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Make small vegetable garden


How to Start a Small Vegetable Garden

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Whether  you’re looking for ways to save money, eat more healthily or just enjoy working the land, a small vegetable garden is a great idea.

You can do quite a lot with a small amount of space, so there’s no need to have a huge backyard.

Once everything is set up, the actual work is minimal.

It definitely helps if you enjoy gardening, but you might learn to enjoy it after reaping the benefits.

1. Choose a Sunny Spot in the Yard

Choose the sunniest spot in the yard for your vegetable garden.

If your entire yard is shaded, your options are going to be pretty limited.

Lettuce and spinach do fairly well in shady conditions, but most other vegetables do not.

If possible, have the trees trimmed in order to get more sun into your yard.

If the side of the house is sunnier, you might want to start your garden there.

2. Map it Out

It’s a lot easier to get the right arrangement when you make clear plans ahead of time.

You don’t have to be an artist to do this.

Just grab a sheet of paper and start with a square.

Map out different quadrants for different vegetables.

It’s smart to start small, so stick with just a few things at first.

Now is not the time to be overly ambitious.

3. Start Seedlings Indoors

Waiting for seeds to sprout in a vegetable garden can be frustrating.

It will leave you wondering whether you’ve done it right or not.

A great way to alleviate this problem is by starting seedlings indoors before warm weather is here for good.

You can monitor their progress to make sure they are growing properly.

When the time comes, just transplant them out in the garden.

4. Invest in Excellent Tools

You may be tempted to buy the most affordable gardening tools possible, but that’s a mistake.

You’ll have a much easier time working in your garden when you have decent tools.

It’s well worth it to spend a little more for quality.

Begin with a basic assortment of tools.

As you work on your garden, you may need to buy additional tools.

Eventually, you’ll have everything you need and will be able to keep up with the maintenance of your garden with ease.

5. Use Trellises

Plants like cucumbers and beans are tasty, but they take up a lot of valuable space.

You can still grow them, though.

You just need to set up a few trellises.

You can find affordable trellises at the local big-box hardware store.

Make sure they are secure.

As the vegetables grow and ripen, they will put a lot of strain on the trellis and could break it.

6. Start a Compost Pile

One of the best ways to have great soil for your garden ready to go is by starting a compost pile.

This also gives you a way to reuse old scraps of food and other items.

Do plenty of research before starting a compost pile.

There’s a definite science behind it.

Whether you build a bin for your compost pile or invest in a composter, you will love having ready access to great soil.

7. Devote a Section to Herbs

If you normally use dried herbs while cooking, you’re in for a real treat.

Devote a small section of your garden to herbs and start planting.

You will love how much more flavorful your dishes are when you use fresh herbs, and most of them are quite easy to grow.

Options like chives, cilantro and dill are all popular, but you can successfully grow just about anything.

8. Position Your Garden Near the Kitchen

It’s not always possible, but you should try to position your garden so that it’s close to the kitchen.

Use pavers to make a nice pathway from the back door to the garden.

While you’re in the kitchen dreaming up meal ideas for the night, your garden is sure to inspire you.

It’s nice to just dart out to the backyard for freshly grown tomatoes, carrots and other ingredients.

9. Have a Water Source Nearby

Make it as easy as possible to water your garden.

Most vegetables need a lot of water to thrive.

If you have to drag a garden hose from around the side of the house every time, you’re going to dread watering your plants.

Buy an extra hose if necessary to make it as easy as possible.

You’ll thank yourself later.

10. Buy Seedlings from a Nursery

There’s no law that says you have to start all of your vegetables from seeds.

Plants like tomatoes are actually easier to grow from seedlings, and there’s nothing wrong with visiting a nursery to get what you need.

Whether you strictly plant seedlings or do a combination that includes plants grown from seeds, the point is to grow fresh vegetables in your backyard.

How they begin is inconsequential.

11. Make Sure the Soil is Vegetable Friendly

Take the time to make sure that the soil is suitable for growing vegetables.

All too often, people assume that all soil is the same, and they are crestfallen when their veggies don’t thrive.

Ideally, your soil should be well-drained, moist and mixed with plenty of organic matter.

Compost and peat should be used liberally.

You don’t have to perform a chemical analysis of the soil, but you should do what you can to make it as suitable as possible.

