we have some new people asking questions...I'd like to ask everyone to post their favorite tips and/or pictures of their vegetables in the cottage garden. Or if you have a separate kitchen garden/potager or herb garden, please post tips and/or pictures of those, as well.

This time of year, there are so many wonderful veggies, in all the stores (not to mention nurseries) it's hard to resist buying a few more. Where do you plant your asparagus or cucumbers? Do you tuck garlic in with the roses? Carrots with the tomatoes? Any thing really unusual, you've found works well in your area?

I'm trying potatoes in tires this year (for my nephew) and planting his pumpkins around them. I'm hoping the warmth from the tires will help the pumpkins grow...and maybe actually ripen, before they freeze! Those darn late August frosts get my pumpkins every time. Also planning to try another bean teepee this year, but I'm painting the bamboo poles black, to blend in more with the other garden structures.

Here's my kitchen garden from last year. Lots of fruit around the edges, with veggies on the inside, mixed with herbs and flowers. Yes, I know you've probably seen this picture before (LOL) but it's been too wet and cold to plant anything yet...so no new pictures. I'll post them, as soon as it quits raining!

I know some of you live in much warmer climates, so please help with some ideas and beautiful pictures of your gardens :)

{{gwi:243812}}

Comments (12)

  • newyorkrita
    12 years ago

    What a lovely picture. I was surprised to see the horses in the garden, don't they eat up everything? I don't see any fence back there to keep them out.

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    12 years ago

    This year I'm mixing veggies in amongst the flowers wherever I find bare earth. This year there won't be any thought as how things look as to looking pretty tho, maybe in years to come I'll get that part sorted out.

    I'll have lots of bean poles in the oddest places, a couple of new to me veggies Taiwanese head mustard and asparagus lettuce along with the Croatian lettuce I grow every year here and there, tomatoes some in a raised beds in front of pole beans and cucs will be grown in the tops of a couple of my composters. Shallots, potato onions, top setters are in one of the flower bed that has just been dunged out along with pole beans, a row of potatoes, asters, echinacea, dahlias and other flowers, honeysuckle and clematis on the fence. Herbs I have several types of chives, winter thyme, spearmint and garlic planted in a ring around a rosemary plant. I planted a female Actinidia kolomikta along side the colorful male a couple of years ago, last year we had fruit the size of large grapes but the birds got them, sneaky little devils.

    I have a raspberry bed grown like one I saw at Kew (on TV) and a few heirloom strawberries (British Sovereign) growing in a half barrel, just enough strawberries to snack on while in the garden. Probably grow a few more things in amongst the flowers but that's just about it for this year or that's all that comes to mind right now.

    Annette

  • natal
    12 years ago

    LL, I haven't grown pumpkins, but know they have a long growing season. The same with winter squash. Unless you can find a variety that will mature within your short time frame that's probably a veggie best not planted.

    Also, are you planting from seed or transplants? Make sure you get short season varieties. Bush beans might be a better option than pole.

  • luckygal
    12 years ago

    I don't actually 'do' veggies but have herbs and a bit of a salad garden. My herbs have always been mixed in with the flowers altho this year I'm clearing out a bed that's right by the door and putting some there so they are handy to the kitchen. It's a small bed tho so I may have to put some in the perennial beds again. I've always used chives throughout my garden and will move some among the roses along with lavender to discourage the deer. I planted garlic at the edge of one of the far beds but think I'll also put that among the roses this year.

    For years I've let the wild strawberries form a border for my island bed but I hope to get that completely renovated this year so I'll rip them all out - it's only the birds that eat them and they can find them beyond my garden.

    Last year I planted mixed mesclun as a border in a couple of beds but the weather was so hot they bolted fairly quickly. I might do some Rainbow or Northern Lights Swiss Chard this year if I have any spaces in the beds. Should be planting it about now but I'm battling rain and still moving plants.

    You might want to research the safety of planting in tires. I've read the potatoes can taste of rubber.

    Here is a link that might be useful: about planting in tires

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Rita- Yes, they would eat up the garden! There's an electric wire fence, behind the garden and they're standing right up next to it. The horses show up, anytime I take out my camera...I swear, they love to have their picture taken :)

    Annette- Your garden sounds like the perfect cottage style...everything tucked in together and making an attractive and useful combination. I like your idea of snacking on strawberries, while gardening!

