Decorative vegetable garden ideas
25 Incredible Vegetable Garden Ideas
Growing your own produce at home has seen a surge in popularity in the last decade as it encompasses three huge trends: eating clean, saving money, and knowing exactly where your food comes from.
Whether you’re in love with the premise of homegrown organic vegetables or are simply looking to reduce your shopping bill, this list of 25 vegetable garden ideas will have you reaching for your trowel.
1. Raised Beds
Raised beds are a sleek looking way to have your vegetable garden presented in your backyard. It looks clean and landscaped, while also being functional; you could grow different types of vegetables in each planter. For example, you could plant root vegetables in one planter, lettuces in another, and so on. This method of separating your vegetables in different planters will help you focus different types of plant food on specific types of vegetables to help them get the nutrients they need and improve their growth. The raised beds shown here are bordered with wooden planks, keeping your vegetables to their own area and ensuring your yard remains neat and tidy.
2. Fancy Plant
Vegetable gardens, though beneficial in many ways, are often considered to be quite unattractive and messy, and therefore are generally not present in yards that are immaculately kept. This doesn’t need to be the case, however, as is displayed here in this yard where defined vegetable garden beds sit on a manicured lawn. Providing the vegetable patches are well-maintained, you can still achieve a polished look. Using an edging tool around the vegetable beds will create a defined look, adding to the pristine effect. Grouping similar vegetable types together will also prevent the beds from looking disorderly.
3. Yard Sale Pots
You don’t need a lot of space or money to grow your own vegetables. Pots and planters are ideal vehicles for growing vegetables, and you can use the containers that you probably already have lurking around your garage or garden shed.
You could also pick up a selection of various pots at yard sales, as a collection of old mismatched pots filled with growing vegetables will fit with the popular rustic trend. Growing your own food doesn’t need to be expensive; you can have fun sourcing containers from markets or friends and family, and then, find more enjoyment in planting your vegetables and watching them flourish in your inexpensive mismatched pot collection.
4. Divide and Conquer
A large bed with a divider would work well for people who have a small to medium-sized lawn, or for people who want to keep their vegetable garden fairly compact while still growing a variety of vegetables. This is a more easily achievable alternative to having several vegetable beds, which would require more space and more effort to create. The divider is a simple and inexpensive solution for keeping different varieties of vegetables separate. These dividers can be purchased from hardware stores, but could also be easily replicated at home with a few lengths of timber.
The planks need to be set out in a grid shape, and could be secured together either with glue, screws, tack nails, or garden string.
5. Hanging Planters
Growing vegetables in hanging planters is an excellent space-saving solution and could be done with just a few planters, or in bulk as seen here. Utilizing hanging planters means you can keep different types of vegetables separate, which can benefit the plants themselves. But it will also make life easier for you if different vegetables require different treatment in terms of the frequency and amount of watering they need.
Planters are best hung from metal frames for strength and stability as they can become quite heavy when filled. The planters themselves could be built from wood, metal, or plastic, depending on the look you are going for and the amount of money you wish to spend.
6. Urban Gardening Box
A vegetable garden in a box is a perfect way for urban city dwellers to grow their own produce.
Your container box can be kept on a windowsill, a balcony, a terrace, or small garden, and the size of the box can be specifically chosen to suit your space limitations. Though you may not be able to grow an abundance of vegetables in a container box, a small selection of your favorite vegetables should be easily achievable. With the addition of a couple of grow lights, you can keep your garden growing all year round. You can also rotate your crops to grow different crops one after the other.
7. Planter Party
If you are fortunate to have the space required, you could create your own vegetable garden by grouping together a selection of large planters. These deep planters are perfect for growing root vegetables that require extra space, and the height of them also means you won’t have to spend hours on your knees tending to the needs of your plants. Tall planters such as this would be ideal for anyone with joint issues, as you could happily pull up a chair and enjoy gardening without running into stiff joints or aching muscle issues.
8. Heart-Shaped Box
If you like your gardening endeavors to be more on the unique side, there’s no reason why you can’t get creative with your vegetable garden. This heart-shaped vegetable plot is just one example of how you can customize your garden to reflect your personality. You could buy a shaped container to house your vegetables, or, alternatively, build your own vegetable bed on the soil in your yard to your chosen shape using regular garden tools. Edge the vegetable bed in a miniature fence to enclose the vegetables and maintain the shape.
9. Children’s Veg Garden
Having a vegetable plot in your backyard for your children to tend to has many benefits. Gardening can increase a child’s concentration, help develop an interest in healthy eating, encourage children to spend time outdoors away from their digital devices, build self-confidence, and nurture a love of nature. Gardening is also a perfect way to bond with your children and allow them to reap the rewards of their handiwork.
To create a children’s vegetable garden, focus on functionality rather than appearance. Build the garden in a safe place easily accessible for your child, and space out vegetables so that they can maneuver safely between them.
10. Tiered Vegetable Plants
If your backyard is on a slope, then instead of trying to contend with it, make a feature out of it. Create a multi-level vegetable garden by building planters in a step-like method, and make the most of your sloping yard. These tiered planters have been painted to draw extra attention to them. If you plan on painting your planters, be sure to do it before planting your vegetables and choose a hardwearing paint intended for use outside to prevent fading and peeling.
11. Planting Table
Planting tables, though generally quite costly, are an excellent space in which you can grow vegetables without using up valuable floor space. You can purchase planting tables in a variety of sizes to suit the space you have, the only limitation being that they tend to be quite shallow and so are not suitable for growing vegetables which require a lot of growing space beneath the soil.