12. Grow Flowers around the Perimeter

Your garden will look even lovelier when you plant flowers around its perimeter.

The sky’s the limit, but many people like to grow things like morning glories, which crawl up chicken wire and other fencing materials to add a lot of charm to a vegetable garden.

This is especially nice when your fence is a little on the unsightly side.

13. Soak Seeds before Planting Them

Always check the directions that come with seeds you buy before planting them.

However, it’s usually fine to soak them for a while before planting them.

This can help speed things up a lot.

Many times, specific instructions on soaking the seeds will be included.

Some seeds need to be soaked for a few days while others just need to soak overnight.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much more quickly they produce plants.

14. Choose Productive Plants

Some vegetables thrive better in some areas than in others.

Also, some plants produce more vegetables than others.

Maximize the output of your garden by selecting plants that are highly productive in your neck of the woods.

It’s usually better to have a few plants that produce vegetables throughout the year than it is to have plants that only produce edible veggies once or twice.

Speak to someone at a local nursery to get advice.

15. Grow Vines on Tepees Too

If you’re not a fan of trellises for whatever reason, a tepee is another good option.

That doesn’t mean you should build a tent over your garden.

It means you should grab six to eight poles that are about 6 feet in length and position them in a tepee shape.

Plants like beans and cucumbers can then grow up them, and you can plant other things below them.

16. Study, Study, Study

In the months leading up to planting season, do as much research as possible about vegetable gardening.

Thanks to the Internet, you don’t even need to leave the house to do so.

However, you might also want to buy at least one or two decent books on the subject.

Read them from cover to cover to learn as much as you can.

This knowledge will pay off later.

17. Rent a Rototiller

There’s something to be said for working the soil with your bare hands.

It loses its charm quickly when you’re trying to set up a vegetable garden for the first time, though, so you should plan on renting a rototiller.

You can usually rent one by the hour, and you’ll only need it for part of the day.

This tool will quickly churn the soil to make it ready for your seedlings or seeds.

18. Use Fertilizer

It’s great to want to have an organic vegetable garden, but fertilizer is crucial if you want to have a real stab of growing veggies on an ongoing basis.

Luckily, there are ways to fertilize a garden without using harsh chemicals.

This is another example of something you should research before the time comes.

When you’re ready to plant, have a few different options for fertilizing everything.

19. Share with Other Gardeners

You probably know at least a few other people who have vegetable gardens.

Talk to them to see about pooling your resources.

One person might actually own a rototiller, for instance, and another might have a nice selection of spare seeds.

You can also trade seedlings with each other and turn to each other for advice and guidance.

As an added bonus, you can share the bounties of your respective gardens later in the year.

20. Use Mothballs to Keep Critters at Bay

Nothing is worse than discovering that a rabbit or other critter has gone to town on your veggies.

Bunnies dig beneath fences, so you can’t rely on them alone.

A great idea is to sprinkle mothballs below where your fence will be placed.

The scent of the mothballs will scare away many critters, and they won’t try to burrow beneath your fence.

21. Improve Drainage with Compost and Other Materials

It’s crucial to make sure that your soil is adequately drained.

Otherwise, your plants will become waterlogged and won’t thrive.

Test the drainage of your soil by soaking it and then digging up a piece a day later.

If it’s still soaked, you have drainage issues.

Add more peat and compost to the soil to help it drain better.

Keep testing it until it is properly drained.

22. Use Newspaper and Straw between Rows

Drainage is important, but you need to keep the soil moist too.

You also need to work continually to keep weeds at bay.

Shred some newspaper and lay it between the rows of your garden.

Mix in some straw too.

It may not be the prettiest thing, but it is a very effective way to help the soil retain moisture, and it will do a lot to keep weeds from growing.

23. Use Pavers and Chicken Wire to Keep Critters Out

In some areas, critters aren’t a major problem.

If you already see bunnies and other critters in your yard, you’re going to need to plan accordingly.

A simple chicken wire fence is a great starting point.

However, many critters dig beneath fences to gain access to vegetable gardens.

Take flat pavers and bury them around the perimeter of your garden too.

Bury the chicken wire fairly deep as well.

24. Harvest Your Veggies Properly

As exciting as it is to see fresh veggies growing in the garden, resist the urge to harvest them prematurely.

