Beautiful Potager Garden. It puts mine to shame. How big is it and what do you plant?

Thanks. A little of everything. Toms, Peppers, squash, onions, strawberries, cukes, corn, watermelon, various pumlins, rhubarb, 5 different basils, carrots let go to seed, magus, fennel let go to seed, eggplants (4 types), beans, asparagus, artichokes, and perennial flowers mixed with some annuals.

Size is about approx 100ft x 60..oddly shaped

John

Very nice, I really like the stone edgings.

John,

Great potager!

I like the very CA-Oriental style of your potager. Envy your having that much space to work with too - that you can allow that much space between beds for paths. Wow! Very neat and tidy.
I have much the same as you, even in letting the carrots go to seed (and Easter Egg Radishes) as I am a seed saver, but my little garden is crammed full with all the plants I grow and most of the paths are only 2 feet wide.

I am really into Intensive Gardening - lots of plants tucked into a small space to block out grasses and weeds and help shade the roots, thereby conserving water. It has a random, wild look about it, even though it is very well planned, designed and laid out. I have seven kinds of tomatoes including heirlooms, 2 kinds of okra, Turnips (for the greens), three kinds of lettuces (going to seed to save), radishes (ditto), NM Hatch peppers (saver), Red Bell peppers, Tabasco peppers (saver), Mexibell & Big Bertha bell peppers (savers), Goliath Jalapenos (savers) (didn't get my regular Jalapenos going this year, darn it), Kandy Korn corn (2nd crop), Parsley (saver), Carrots (saver), Tendergreen bush beans, Tennessee Short-cut pole beans (saver - new this year), Blue Lake pole beans, Royal Purple Louisiana bush beans (saver), heirloom Lemon Cukes (saver), Genovese, Cinnamon, & Lemon basil (all volunteers), Hill Hardy Rosemary, Garden Sage, Greek Oregano, Garlic, Leeks (gone to seed), Zucchini squash (dk green), Striato di Napoli squash (dark green with light green stripes), Mammoth Dill (volunteer), Red cabbage, Dutch Flat cabbage, Dukat Dill (new), Onions (Texas Sweet), Sweet Potatoes, 5 kinds of melons, Chives, and one little eggplant. There are many varieties of flowers tucked in here and there, annual and perennials.

Mine has an irregular shape, too. It is still under construction. Will be adding a small reflection pool on the bank below the north corner of my potager where there are rock steps that angle up to the henhouse and the old herb garden. There will be ornamental grasses, succulents, large rocks and pea gravel around the pool. It is a very hot, dry area. So, I decided to stop fighting with nature and landscape it with things that will do well there - rocks and grass!

I love the big native boulders in your design. Were those there or did you add them?

I like the orderliness you have and the layout design. Everything in each bed and overall is peaceful and orderly - you can tell much about a person by looking at their gardens. :)

Looks like Spanish olives and citrus trees in the background, planted in true Calif gardening style. Makes me so homesick.

Love the hilltop view, too.

It's all beautiful.

~ sweetannie4u

Sweetannie

Thank you for all the detailed info on variety. I think it is important to refine your growing year to year and fine new varieties of all veg to try. Makes for a very pleasant gardening experience.

Alas, in summer, dill lasts about 5 mins here in So CA. It does better in the winter.

John

I love it! It's time to revamp my raised beds and I'm thinking of doing something similar, albeit on a much smaller scale. If I can manage one wide main path I'll be happy. You're fortunate to have all of yours that way. Where did you get the stone edging? Looks like the perfect height.

John,
Where are you located - county wise?
I'm from N. San Diego County.

Annie

I live in the San Fernando Valley

Natal

Tha stone is called Sweetwater rock and comes from Oklahoma. It is sold at a stone place here in Santa Monica called Bourget Stone

John

Thanks John. You're fortunate to have access to something like that.

Just beautiful!!!!! Words fail me! I live in San Pedro now, but lived in the SFV for years. Your garden is just lovely. We're having such a mild August, too. Really remarkable! Please keep those pics coming!

Mary E. Osborne

Mary

Thanks

Yes our July was wonderful and August too is a tad warmer but not so bad

I spent the morning in this garden and the cosmos sensation became huge...I will use white sonata next year..smaller and not overwhelming.

we have a bumper crop of watermelons and terrific corn with no grubs! Did not use anything at all on them..just lucky I guess.

John

Wow - what a beautiful garden!

Thanks Bettyinga

I was just asked by Sunset Magazine if they could photograph it for an article on The Winter Garden in Southern CA. Very exciting. I will change out all the summer stuff except for a few tomatoes next week and get in the winter crops.

Lyonsy

That is so exciting!. Post your photos when you get the winter crops in. It really is an incredible garden.