Obviously, they are portable and therefore can be moved into a greenhouse during adverse weather, or can be moved around your yard to a more suitable spot if you find your vegetables are not thriving.
12. Green Roof
Accessible rooftops make excellent spaces for growing plants, herbs, and vegetables. Due to their comparative height with other buildings and trees, they tend not to be in the shadows during any time of the day, and therefore vegetables benefit from maximum levels of sunlight. They also make efficient use of rainwater. Having a vegetable garden on your roof gives you a peaceful and quiet place to relax in the middle of a city, as well as a great view while you’re gardening. Green roofs have many other benefits, including prolonging the lifespan of roofs by protecting their materials from the elements, as well as reducing energy bills as green roofs tend to keep buildings warmer.
Communal vegetable gardens are growing in popularity as a means to enjoy fresh organic produce while also building relationships within the community.
The general idea behind community gardens is that a single plot of land, typically owned by local authorities or a non-profit organization, is turned into a communal vegetable garden that can be nurtured by individuals within the community, who then share the produce once it is harvested. These community vegetable gardens are a great way to get to know your neighbors and build positive connections in your neighborhood. They also improve the attractiveness of your local area and encourage community spirit.
14. Industrial Garden
Galvanized containers can be utilized as portable vegetable containers in backyards, on balconies, or on rooftop gardens. They are especially useful for growing vegetables which have deep root systems, due to their depth, along with plants which bear fruits, such as tomato plants, as stakes can easily be placed in them and won’t fall over. Galvanized pots are very sturdy and hardwearing, and therefore are a good investment which can be used year upon year.
They have a trendy industrial look about them, which has become increasingly popular in recent years and can be picked up relatively cheaply at hardware stores.
15. Busy Balcony
In lieu of a backyard, you can make use of your balcony as a home for your vegetable garden. You can be selective with your choice of vegetables, choosing to grow only those that take up limited space, or if you’re keen on growing a wide variety of produce, then you can maximize growing platforms by being clever with your space. Balcony planters are available that can be fixed to the railings of a balcony, creating a growing space which didn’t previously exist. You can also create more growing space by placing planters on shelves on your balcony, fixing planters to the walls, or using hanging planters.
16. Green Wall
Wall planters solve the problem of trying to create a vegetable garden in limited space. Wooden or metal planters can simply be hung or screwed onto the wall, providing a place to grow your produce.
If positioning several planters on to a wall, be sure to allow enough space above each planter for the vegetables to grow upwards.
17. Vegetable Deck
If your outside space is decked, consider using solid planters to house growing vegetables. Concrete or metal planters can look sleek and elegant on decks, and they do a great job of keeping soil and compost from spilling out onto your deck. Large planters filled with vegetation will also provide some welcome greenery on a decked area.
18. Vertical Gardening
Vertical gardening has really taken off over the last few years, as growing plants and vegetables has become more trendy among younger generations who often live in apartment blocks or have very limited outside space. A vertical garden can be looked upon similarly as the idea behind high rise buildings; when you don’t have the floor space to build outwards, instead build upwards, creating masses of space on a small footprint. A vertical vegetable garden can be achieved by creating vessels on your walls or fences in which you can plant your growing produce.
19. Hanging Baskets
Hanging baskets are synonymous with flowing flowers, but they are actually a great receptacle for growing produce, particularly herbs that don’t require as much growing room as vegetables. You could hang baskets in your backyard or on your balcony, growing herbs to complement the vegetables you have growing elsewhere.
20. Through the Window
This window box is proof that you don’t require any outside space at all to grow your own vegetables. Produce can be grown entirely indoors as long as it is placed in an area with lots of sunlight, such as a windowsill. Green onions are the perfect vegetable to grow in a window box as they need very little space, and a large quantity can be grown in a relatively small container.
21. One-Pot Wonder
If you’re only just embarking on your vegetable growing journey, then you may want to start small rather than going whole hog right from the start. You can grow your own food with just one container pot, and once you become accustomed to the level of care your growing vegetables need, you can choose to branch out with more pots, or just continue with your one pot project.
A tomato plant is always a good starter plant, as it grows upwards fairly rapidly, requiring little space to achieve an abundance of the fruit.
22. Grow Bags
If you’re not particularly interested in how your vegetable garden looks, then grow bags are the perfect low-cost medium for growing vegetables at home. They can be washed out and reused after each season, providing a long-term solution for your vegetable growing needs. They are popular among experienced gardeners because they don’t dry out at the bottom like some pots do, retaining more moisture and nutrients for better plant growth.
23. Hydroponic Vegetables
Hydroponic gardening is the art of growing plants without the use of soil or compost. It is taking off in a big way in the vegetable supply industry due to its efficiency, but a DIY hydroponic vegetable garden can be achieved at home with a little bit of research and some basic items that you probably already own.
24. Veg Edge
Create your own vegetable plot in your garden by simply introducing nutrient-dense soil into a specific area and enclosing it with a low-height edging strip.
The benefits of this option are that you can completely customize the size and shape of your vegetable garden, and it involves very little time, effort, and money spent before you can jump in and get your hands dirty with planting your veggies.