Some vegetables need to be harvested at specific times.

Before planting something, find out when and how it should be harvested.

Some plants can be harvested at different stages, so do a little experimenting too.

You’re going to want to make the most of your delicious veggies.

25. Grow Veggies that You and Your Family Like

This may seem obvious, but many people are more concerned about choosing veggies that are easy to grow than with selecting veggies they actually like.

What’s the point of growing something if no one is going to eat it?

Even if it involves more work, it’s way better to plant a vegetable that you truly love.

Get the whole family in on the act and have each person select one veggie to grow.

Final Thoughts…

At first, starting a small vegetable garden may seem like a huge chore.

By taking a methodical approach and keeping a few things in mind, though, it’s actually pretty easy.

Your efforts will really pay off when your table is piled high with fresh, delicious vegetables later in the year.

15 ways to maximize your space |

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(Image credit: Future)

Small vegetable garden ideas can turn even the tiniest space into a productive patch.  If carefully planned, you can grow all kinds of crops, from tactile herbs, through to root vegetables and fruit trees. These small vegetable garden ideas will help you to transform your plot into a highly productive, small-scale garden.

Whether you are starting from scratch and looking for vegetable garden ideas or just seeking ways to get the most from your plot, these tips and design ideas will give you inspiration for the best layouts as well as the best and easiest vegetables to grow for the highest yields.

Small vegetable garden ideas

Nothing beats the satisfaction of harvesting your first ripe tomato or pulling up your first carrot from the soil – edibles can be grown in the smallest of plots and now is the perfect time to have a go.  

By incorporating a vegetable garden into your small garden ideas, you can increase the productivity of your space while still retaining a characterful and abundant garden scheme.It is also a great way to engage the younger generation when gardening with children. So take advantage of your tiny spaces to grow delicious options that will add a special homegrown flavor to your meals.

1. Opt for a multifunctional greenhouse

(Image credit: Gabriel Ash)

Greenhouse ideas form an essential part of the vegetable garden, letting you start off as many seedlings as your heart desires, without the challenge of predicting the frost or worrying about where they are going to live. The benefits are not just felt at the start of the growing season, either, as even an unheated greenhouse can delay the effects of frost by several weeks, letting you maximise the yield of crops – such as picking fresh tomatoes well into fall.

However, when it comes to planning a greenhouse for your small vegetable garden ideas, you will inevitably be faced with the need for compromise; the most common being between a shed and a greenhouse. Both have benefits but often the necessity of a shed's storage potential will outweigh the botanical benefits of a greenhouse. This does not have to be the case, though. If you’re struggling to choose between a greenhouse and others shed ideas then consider a design that combines both elements. Here, the shed lets you store all your gardening tools out of sight while the adjoining lean-to greenhouse gives you plenty of space to raise your crops, making it a clever, compact solution for more petite spaces.

'In the summer months, a small greenhouse can be used to grow any of the traditional greenhouse plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, or herbs and start off seedlings which you can later transfer outdoors. During colder months, a mini-greenhouse can also be used to plant more temperature-sensitive crops,' explains expert at Hartley Botanic .

Once you've got your greenhouse up and running, discover the best food to grow in a greenhouse to help you on your way.

2.

Make the most of vertical height with hanging baskets

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The best plants for hanging baskets aren't just trailing blooms, in fact hanging baskets can also be used to grow a wide range of vegetables, helping to increase the productivity of your small vegetable garden ideas. 

Taking up no ground space, they provide a versatile growing platform for a wide range of vegetables, working particularly well with cut and come again lettuce, rocket, and spinach as well as being able to be used for growing tomatoes or as herb planter ideas. Since the vegetables are elevated above the ground they are inaccessible to slugs, snails, rabbits and other animals who may decimate your crops when grown at ground level – protecting them from this helps to boost your yields.

3. Grow vegetables over your pergola

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Vertical garden ideas are a great way to go when designing your small vegetable garden ideas. Traditionally rambling roses or the best flowering climbers are the natural choices for training over a pergola, however, you can also use them to support vegetable vines. The best vegetables to pair with your pergola ideas are cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and beans as these require a support system in order to grow.