    Natal- Thanks for the tip. I haven't had much luck with pumpkins, but I thought I'd try starting the seeds early and setting out plants. I might try hilling them more, too...that clay is so darn cold, even in early June. I did get some Fairy squash, which is supposed to ripen much earlier and I've had good luck with the summer squashes.

    As for pole beans, surprisingly, they've done pretty well. I mix together the Emerite and Purple pole and the lavender and purple flowers look beautiful together. We do get some beans and the green and purple are fun to pick...and the kids love to watch the purple beans turn dark green, when we cook them.

    Luckygal- Good to know about the tires. We have some really old tires I was going to use, so I don't know if that will be better or worse. Thanks for the link and I'll try to find out a little more, before we plant.

    We've had lots of rain, too. It seems more like early April than May, but it is supposed to be sunny and upper 60s the next two days, so I'm hoping to get a lot planted. Then rain for another five days...oh well, at least I don't have to water, yet.

  • ianna
    12 years ago

    I've been drawing inspiration from Alys Fowler who converted her victoria backyard into a large vegetable garden - cramped with lettuce, beets, carrots, radishes, fruits, etc..

  • organic_kitten
    12 years ago

    DH is under the impression a certain spot in the yard is the place to grow tomatoes. To satisfy him, I planted several tomatoes of his choice there...it is sandy and not enriched enough no matter what his idea is...anyway, I planted some tomatoes amongst my cottage garden flowers...you guessed it, they are doing wonderfully, as are the peppers and herbs.

    The rose garden is getting cucumbers this year. Hey, it is good ground and the roses are still babies.

    Yep, I use my cottage garden for veggies.
    kay

  • rosefolly
    12 years ago

    I have experimented with vegetables in the ornamental garden on several occasions, and have concluded that it is not for me. The vegetables (tomatoes, pumpkins, beans) seem to grow too aggressively to be play nicely with roses and perennials. Perhaps if you had them mixed in with other annuals, that would be a different story.

    Rosefolly

  • schoolhouse_gw
    12 years ago

    Today I finally got my veggie patch roto tilled for the first time since last Fall. It's been so wet, but the weeds were taking over. I had a big pile of brush there that I burned this morning, then raked the ashes into the soil before turning it over.

    Never got any lettuce planted or peas, now if the temps suddenly go up and stay there I won't have much of a crop if I do put some in. Today it was 78, but right now at 6:30p a storm is approaching, so I'm glad I got the work done. Too early for tomatoes and peppers I think.

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    12 years ago

    Fun thread LL ;-)

    I have been scrambling a bit to get everything together for planting. Past few days I have been moving the remainder of the perennials out of the front bed to make room for the veggies. A couple weeks ago it was snowing a little(!!?), so everything has been delayed a bit. Tonight I plan on sowing at least a few things out front, though will likely wait another week or so to plant the tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Just in case ;-)

    I did get my new lettuce bed planted (sowed 'Devils Ears', Buttercrunch, and Flashy Trouts Back) the other day, and a pot of snow peas.
    Next is to get some more metal poles for the scarlet runner beans (I was using tall tree branches before, so those didn't last long, lol!). Once those are in I can plant more of the snow peas.
    CMK

  • plantmaven
    12 years ago

    I plant where ever I can get enough sun. I have onions and 2 tomato plants next to an over growing! Copper Canyon daisy (Tagetes lemmonii). I think there is a symbiotic thing going on as those 2 plants are much healthier and greener than the others in another part of the garden.

    I began picking 1 or 2 grape type toms last week. We have gone 90 days with out rain, so those are expensive toms.
    Our growing season begins early, usually early March and by the end of June most veggies are burned up.

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Ianna- Thanks for mentioning Alys Fowler...her gardens look very nice. Now I need to make a trip to the book store :)

    Kay- Good to see that your vegetables play well with your roses. I have the same problem as Rosefolly...the tomatoes and many other veggies try to take over the garden, so I plant them with marigolds and nasturtiums, which don't seem to mind.

    Schoolhouse- I'm having the same problem you are...it's been too wet to plant peas or anything else, but I'm going to try them anyway. I've had good luck with 'late' peas, if I plant them where they get some afternoon shade.

    CMK- Scarlet runner beans will be beautiful! I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your new veggies beds :)

    Plantmaven- Wow! That would be difficult to get used to...we often still have snow in March (even April and May this year) and usually can't even plant tomatoes until almost June. Interesting observation about the daisy and tomatoes...maybe I should check into that a bit more. Always looking for good companion plant combinations!

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