25. Greenhouses
The humidity in a greenhouse makes for an ideal vegetable growing environment, and you will find that your vegetables thrive more so than if you grow them in an open space. Though greenhouses have taken a dive in popularity, most likely due to their often unattractive appearance, there is no contest when it comes to the best conditions in which to grow plants. If you’re willing to spend a small fortune, there are modern greenhouses on the market to house your vegetable garden and make a trendy statement in your yard at the same time.
Growing your own vegetables is a very rewarding hobby, whichever way you choose to do it.
designs and layouts for backyards |
Vegetable garden ideas offer some of the most rewarding gardening experiences.
After all, there is nothing quite like harvesting crops straight from your own plot. That rewarding moment when you pluck a red, juicy tomato from its vine, or unearth a bright orange carrot from the depths of the soil, is hard to beat and will have you itching to plant more. There is great satisfaction in knowing that you’ve given your crops a season of TLC and now get to enjoy the literal fruits of your labor.
There is no reason why everyone shouldn't have a vegetable garden as part of their garden ideas. Whether you have an expansive plot or a small balcony, are a keen gardener or a total novice, these vegetable garden ideas will help you on your way to realising your 'grow your own' dreams.
Vegetable garden ideas
The rekindled interest in 'grow your own' has got us all searching for vegetable garden ideas and the easiest vegetables to grow.
From herb planter ideas by the back door to neat allotment-style rows brimming with produce, there are vegetable garden ideas to suit every homeowner and every plot.
Growing crops is also a great thing to try when gardening with children.
Size, space and aspect all play a part in influencing which vegetable garden ideas will work best in your space, but remember there are no hard and fast rules – simply choose the ideas that work best for your chosen vegetables and space.
Creating a vegetable garden can seem like a daunting prospect, particularly if it's something you've never tried before. But have no fear, it's actually very easy to start your own vegetable garden as these vegetable garden ideas prove.
1. Select vegetables that you love
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The first step in designing your vegetable garden ideas is to choose the vegetables that you want to grow. This will guide you in your design and the style of your vegetable garden. The best way to choose your crop is simply to grow what you love to eat.
‘Make a list of your favourite edibles, including herbs, and consider those that are more expensive to buy.
Include different varieties of vegetables you enjoy, then look carefully at your space and climatic conditions and narrow your selection,’ advises Period Living garden expert Leigh Clapp. ‘Plan choices so that you have harvests throughout the seasons – from the first potato crops to brassicas through the winter months.’
Once you've decided on the crops you want to grow, be sure you know when to plant vegetables so that you can start to figure out your gardening calendar.
2. Start your vegetable garden small
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You don’t have to convert half of your garden to incorporate a few vegetable garden ideas into your plot. Start with small vegetable garden ideas featuring one or two plants, so you can find your feet. Growing tomatoes is a popular choice for beginners as these can be grown in containers and will take up next to no space on your patio ideas.
'If I had to choose one vegetable, it would be a climbing bean: they are easy to grow and give weeks of good vegetable right through the summer.
I like to plant a combination of pod colors; green ‘Monte Cristo’, purple ‘Carminat’ and yellow ‘Monte Gusto’,' says Marylyn Abbott, gardening author and owner and creator of West Green House Garden .
3. Stagger your planting so you have crops all year round
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You might think that vegetable garden ideas only work in the warmer months of the year, however, with a bit of forward planning you can harvest delicious crops all year round. There are plenty of crops that you can grow in every month of the year – for inspiration research what to plant in December and what to plant in January.
‘When it comes to starting out, try edibles known to be easy to grow, such as tomatoes, and plan when you plant different crops so you can enjoy year-round production and supply. Your greenhouse will enable you to be significantly more productive in your growing year, than if you were purely growing outdoors, especially if you know the right growing techniques,' says Tom Barry, CEO of Hartley Botanic .
If growing vegetables in the greenhouse, consider adopting vegetable garden container ideas, as these potted plants can be grown outside when the weather is good but can be moved into a greenhouse when the first frost threatens, thus expanding the growing season.
4. Incorporate herbs into your vegetable garden
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Aromatic herbs are one of the easiest crops to add to your vegetable garden ideas. They can be grown separately as part of herb garden ideas or can be incorporated into a wider vegetable garden. As heavily fragrant plants, herbs provide so much more than just a delicious crop. They also act as a great pest deterrent, helping your other vegetables to thrive.
'Spearmint, sage, thyme, lemongrass and rosemary are not only great culinary herbs to add to your garden, but the strong-smelling oils from these plants also act as a natural wasp-repellent while creating an aromatic experience for you.
Place potted herbs around your dining area or, if you’re limited on space, go vertical by hanging herb planters on a nearby wall,' recommend experts at The Greenhouse People .
If you're hoping to grow herbs as part of your vegetable garden ideas, be sure you know when to plant herbs to give them the best start in life.
5. Label your plants
(Image credit: Future/David Brittan)
Anyone who has ever done any gardening will know how easy it is to forget what you’ve planted. While this doesn’t matter so much when you are planning a cut flower garden, it is vital when you are growing vegetables as you need to be certain what you're eating.
Plant labels have a history of being rather unattractive with options limited between bright white plastic strips with permanent marker or wooden sticks that inevitably degrade over the course of the season. Thankfully, there are now lots of aesthetic and long-lasting designs that are perfect for your vegetable garden ideas – from DIY projects to durable slate designs.
6. Embrace companion planting ideas
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Traditional vegetable garden ideas see the crops separated from the floral areas of the garden, however, this is not necessarily the best approach in terms of maximizing yield.