Growing your crops vertically will not only make the most of the available space but will also help to protect them from slugs and other pests – they are also easier to care for. 'When growing vegetables over a pergola, it is easier to reach the fruit as it grows,' explains Lindsey Hyland, founder of UrbanOrganic Yield . 'You'll also save on your garden's water consumption since the plant's roots are confined to a much smaller surface area.'

If you're wondering how to begin growing vegetables over a pergola, then learning how to grow cucumbers vertically is a great place to start.

4. Grow vegetables in pots

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Shady areas are often a problem in smaller gardens, however, vegetable garden container ideas offer the perfect solution as you can move them to follow the sun throughout the day. This means that you're not just limited to vegetables to grow in shade but in fact can grow a wide array of edibles in your small vegetable garden ideas. 

Gardening expert Carol Klein says: 'There are loads of vegetables you can grow in pots. Absolutely masses of them. All the salad crops you can grow so easily.'

Potted edibles and other container gardening ideas are particularly convenient for small vegetable garden ideas. They are particularly useful for vegetable gardens that  are part of balcony gardens or placed on patio ideas since they don't require borders or raised beds.

Planting a large container with a mix of flowers – particularly flowers that attract bees – and a range of crops, such as different salad leaves and chillies, is both decorative and practical. Regularly harvesting leaves of vegetables, such as chard, and lettuce planted in groups, will avoid crowding. 

5. Embrace grafted fruit trees to maximize space

(Image credit: Alamy)

You don’t have to have an orchard to be able to grow your own fruit. Dwarf fruit trees are some of the best trees for small gardens and can be planted directly into an ornamental bed, valued for their pretty blossom as well as fruit, and intermingled with roses as ideal companions.

There are plenty of dwarf varieties that will thrive as part of your small vegetable garden ideas or even as part of your container garden. From apples and pears through to cherries and apricots, there are dwarf varieties available for most of the best fruit trees meaning you don't have to miss out despite your small plot.

If you are really short of space however, consider grafted fruit trees. In duo fruit trees, two different trees are grafted onto a single root stock, this means you can have multiple varieties of fruit from one tree. For example, this tree combines apples and pears on a single trunk – talk about making the most of your space! To ensure your new tree has the best start in life be sure you know how to plant a fruit tree.

6.

Grow crops that offer rich rewards

(Image credit: Future/Camilla Reynolds)

The trick for a successful small vegetable garden is to grow small amounts of different crops that offer big rewards. Opt for easy bumper crops like cut and come again salad leaves, chilli plants, fresh herbs, leafy greens, and super-sweet peas straight from the pod. 

‘Over the years certain plants and varieties have emerged as front runners in the time/reward ratio,’ says plantswoman Sarah Raven . ‘They’re the ones that are quick and easy to grow, so they will do well even if you don’t have much gardening experience. Whenever I’m asked by new grow-your-owners which plants to go for I say cut-and-come-again leaves every time.’

7. Use trellis for compact small vegetable garden ideas

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

A super-smart small vegetable garden idea is to try vegetable garden trellis ideas, to make the most of the space by using vertical surfaces to grow crops up – this is particularly useful if you are looking for ways to incorporate vegetable plants into courtyard garden ideas.

Add in some herbs, which make excellent potted plants and can also be beneficial for companion planting, and you could have all you need to rustle up a delicious homegrown meal at your fingertips.

8. Position a small vegetable garden near the kitchen

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

'Most of the plants going into vegetable patches are annuals. They are working with a short timescale and need to grow rapidly. To enable them to put on this performance, they need all the help they can get and plenty of food to fuel this growing process. That's only possible in full sun,' explains expert plantswoman Sarah Raven.

This small vegetable garden idea allows placement of the crops closer to the kitchen for ease of use, and so you can pay close attention to any pests and diseases.

9. Combine small vegetable garden ideas with blooms

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

If yours is a small garden, you will want to plan for the best of both worlds, combining small vegetable garden ideas with flower bed ideas. If this is the case, treat your vegetables just as you would other plants, growing three of the same vegetables alongside repeated flower planting to create an impactful, cohesive look. 

10. Build a raised bed vegetable garden

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Raised garden bed ideas are a popular way to grow edibles as part of small vegetable garden ideas.

Wood, brick or sleepers can be used to frame your bed, and there are plenty of kits on the market – or you can follow Monty Don's raised bed tips. Fill your beds with good-quality soil, and then add your fruit or vegetable crops.

