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Size and design
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Posted by fernsk z2 Canada (My Page) on Thu, May 4, 06 at 12:03
| Hi all
I live in a townhouse with a fenced 17.5' x 17' back yard with a glorious full sun exposure [south] - I grow great cucumbers. My little back yard has been a mish mash of pots, small beds, patio blocks for walk and patio and a square of lawn. I've decided that I would like to make this into a beautiful space that has a cement walk and patio [S design]. My friends have all said that I want to do too much in my little space [sitting area, perenials, cherry bush and grow some veggies] but in looking at this forum maybe a Potager is what I am trying to design. I would like to know if there are any plans for small space potager designs - if you think that that is really where I am going?
Fern |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Size and design
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| Fern, I think your space sounds perfect for a potager. I don't know any plans for that size but maybe get some graph paper and do an actual layout of your plot. Then play with adding beds of various sizes depending on what you want to grow, sketch in your paths and draw basic shapes like squares, circles and ovals for benches, trees and shrubs. Be sure to take into consideration the eventual full size of trees, shrubs, etc. I recall from some of my gardening magazines that quite a few southern gardeners have small enclosed spaces with many of the elements you want to include. I say go for it. And don't forget to use that vertical space provided by your fence. It's an excellent way to gain square footage. Now, what kind of cucs do you grow? : ) Di |
RE: Size and design
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| You'd be surprised at the amount of vegetables you can grow in a small space. I'm tempted to refer you to the "Square Foot Gardening" method and book, but then you'll be laying out 1-foot square vegetable plots with string and doing other silly things that would not necessarily make your space look more attractive. I'm also tempted to refer you to John Jeavons' books, but he tends to be long on theory and short on practical advice. I'd also be tempted to refer you to a book on the French intensive gardening method, but, well - I don't know of any good books in English on the subject. The point is this - you can cram a lot more vegetables than you might think into a space that size. Don't be afraid to plant densely. Plant as wide a variety of plants as you can, including herbs and flowers and maybe even a blueberry bush or some strawberry plants or some other fruit. If I had to point you to a book that would be a good fit though, I'd point you to "The Art of the Kitchen Garden" by Jan and Michael Gertley. Full of practical advice and lots of nice pictures! -Diggity |
RE: Size and design
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You should see what I've crammed into a rather small front yard! I have an 7' round patio, three pathways, no grass only raised beds and that includes a sunny rock garden, a raised herb bed, good lord I don't know how many roses, 5 small trees and many shrubs, 5 rose arches, a honeysuckle arch and a little bench to sit on.
It's all about scale. I just scaled everything down and it fit. It looks fine because our house appears to be very small from the front.
I think a potager would really work for you. If you make trellises etc. you can really raise vining veggies off of the ground, and how pretty would a hanging yellow squash be next to a beautiful blue clematis or morning glory?? You can do it! GGG |
RE: Size and design
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| Thanks for the encouraging words. I think that I'm going to kind of merge potager with cottage styles - hmmm would that make it a pottager? I love the formal nature of the potager - I think that that is what draws me to it but... my space is too limiting to have carefully plotted out beds which look so gorgeous so... I want to use a 3 ft diagnal octagone shaped raised bed that I have for a selection of veggies, grow some tomatos from some small white window boxes on my fence and perhaps go "cottage" by incorporating swiss chard, corn and some perennial herbs in a perennial bed that will surround my patio on 3 sides. As for my cucs, Di, I've grown English telegraph, spacemaster, bush varieties - cucumbers and hot peppers seem to love my space. Big peppers don't seem to have the time to mature but Cherry peppers, jalapenos, hungarian wax really love it. Well I will continue with my planning and search out small variaties of tomatoes, peppers and other veggies to put in my little octagone Fern |
RE: Size and design
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| Fern, "pottager" works for me. : ) Your plans sound lovely. I think the octagon bed will give your space its own unique style. I have one shaped like home plate (big baseball fan here). And those window boxes for toms will give the space a very cottage like appeal. Too clever! Thanks for the info on the cucs, too. I usually grow the bush variety but did try the lemon cucs one year. I was the only one who liked them. Maybe I'll tuck a plant in just for me. Oh, corn does need some space and wind for pollination to do well. You may find it more work than it's worth, especially since it will take up some of that valuable garden real estate. Looking forward to more news of your "pottager." And pics! : ) Di |
RE: Size and design
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| IMHO, a potager does not have to have a formal, geometrical layout. What you are describing sounds like a potager to me. As I see it, a potager is focused on the harvest - flowers are treated as a "crop" much the same as are vegetables, fruit, or herbs. They are either eaten (if edible!), or cut and used for decorative purposes, or (occasionally) meant to brighten up the look of the garden. A cottage garden, on the other hand, is more a landscaping style, with a focus on flowers, as well as attractive foliage, hardscape, features, and the occasional vegetable or herb if deemed pretty enough. So what is a cross between a cottage garden and a potager? Wouldn't it be a "cottager?" -Diggity |
RE: Size and design
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| My new sidewalk and patio have been laid - now I get to plant - after I get rid of the grass. I've already put some tomatoes in containers - with basil for a companion and planted a herb jar. One of my small containers on the fence has a Tumbling Tom [yellow] with a basil plant and 3 other fence containers have a mix of annuals. I've planted some cucumbers and peppers in containers as well and have almost filled my little raised bed with more cucs and peppers - need to add the Scarlet runner beans and sugar snap peas. SOOOO much fun. I'm going to surround the raised bed with Amaranthus and portulaca and Fern leaf lavender - looks neat. Tonight I hope to finish planting the small bed on one side of my walk and then will work on mirroring that planting on the new "big" [8 x 10 ft] oval bed. I bought a "bugbane - brunette" to put in the shady corner of my new bed and plan on putting in some globe flower, lupins, hosta and hens and chicks to match the other side of the walk. I understand that with such a small space I need to be conservative in the number of different plants that I grow but really want to have alot of colour and leaf texture throughout the spring, summer and fall - in addition I do want veggies and fruit. Hopefully I am going in the right direction and also I hope to be able to take some pictures to show you the before and "in process" activity. Thanks so much for your words of encouragement - so far things are looking great |
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