Instead, integrating blooms amongst your crop is a great way to embrace companion planting and, if you plant flowers that attract bees, will help to increase the number of pollinators to your crops.
Also take inspiration from kitchen garden ideas as this historical garden style will help you to create the perfect low-maintenance plot, achieving the right balance of vegetables and blooms. Even if you don't want all your backyard ideas to be focused on vegetable garden ideas, there are still lots of top tips for planning a kitchen garden that will help your vegetable garden ideas to thrive.
7. Add a water butt
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Sustainability is important in every walk of our lives and the garden is no different.
Incorporating vegetable garden ideas into your backyard is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.
In addition to this, there are other sustainable garden ideas to help make your veg plot even more environmentally-friendly – one of the easiest ways is to add a water butt.
Adding a water butt is a brilliant way to harvest rainwater which you can then use to water your crops.
'Using rain water for plants eases demand for mains water, is freely supplied, and has zero footprint for treatment and distribution. Furthermore, rain water is slightly acidic, lowering the pH when applied to soil, facilitating the release of soil nutrients and their uptake by plants, as well as counteracting gradual increases in pH associated with prolonged use of treated mains water,' says Dr Mark Gush, Head of Environmental Horticulture at the RHS .
8. Create a productive living wall
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Growing plants vertically is a great way to maximize the productivity of your plot.
However, you aren't just limited to growing cucumbers or growing runner beans on trellises – though there are lots of trellis ideas to help inspire you.
Living wall ideas provide a great opportunity to make the most of all your available space. They also offer a great way to add vegetables to your patio or small garden ideas. These living planters are hung against a wall or fence and feature individual pockets into which you can plant your crops.
Obviously, this would not work for all vegetables – especially not root vegetables or those with long roots – however, leafy vegetables such as rocket, cut and come again lettuce, spinach or even small cherry tomatoes are great choices for your vegetable garden ideas.
9. Building raised beds opens up a host of vegetable garden ideas
(Image credit: Future/Leigh Clapp)
More versatile than planting straight into the ground, raised garden bed ideas offer a host of excellent vegetable garden ideas. They also give you greater control over soil type, condition and nutrients, meaning you can produce a bumper crop of your favorite fruits, vegetables and herbs.
If growing your vegetables in raised beds be sure you understand crop rotation to ensure that your crop remains healthy year on year.
Monty Don is also a fan of raised beds, having added many throughout his gardens at Longmeadow. In this video for BBC Gardener’s World, he praises their benefits for vegetable gardens, as they 'improve drainage enormously, warm up quicker in the spring, and mean you can focus all your energy into a very contained area.'
(Image credit: Future/Leigh Clapp)
Many gardens prefer to learn how to build a raised garden bed so that they can create a bespoke design that's perfect for your garden.
When choosing or designing your raised beds, it's important to think about the height and the depth. Do you mind bending or sitting down to garden or would you rather be standing?
Also consider what you are growing. If you're growing root vegetables you will need deep soil and therefore a deeper raised bed, whereas leafy greens have smaller roots, so don't need the same depth.
'Raised beds allow you to easily ensure the plants you are growing have the soil they like. You can add more sand for drainage, more manure for heavy feeders,' advises Rob Smith, Horti Expert at Organic Catalogue . 'They are also easier to dig and better on your back as you don’t need to bend as much; ideal if you are a wheelchair user or suffer from back pain.'
(Image credit: Future/Leigh Clapp)
'Raised beds planted in the center of a yard with access to all sides, follow the same guidelines as an in-ground garden. For a raised bed against the side of a house, plant taller plants in the back and shorter plants in the front,' suggests Amy Enfield, Horticulturist for Bonnie Plants .
You can plant any vegetable you like in a raised garden bed. From root vegetables like carrots and parsnips in deep raised garden beds to radishes, lettuce and spinach in shallower beds.
'Build your own raised beds from locally sourced, reclaimed or recycled timbers, including cut logs, ladders and scaffolding planks,' advises Leigh Clapp.
'However, don’t use treated pine as the chemicals can leach into the soil. There are many online guides for how to make them.'
10. Make use of vertical space in small spaces
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It's well known that some vegetables, like peas and beans, require structural support to grow but you can also use them to support larger vegetables like growing pumpkins.
Pumpkins take a lot of space to grow horizontally, which is a problem if you're short of room, but growing them up a support means you can have a bumper crop while also growing other vegetables in the surrounding beds. If you're planning to grow pumpkins – whether vertically or horizontally – be sure you know when to plant pumpkins to ensure the greatest success of your harvest.
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Incorporating vegetable garden trellis ideas and obelisks into your vegetable garden also adds visual interest to the space, especially if you opt to grow plants with pretty flowers like beans, peas or even sweet peas.
'Make your own natural supports with flexible stems of willow, hazel or birch – using jute or wool twine is also a sustainable choice,' advises Leigh Clapp.
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Much more aesthetically pleasing than a bare fence, climbing vegetables up a trellis is the perfect way to maximize space, productivity and variety in your garden. An added benefit is that the flowers from the vegetable plants will also help to encourage pollinators to your plot – a must if you want a healthy harvest come fall.
11. Don't forget to factor in pathways
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Access is an important part of vegetable garden ideas as unlike a flower border, you need to be able to reach all the plants for tending and harvesting. As well as aiding access, garden path ideas also help to create an organized vegetable garden.