You may like to plant in neat rows or decorative patterns for a mini potager effect, mixing in some companion planting. 

Rotating the crops ensures pests and diseases don’t build up, and also makes the nutrients added by one plant available to the subsequent plants. 

11. Look to vertical vegetable garden ideas to save space

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Experiment with climbing crops to make the most of space when you plan a small garden:

Do some research for a system that suits your location, and experiment with which crops work the best. In general, go for reliable choices, such as clumping and running herbs that regenerate after being cut back hard, red perilla, salad leaves, sugar snap peas, edible flowers and strawberries.

TOP TIP: If a wall is in a shady spot, it can also be painted white to reflect light back onto a climber, which will also make a small garden look bigger.

12. Plant a small vegetable garden amongst flowers

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Small vegetable garden ideas require a bit of creative thinking. Mix edibles among your flowerbeds to emulate the traditional potager cottage garden ideas of the past, where flowers, vegetables, herbs and fruit were planted wherever they fitted. 

The vegetable or fruit plants can blend attractively beside other plants. Decorative choices to tuck in for small vegetable garden ideas include frilly lettuces and cabbages, architectural cardoons, runner beans and peas scrambling up tepees, rainbow chard and feathery asparagus and fennel. 

An informal scheme, with scattered edibles, allows for staggered cropping and avoids the situation of feast or famine and patches of empty soil. 

Smaller edibles, such as chives, parsley and ferny-topped carrots, make attractive edging to garden beds. Perennial herbs look good year-round, such as sage and ground-covering thyme with its pretty flowers. 

Adding veg and fruit among your flowerbeds has a further practical advantage of creating a mosaic tapestry of colors and scents that confuses insect pests, making it difficult for them to find the veg or fruit they want to feed on. Flowering herbs will also attract beneficial insects.

WARNING: Be sure, though, to avoid space-loving fruit and vegetable plants that don’t play well with ornamentals, including berries and larger root vegetables like potatoes.

13. Grow for color in a small vegetable garden

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Of course you'll want to grow what you love to eat, what suits your space, its position and soil type, but if you choose to grow crops for color in small vegetable garden ideas, you will be rewarded two-fold with a tasty harvest that looks good while you are growing it. This rhubarb is a case in point.

14. Create a small vegetable garden in a window box

(Image credit: Future / Joanna Henderson)

Window and planter box ideas are most suited to low-growing kitchen garden edibles, such as herbs and salad leaves, and need to suit the conditions that prevail at your window. 

Planting ‘recipes’ to try include a mix of different mints, strawberries interspersed with parsley, or a one-stop salad garden with micro greens, salad leaves, chives, basil and edible flowers.  

15. Grow fruit trees in containers

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

It is possible to include a lot of fruit in your small vegetable garden ideas. Most fruit prefers a sunny position, making them ideal when planning roof garden ideas, but if your garden is in semi-shade, many of the choices below will still do well.

These can also be lovely growing in pots in a range of patio ideas, so they are close to hand when you're tempted to pluck a ripe fruit off the bush as you sit outside enjoying your garden.

Gooseberry bushes can be trained against a wall and do well in a large pot or container with regular watering and feeding. They love a sunny spot but will also fruit in shade and need a free-draining moist soil. Prune annually in late autumn or winter.

Strawberries are easy to grow in pots, in the border or hanging baskets. They need rich, fertile soil and a sunny spot. Plant bare-root runners in late spring to early summer. Keep the compost moist and feed when the flowers appear. 

Blueberries need an acid soil to do well so use well-drained ericaceous soil for containers. Don’t let it outgrow the space, and repot into a slightly larger size. Feed with a rhododendron fertilizer and water well. They are self-fertile and you could have a couple in containers that fruit at different times.

Apples can grow in pots. Select ones that have been grafted onto a container rootstock. M27 is the smallest dwarf size and M9 is still dwarfing but more vigorous. You can also espalier as step-overs or against a fence, or plant into a flowerbed. Options include Fiesta, Discovery, Sunset and Falstaff.

Citrus trees, such as lemons and kumquats, can be grown in containers outdoors in summer and over-wintered inside. Mix one part sand or grit to four parts soil potting mix. Use rainwater to water – ideal for sustainable small garden ideas.

What can I put in a small vegetable garden?

