Good topic, as usual, LL! I decided on a potager largely based on an interest in balancing ornamental value with functionality. I live in town and have a small backyard. I didn't want to give up all of my primo full sun area to a basic vegetable garden. I want it to look pretty and allow me to grow herbs, vegetables and flowers in my limited space.

Secondarily, I'm also a bit of a francophile, so the concept of a French kitchen garden appeals to me, too!

Lisa

I want to grow climbing roses, and the tall posts necessary for this led me to consider connecting them with fencing, leaving 2 pairs of posts open for gates, and, as long as that much work was involved, planting tomatoes and other veggies in beds in front of the roses.

LavenderLass, I'm sure you can appreciate my tasks for tomorrow: 5 rose plants have just arrived by US Post, and they must go into the ground properly (fertilizer, compost, SuperThrive etc.) Roses in my area don't bloom until mid-June usually but these babies will take 2-3 years to develop their height.

So the other potager products (lettuce, herbs and radishes) will be the reward for my efforts until then.

Carol

Carol- What roses arrived? Are they all climbers? Yes, I love roses and I would surround the potager with them, if it weren't for the deer. The beneficials will probably appreciate the shrubs and wildflowers a bit more than all roses, but it would be pretty :)

Lisa- Your potager is perfect for your space. I like the french influence, too.

After we moved to a house that actually had good soil instead of clay and rocks, I decided it was high time to have a real garden. And, not just a little raised bed that my neighbor actually sneered "What is that thing?"

I hit up the gardening books at the library and fell in love with Jan Gertley's garden in The Art of the Kitchen Garden. Last year, I even arranged my beds to mimic a design in the book. Although I was far from being as meticulous as the garden in the book was.

It really makes the garden a destination instead of something totally utilitarian. When my new neighbors asked to see my garden, there was no sneering only appreciation. (I kept them in salads all summer!)

My first love in gardening is ornamentals and has been for years. So, the idea of having a vegetable garden that is beautiful too was extremely appealing. Add to that the fact that although I want to have fresh food for the house, I do not want to can and freeze anymore. Small, intensively planted raised beds have been and are the answer for me. It had been ten years since my last veggie garden, mostly because I got bored raising the same stuff year after year in the same basic rows. My new potager totally engages my creative side. I have been taking pictures this year. I will TRY to figure out how to post some soon.

I have had gardens before, but short rows and marigolds the only flowers. And certainly nothing else ornamental.

I am redoing the potager I created two years ago and I am so enjoying it. The reason I made a potager in the first place is the opportunity for creativity - the "outside the box" thinking that you can use to make the garden whatever you want. And have fresh vegetables/fruits from it too. So I guess apart from the fresh food, I would say that having a creative outlet, outdoors in the sunshine, is the main reason for having a potager.

The other reason is that gardening is meditation for me. Even just pulling weeds is relaxing. It's like being in a different world when you focus on the gardening task at hand. Everyone needs a sport or interest that gives them a "mental break" from the day to day drill, and for me it is gardening in a potager.

Those are my reasons for having a potager - Thanks for asking - :)

Donna M.

I love fresh veggies, but it's hard for me to give up limited space to a veggie plot when I want each inch of the yard to be easy on the eyes, and soothing.

A plain old veggie bed can be an eyesore.

I started thinking aobut edible landscaping, but need raised beds and defenses against the critter army......

The potager fits in nicely with function and appeal.

Donna, you are so right about the meditation aspect of a focused physical task! And Lavender Lass, as to what roses I got, I'll answer you in the Antique Roses forum.

Carol

I think they're pretty. I moved so I could have land, so have plenty for a standard garden, but love the look of a potager. Just getting started. Got 15 yards of soil delivered. About half laid out for my beds. I've got a 6'x6' of silver queen corn and the same for a yellow sweet variety, with room for a second planting in a couple of weeks, a long row of tomatoes on one side, potatoes that are there, but not too active, lol. Want to put cucumbers behind them, but haven't gotten picket fence post holes dug yet. It's fun, too! Have perennials along another side. Will use for a nursery bed - buy, divide and replant when big and strong.
Lisa

I started considering a potager because I wanted to have a small garden and have it look good. I have tried small patches in the past, and the deer always ate everything. Last yr I put out about 5-6 tomato plants in my backyard courtyard area. Finally I got my husband to agree to the potager with a fence so we could have a place to put veggies, and hopefully keep deer out. The flowers are just an extra bonus.
tammy

This IS a great question! I love the look of a formal bed layout, for one thing...it has a grandeur that appeals to me even though I have to take the formality down a few notches to 48931.html">
Your Name:

Your Email Address:

Zone (optional):

Subject of Posting:

Message:

Optional Link URL:

   Name of the Link:

Information about Posting

• You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
• Please review our Rules of Play
  before posting.
• Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you
  will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your
  post, make changes and upload photos.
• After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in
  order to see it.
• Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
• We have a strict no-advertising
  policy!
• If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit
  our Test forum.
• If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we
  will be happy to help.

Learn more about in-text links on this page here

Return to the Potager Gardens Forum

Most Recent Posts

• It can be fun to breed your own zinnias - Part 30 â¢Â by ninecrow
• Why micro in a pantry? â¢Â by llucy
• what to do with fresh goat manure? â¢Â by glib
• What is this and what does it mean? â¢Â by vetivert8
• Old house, small kitchen, part 2 â¢Â by Jillius
• Problems with scale â¢Â by sunshine_qld
• Searching for new NEWISH rose for garden... â¢Â by decobug
• Hi everyone â¢Â by vetivert8
• braided willow ficus- need help â¢Â by vetivert8
• Searching for a certain pepper â¢Â by smokemaster_2007

Explore GardenWeb

Ann's Cream Cheese Babka
Perfect for Holiday Baking

Feeding Hummingbirds
Will they survive the winter?

ItsTheDetails' Kitchen Reveal
1939 Cape Cod Tranformation

Â