If you're wondering 'How can I make my vegetable garden more attractive?' then adding borders and a path will instantly elevate the plot, giving it structure and order.
The variation of materials you could choose for your path can create different effects in your vegetable garden. Pebbles are a great choice for laid back cottage garden ideas – pair with arches covered in floral blooms and large terracotta planters to embrace the romantic potager aesthetic.
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Brick paths, on the other hand, create a more formal and organized look while still evoking a natural garden feel. The red shade of the bricks also beautifully highlights the deep green of the vegetables' foliage. Pick reclaimed bricks, from a salvage yard or even a garden clearance, to give your pathway a rustic, lived-in feel that will perfectly compliment the garden's natural charm.
An additional benefit to building a path is that it 'makes it easier to spot and dispatch the pests,' recommends Leigh Clapp – which can only ever be a good thing.
12. Disguise your vegetable plot in a flower border
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Not everyone wants their vegetable garden ideas to be front and center.
If this is the case, then there are plenty of ways to make your vegetable garden less prominent in your garden design.
Plant vegetable crops in amongst flowers and plants for pollinators to create a beautiful yet productive vegetable garden.
When viewed as plants rather than just vegetables, you will quickly come to notice the pretty flowers, interesting leaves and wide range of colors that vegetables have to offer to your flower bed ideas.
Red cabbage is a particular favorite with its large bluey-green leaves veined with purple, they have even been seen added to bouquets and planters to add interest and texture to the arrangements. Plus you get the extra benefit of being able to harvest and eat them at the end of the summer months.
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13. Add a seating area to your vegetable garden
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From researching vegetable garden ideas to creating a vegetable garden that is brimming with produce and character is undeniably hard work.
Therefore it is important that you also take time to enjoy your space. Incorporating a dedicated seating area, whether that's a bench or arbor into your vegetable garden ideas gives you a space to relax, letting you take a minute to enjoy the beauty and productivity of your plot. It also provides a handy spot for that all important coffee break.
14. Use edging to demarcate your vegetable garden
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Adding a border to your vegetable garden helps to demarcate the productive areas of your plot, making what can sometimes appear to be a rather disparate grouping of plants into a neat and tidy space. Borders can also help you to zone your vegetable garden and demarcate its pathways.
There are plenty of lawn edging ideas and garden edging ideas that can be repurposed to organize your vegetable garden ideas. Opt for natural materials like woven willow, flagstones or bricks to complement your garden planting, letting the borders blend into the plot rather than stand out.
15. Draw on quintessential vegetable garden ideas to create a productive kitchen garden
(Image credit: Future/Leigh Clapp)
Neat rows with lines of fluffy carrot tops, sleek flopping onion leaves and ruffled lettuce all work together to create the quintessential vegetable garden look.
One of the easiest vegetable garden ideas is to replicate simply demarcate a border - whether by turning over lawn or repurposing a pre-existing bed. Then rake the bed until the soil is very fine and crumbly, before planting your seeds or seedlings. Make sure you pick a plot large enough for you to grow all your favorite vegetables.
Consider planting your vegetable crops successionally – leaving a month or so between sowings – to ensure you have delicious fresh vegetables ready to pick throughout the whole summer.
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If you opt for vegetable garden ideas like this one it is also worth considering rotating your crop. 'By rotating your crops and not planting the same family of plants in the same bed for the following two years, you can get bigger harvests and less problems,' advises Rob Smith.
'Different plants use different amounts of nutrients from the soil, and by rotating them you can make sure the soil isn’t depleted of what your plants need. I like to plant legumes (which leave nitrogen rich root nodules in the soil), followed by cucurbits (which are heavy feeders and like the extra food), followed by alliums of brassica; then the process starts again with legumes.
The general rule is not to plant the same think in the same bed for years as crops get smaller and pest numbers will increase.'
(Image credit: Future/Leigh Clapp)
You don't even have to have lots of yard space to create a vegetable garden. In fact you can even grow vegetables in your front yard. Simply cut a small rectangular border out of your turf and plant up with your favorite vegetables. Back the plot with a trellis and climb beans, peas or tomatoes to increase your mini plot's productivity and aesthetics.
16. Plant veg undercover for creating the perfect growing conditions
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Greenhouse ideas are an essential for any serious gardener.
'A greenhouse is the stepping-off point for outdoor vegetable production. As well as raising tender crops including courgettes and outdoor cucumbers, you can kick-start runner beans, brassicas and even such root crops as carrots and beets,' advises Tom Barry, CEO of Hartley Botanic .
If you're currently in the process of planning a greenhouse, be sure to think about the practical requirements of growing vegetables rather than just using it as a space for starting off seedlings. Having raised beds or space for container grown plants is a must if you live in a cooler part of the country and are hoping to grow less hardy vegetable varieties such as tomatoes.
If you have already a greenhouse and are looking for more gardening inspiration – why not turn your hand to cultivating some of the best food to grow in a greenhouse or the best vegetables to grow in a greenhouse.
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'Starting a vegetable garden under glass means you will have an abundance of absolutely delicious vegetables and fruit every time you step into your garden,' continues Tom Barry.
17. Use containers for a vegetable garden in even the smallest spaces
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If you're wondering 'what vegetables grow well in containers?' Then you'll be glad to know that most vegetables will grow well as part of container gardening ideas, so long as they are big enough. Salad vegetables, carrots, onions and tomatoes all grow well particularly well in containers though.