In small vegetable garden ideas, it is sensible to plant compact fruit and vegetable varieties that won't take up too much space - many seed and gardening websites list the best compact crops to grow in a restricted space.

Choose vegetable and fruit crops that can be continually harvested, which keeps them producing, rather than ones that are removed completely. Your space needs to be as productive as possible.

How do you start a small vegetable garden for beginners?

It is easy to start a small vegetable garden – there are plenty of small vegetable garden ideas to get your started – and before long you can be enjoying the taste and flavor of your own homegrown crops.

To grow well and be productive, vegetable and fruit plants ideally need: 

How do you lay out a small vegetable garden?

Stagger the planting for small vegetable garden ideas so there is always something to harvest. 

Longer-term crops, such as cabbages and broccoli, can be interplanted with faster-growing options, including cut-and-come-again salad mixes, pea shoots, mizuna, rocket and radishes, which are ready to eat from about six weeks from seed.  

Many crops can be continually picked, including cherry tomatoes, chillies, chard, beans and snow peas. 

For north-facing or spaces with less sunlight like some narrow, long gardens, try shade-tolerant edibles, such as spinach, chard, kale, rocket, sorrel, Asian and salad leaves, Alpine strawberries, rhubarb, currants, mint, bay, coriander, chives, parsley, chamomile and tarragon. 

Also take into account when to plant vegetables as well as where to place them, this will help you to design your small vegetable garden.

What vegetables can you grow in a small space?

There are many crops you can consider when planning small vegetable garden ideas, but here are some of the best crops for small spaces:

SALAD LEAVES AND LETTUCES are easy to grow, great for beginners and definitely taste better picked fresh. Cut-and-come-again leaves will give you a selection for weeks, months even, and by sowing a succession you can enjoy them through the year.

BEANS, including dwarf varieties, are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. They need full sun, good drainage and are frost sensitive, so plant after frosts have passed. Choose a pot at least 16 inches in diameter, and make a tripod using three sticks tied together.

KALE lasts well into winter. Just a few plants are enough to keep you in supply for nearly the whole year. They are frost hardy – in fact a light frost improves the flavor, making leaves that may have become bitter at the end of summer, sweeter.

BEETROOT seeds are a cluster of four or five separate seeds, so planting a single seed in a 5-liter pot can yield a number of plants – ideal for small vegetable garden ideas. Look for smaller baby beets for growing in containers. Grow in full sun, although they can survive some shade. 

CHARD is very productive as well as stunning to look at, and the leaves are cut-and-come-again so won’t leave holes in your ornamental planting.  

TOMATOES, especially the mini varieties, grow well in pots, grow bags and hanging baskets. Plant young plants in May, water evenly and feed with a tomato fertilizer for continuing cropping, and consider the best crops for tomato companion planting.

CURRANTS are space saving trained on walls, or can also be grown in containers. They prefer well-drained, moisture-retentive soil in full sun, but tolerate part shade. Water well in dry periods, prune when dormant and harvest them in clusters.  

This feature was created by H&G's sister brand, Period Living magazine

Subscribe to Period Living for more inspiration Period Living is the UK's best-selling period homes magazine. A subscription provides you with all you need to know about caring for and improving a traditional house and garden.

Leigh Clapp is a professional photographer with over 25 years experience, primarily as a garden specialist photojournalist but also with food and travel.  She delights in exploring gardens, discovering the tiny elements to their overall essence and meeting lots of enthusiastic gardeners along the way. Leigh’s work appears in magazines, newspapers and books, both in the UK and abroad, including Period Living, Country Life, and Gardens Illustrated; as well as being sole photographer for a number of books, including Garden Details, Feng Shui in the Garden, Vertical Gardens and From the Garden – fresh seasonal cooking.

A beautiful do-it-yourself garden: decorating a garden on a summer cottage and garden plot - photos and ideas

In a recent review on trendy gardens, effective techniques were described on how to diversify the garden on your site. I want to approach the issue from the other side and talk about the various approaches to organizing a vegetable garden, within which you can use these techniques. Let's look at how to make a beautiful garden in the country with your own hands (photo attached).

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Making a vegetable garden at a summer cottage

1. Approach a vegetable garden like a flower garden
How is a vegetable garden different from a flower garden? Only because the plants that are planted in it are edible. But edible plants can be used in the same way as ornamentals. Many of them have a beautiful shape and color of the leaves, bloom expressively, and during the ripening of the fruits they delight us with bright and varied colors.