'A couple of pots of cut-and-come again leaves will give you fresh salads for months. Other stars of the kitchen container garden include chard and kale, structural plants such as globe artichokes,' says Aaron Bertlesen, vegetable garden and chef at Great Dixter . 'Plant edible flowers, such as scented-leaf pelargoniums, in pots. The variety Attar of Roses makes a wonderfully fragrant sorbet.'
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18. Incorporate vegetables garden ideas into a patio planting scheme
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Incorporating vegetable garden ideas into your patio design adds a productive angle to your patio space.
Either create beds in amongst the gravel, tiles or flagstones, or opt for a few artfully placed pots brimming with your favorite vegetables.
'Decorative choices to tuck in include frilly lettuces and cabbages, architectural cardoons, runner beans and peas scrambling up teepees alongside shimmering stems of rainbow chard and clouds of feathery asparagus and fennel,' suggests Leigh Clapp.
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19. Incorporate fruit trees into your vegetable garden
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Most vegetable plants are fairly small and low to the ground, meaning your vegetable patch can lack the architectural beauty of other areas of your garden. Adding the best fruit trees is a great way to add height and structure to your vegetable garden ideas, providing both visual interest and a more diverse crop.
Espalier fruit trees are a particularly great choice for walled gardens as they add character as well as being beneficial for the fruit trees.
One of our favorite garden wall ideas, the heat from the wall helps to encourage the tree to grow and fruit, often much better than were it standing in the middle of your plot. There are lots of trees to espalier including some of the best fast-growing fruit trees.
Whether you grow them in the ground, pots or as espaliers against a wall, fruit trees also diversify your veg plot, encouraging wildlife and pollinators into your vegetable garden, helping to control pests.
If you're adding fruit trees to your vegetable garden ideas, be sure you know how to plant fruit trees and how to prune fruit trees to keep them healthy and productive.
20. Use vegetable garden ideas to encourage wildlife
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‘Overly clean plots with no flowers do little to help fruit production or even some vegetables, especially courgette and marrow. Mono-cropping must be avoided everywhere in our gardens,’ advises Rosy Hardy, owner of plantsman’s nursery Hardy’s Plants .
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'Mix some crops, such as chard and corn, in among the flowers and share any excess seeds with friends and neighbours so you only grow what you need,' says Leigh Clapp.
'Garden organically and nourish yourself with fresh food and the beauty of flowers, while being cognisant of the environment. Where possible, grow vegetables, fruit and herbs alongside flowers.'
(Image credit: Getty Images)
How do I layout my vegetable garden?
Layout your vegetable garden by creating a series of borders – whether raised, in the ground or in pots – separated by paths for a traditional vegetable garden. Take inspiration from how to plan a garden to provide a backbone to your plot and the curate the design based on the vegetables you want to grow.
'Unless crops need special protection, it can be helpful to mix the plantings, as a large area of a single crop attracts pests and the mix of different edibles and ornamentals confuses them.
It is helpful to draw the design on paper first before marking out or planting,' advises Leigh Clapp.
'For in-ground gardens, tall vegetables, like corn, should be planted on the north side of the garden so they don’t shade smaller plants. Medium sized plants (tomatoes, peppers, cabbage) should be in the center of the garden, and small plants (carrots, lettuces, radishes) should be planted on the south side of the garden,' suggests Amy Enfield, Horticulturist for Bonnie Plants .
When can I start planting my vegetable garden?
You can start planting your vegetable garden from early winter throughout spring, though you can grow vegetables all year around – so long as you pick the right variety.
'Cool-season vegetables, like cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and Swiss Chard, can be planted 4 weeks or more before the last spring frost depending on the plant,' suggests Amy Enfield, Horticulturist for Bonnie Plants . 'For garden main-stays, like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and melons, planting starts once all chances of frost have passed.
Temperatures at night should be consistently above 50 degrees before warm-season vegetables are planted outside. In the south, warm-season planting can be late March through early April, while in the North, mid-May through early-June are usually the best time to start planting. '
'You can always ask your own state’s cooperative extension service to answer questions on when to start vegetable seeds and what types of veggies grow best in your area,' advises Idelle Fisher from Sandia Seeds .
What vegetables grow best together?
Carrots and onions are the classic combination of vegetables that grow best together, however there are lots of other vegetables that thrive in each other's company.
Companion planting can boost the productivity of your space and is definitely worth considering when planning your vegetable garden ideas. Cucumber companion planting, pepper companion planting and kale companion planting all offer great places to start.
Having graduated with a first class degree in English Literature, Holly started her career as a features writer and sub-editor at Period Living magazine, Homes & Gardens' sister title.
Working on Period Living brought with it insight into the complexities of owning and caring for period homes, from interior decorating through to choosing the right windows and the challenges of extending. This has led to a passion for traditional interiors, particularly the country-look. Writing for the Homes & Gardens website as a content editor, alongside regular features for Period Living and Country Homes & Interiors magazines, has enabled her to broaden her writing to incorporate her interests in gardening, wildlife and nature.
Decorative garden: photo, design ideas
A decorative garden in landscape design is not a novelty, but rather a "well-forgotten old". Even in ancient Roman villas, such vegetable gardens were popular. Try to create a beautiful and useful flower bed in your country house.
The main thing for an ornamental garden is not high productivity, but aesthetics. When creating a flower bed of vegetables and herbs on the site, it is important to consider how photophilous the plants are, what kind of soil they need, how they fit together.
To decorate a dacha with unusual flower beds that will be both decorative and useful at the same time, you need to think over the color composition of the beds. For example, we offer a small cheat sheet indicating the shades inherent in different varieties of vegetable crops:
| Color | Species and varieties of vegetable crops |
| Purple, red, |
|
| Blue |
|
| Yellow, orange |
|
In order for the colors to combine harmoniously, you need to know a few rules for combining shades.
The most popular are 4 options:
- plain;
- contrast;
- harmony of related colors;
- classic triad.
Read about the subtleties of each of these principles in our material:
Decorative beds in the garden can be arranged in different ways, depending on your imagination and possibilities. Let's talk about the three most interesting and uncomplicated options for how to make a beautiful garden.
Plants in containers
One of the original ways to make not just a decorative, but also a compact garden is container planting. For floor flowerpots and hanging planters, ampelous tomato varieties are perfect, for example, Citizen F1, Cascade Red F1, Garden Gem . Good dwarf varieties of zucchini ( Milanese dark green , etc.) and cucumbers ( Bush, Malysh ).
Lettuce, onion, basil, parsley, bell pepper, beans, peas are suitable for growing in containers. Combine vegetable crops with flowers: calendula, lobelia, petunia, etc.
An undoubted advantage of a container garden is the ability to change the position of flowerpots, thereby refreshing the composition.
Flower bed of ornamental vegetables and annuals
Spectacular, but rather expensive option. Try to experiment and use a new color scheme for the garden every season by planting new varieties of plants.
If you want to create a composition in a rustic style, give preference to such plants as annual dahlias, chrysanthemums, verbena, pelargonium, marigolds, mallow, nasturtium, foxglove. In this flower company, their "vegetable counterparts" will feel great: lettuce ( Leafly, Betanto, Lolla Rossa ), courgettes, ornamental peppers, parsley, chard, ornamental cabbage, white cabbage ( Graffiti F1 ).
Decorate your mixborder with an unusual variety of basil - Thai Queen . When this plant blooms, you will see a fragrant inflorescence resembling a bunch of lilacs. Separately, it must be said about the cabbage variety Romanesco .
Its distinguishing feature is spiral inflorescences. This amazing plant can become both the center of the composition and the option of the border. It is eaten in the same way as broccoli.
Planting dill in the flower bed, which goes well with most flowers, will make the composition more voluminous and airy.
Flower bed of perennials and herbs
Economical, but no less effective way to design a decorative vegetable garden. To make the flower bed look voluminous, plants can be planted in tiers. Lovage, Jerusalem artichoke, ornamental corn (tall varieties) are suitable for the background. On the front, plant basil, chard, curly parsley, lettuce.
Pay attention to fennel. This spicy perennial can replace dill, but in the middle lane it must be grown through seedlings. For more fragrant herbs that can be planted in an ornamental garden, read our article:
Despite the fact that this type of flower bed is economical (no need to buy new plants, as is the case with annuals), perennials require more care.
Use your imagination, stock up on your favorite plant varieties and get going. If you already have a decorative garden on your site, share photos in the comments! For inspiration, check out these impressive photos of the French ornamental garden:
Do-it-yourself decorative garden in landscape design: photos and diagrams
Author DW To read 8 min Views 22.3k. Updated
The decoration of your site is an ornamental garden. Today, such an element as a decorative garden, unfortunately, is not often found in summer cottages, but if you managed to create this beautiful corner, then you have mastered one of the original landscape design techniques.
How to make a decorative garden with your own hands photoContents
- The idea of a decorative garden
- How to start making a decorative garden with your own hands?
- Ornamental vegetable garden diagram
- Ornamental vegetable garden 1
- Ornamental vegetable garden 2
- Ornamental vegetable garden detailed diagram 3
- Ornamental vegetable garden planning
- Ornamental vegetable garden planting Ornamental garden best plants0027
- How to make an ornamental vegetable garden in garden design
- How to make an ornamental vegetable garden: video
The idea of an ornamental vegetable garden
How did it all start? From elementary things! You suddenly saw a beautiful rose bud in a head of cabbage, or the multicolored mangols sparkled for you with new colors, a simple salad suddenly seemed emerald green to you - this is exactly the moment when you need to start creating a wonderful decorative garden.
How to start making a decorative garden with your own hands?
Find a suitable place and get started. The main thing is that this piece of paradise should be sufficiently caressed by the sun, have fertile soil, but calm. Of course, this garden also needs special care, for example, drip irrigation and constant weeding and fertilizing. Irrigation water should not be cold and it is best if it is settled. Here is a detailed photo instruction - how to make a decorative city with your own hands:
Beautiful decorative garden with your own hands Form for beds We plant plants Path to the garden First shoots Plants grow up Decorative garden readyOrnamental garden schemes
If you want to make the right ornamental garden, the schemes that we have collected for you will help you decide where and how to plant different plants.
Scheme 1 Scheme 2 Scheme 3 Scheme 4Ornamental garden 1
1.
Paramount curly parsley
2. Wild garlic
3. Remontant strawberries
4. Odessa Curly or May Queen salad
5. Basil, lemon balm, dill
6. Button tomato or ornamental pepper “Jade Pendant”
7. Zucchini “Zolotinka” or squash
8. Celery root and petiole
9. Salad “Lolo Rosso”
Ornamental garden 2
1. Remontant strawberry
2. Parsley, cilantro
3. Thyme, basil, sage
4. Spinach, arugula
5. Dill
6. Artichoke, ornamental cabbage
7. Constellation hot pepper, decorative eggplant “Frant” or “Chinese Lantern”
8. Celery
9. Onion
10. Garlic
Ornamental vegetable garden detailed diagram 3
Ornamental vegetable garden detailed diagramWhich vegetables are indicated on this diagram:
1. Kale Redbor (green-purple) 2. Iceberg lettuce (green) 3. Salad ‘Butterhead’ (red-brown) 4. Carrot 5. Onion 6.
Yellow tomatoes 7. Red tomatoes 8. Calendula (orange) 9. Chard ‘Bright Lights’ (colorful) 10. Kohlrabi (blue) 11. Sweet yellow pepper 12. Sweet red pepper 13. Savoy cabbage (dark green) 14. Broccoli (light green) 15. White cabbage 15. Red cabbage Planning an ornamental garden
In order to make the garden really decorative, you should not make beds familiar to gardeners, but for the perception of useful material we will call them that way. So, we turn the beds into flower beds and plant all the plants from the list next to each other. It is very important to clean up our space of flowers and vegetables, so that in the end it will not look like a clutter.
Smooth beautiful ornamental garden photo We recommend not planting plants in rows, experiment with clumps, that is, small islands. For example, in the background, sunflowers, corn, and vines are tall plants. In the middle we place tomatoes, zucchini and peppers - medium-sized vegetable crops. Well, radishes, lettuce, parsley, carrots and beets will settle at the very curb.
Spicy herbs and root crops can be set aside for a small area - a "garden" - in the form of a square and divided into 4 parts by garden paths. Use ready-made modules or bricks for borders, you can use logs or boards.
Divide each of the four compartments diagonally using border plants. Ideal for this purpose: begonia, curly parsley, marigold and other undersized plants. And then sow the resulting eight triangular beds at your discretion. It can be beets, dill, parsley or celery.
If you looked on the Internet before implementing your idea, you noticed that potted plants are usually located in the center, but if you prefer to use the entire earthen space, you can plant lemongrass, mint or basil in the middle. In pots, pelargonium and petunia look original.
Simple decorative vegetable gardenOrnamental vegetable garden beds
Border tape is a good edging material. However, with the help of modules of different shapes, you can create a variety of compositions, so the choice is yours.
Any of the options you choose will save you from the constant weeding of your ornamental garden. Mulching the ground with bark or wood chips will help get rid of weeds between the beds.
The best plants for a decorative garden
As a rule, it is in the process of creation that ideas for decorating a decorative garden are born. How to place and choose plants correctly combining spicy, vegetable and flowering plants is not easy to learn right away - this is a whole art. These plants during the growing season will give your garden a luxurious look, despite the fact that it is a simple rhubarb, basil, lemon balm, parsley or cilantro. It is these crops that will give the garden a certain elegance, and the most ornamental plants include zucchini, peppers, corn and cabbage. And what a beautiful sight - a pumpkin in the period of fruiting and flowering! How nice it is to notice every day a new centimeter in her girth and how her sides are filled with the sun.
Lettuce, parsley, dill, it would seem that ordinary greenery can be planted so that it sparkles with new colors and shades, for example, in the form of ovals or circles of different diameters.
Small ornamental gardenDon't be careful! Feel free to experiment in your garden with different colors, and this applies to both herbs and vegetables. Different types of salads can have different shades - yellow, burgundy, red. The perennial onion has beautiful multi-colored caps. They will paint your garden in sky blue, lilac blue and white. Plant a slanting onion, a fragrant onion and appreciate this overflow of colors.
Large ornamental garden photo The main thing in the creative process is not to forget that not all plants are good neighbors, but there are exceptions. For example, beets, cucumbers and carrots have absolutely no effect on nearby crops, while spinach and salads have a beneficial effect on neighbors. Fennel is a terrorist among plants, it oppresses its plant environment, so it is better to plant it on the sidelines.
How to make an ornamental vegetable garden in garden design
When creating your own decorative garden, feel free to connect your imagination and imagination! Why not give your brainchild a marine theme? This move will allow you to feel pride in your work with every admiring breath of neighbors, friends and guests. Use wavy slate - waves, and seashells and pebbles. Put together a slate box, decorate it with painted fish and seafood. Place an unusually shaped snag nearby, wrapped in a seine net, or made by your relatives or friends, a chain with an anchor. Why not a miracle island for Robinson? Well, of course, you will agree on this in advance with the children, or maybe not only he will live on the island!
We decorate the ornamental garden with an old wheelbarrow Brussels sprouts, corn, Savoy and ornamental cabbage - perfectly replace palm trees. To enhance reality, place a calendar board with notches next to it, and next to it, identify a bush of any cereal.
Need bananas and mangoes? Easy! Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are great alternatives. A bush of hot pepper "Fakir" will perfectly replace a tropical tree. One has only to start, and this idea will lure not only you, but also the children, who with great pleasure will begin to field and weed the garden.
Quite a lot of waste material is used for ornamental vegetable garden design. Some find use there for old watering cans and buckets, barrels and cans. They paint old carts and wheelbarrows for growing flower and vegetable seedlings.
Decorating an ornamental gardenHow to make an ornamental garden: video
Here's a video to help you create an ornamental garden with your own hands. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Lots of original ideas can turn your entire property, or part of it, into different distinct territories.