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Staab & Olmsted LLC - Landscape Architecture and F

Moreover, many useful fruit trees originally appeared in our area as ornamentals. For example, tomatoes and potatoes were once grown as exotic plants, and their flowers were used for decoration. Jerusalem artichoke can still be seen more often as ornamental thickets with joyful yellow flowers along the edges of the plots - and at the same time, its tubers are very tasty and healthy. Many have long appreciated the decorativeness of herbs and medicinal plants.

So why not approach the design of your garden in the same way as you would approach the arrangement of a flower garden, and use not only the beneficial properties of vegetables and herbs, but also their "external data"? Make an expressive accent from the garden!

Tip: To get a beautiful garden (in the photo - ideas for a garden and a vegetable garden with your own hands), select plants by color and, planting them, create patterns and ornaments. Use salads, cabbage and greens of different colors.

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Plant taller plants in the center and in the background: ground tomatoes, peppers, beans. During ripening, they also diversify the appearance of the garden with brightly colored fruits. Combine varieties with fruits of different colors - for example, red and yellow tomatoes or beans with green and purple fruits.

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Climbing gourds and squashes make a wonderful decorative flower garden in your country house with their beautiful leaves and flowers and expressive fruits.

Tip: Use herbs and herbs as borders and dividers.
Consider the scale and pattern of the leaves. Plant rows of vegetables and herbs with finely cut, fluffy tops (such as carrots or dill) and plants with large, rounded leaves, such as beets or lettuce.

SEE ALSO...

Charles Hilton Architects

Dimension your garden bed so you can easily reach your plants for care and harvest. If necessary, make mini-paths from mulch or decorative pebbles, dividing the flower bed into segments. Arrange a garden flower garden in a spiral shape or in the form of ribbons. Use the same techniques in the design of your garden as for the arrangement of the flower bed. Let it delight you with its design - a beautiful shape and a combination of colors.

Tip: Geometric beds, French bosquet beds, lawn beds and container plantings are suitable for flower gardens.

Jeff Herr Photography

When creating beautiful gardens with your own hands, you can use the same places as for flower beds (in the photo the garden is arranged right in front of the entrance to the house) - except for the entrance area and places adjacent to the roads: after all do not forget about the benefits. Also avoid heavily shaded areas, as most fruit plants like good light. But an excellent choice would be areas near verandas, terraces, recreation areas, as well as on lawns and intersections of paths.

Jackie and the Beanstalk

2. Hide
This gardening approach is probably the most common. It was preferred by medieval monks, who made their apothecary gardens closed and surrounded them with fences impenetrable to prying eyes. However, the use of this technique dates back to even more ancient times: the closed gardens of ancient Egypt.

Nowadays, too, very often, they try to somehow hide and disguise the garden on the site (an example is in the photo). So do it with taste! Turn the garden into a separate closed part of the site, a separate backstage corner.

A. Put a fence around it
You can put a beautiful fence around your garden. Use materials, shapes and colors already present on the site: in the main fence and gates, in gazebos, benches, home decoration. A fence made of raw stone will look spectacular, especially decorated on top with ampelous plants or partially entwined with them. Mark the entrance with a beautiful gate or pergola.

Dear Garden Associates, Inc.

B. Hedge
Another way is to build a hedge around the garden. Moreover, in order to achieve the maximum beneficial effect, use fruit plants to create it. Plant irgu, hawthorn (with partial pruning), viburnum, chokeberry (chokeberry) or hazel along the perimeter of the garden. This design looks very impressive: the listed plants form high lush curtains and create a “screen” around the garden. When planting, keep in mind that the width of such a hedge will be 2-2.5 m. However, these shrubs lend themselves perfectly to pruning, and you can form a clipped hedge of the shape, width and height that you need. True, in this case, you should not count on plentiful harvests.

Deborah Silver and Co Inc

B. Trellis Trees
Another useful hedge option that will mask your garden and keep you productive is trellis fruit trees. Such a fence will not take up much space, but it will require some effort to form. In addition, to obtain a crop, it must be fairly transparent. At the same time, trellis growing has quite a few advantages.

Any type of garden bed will work for an enclosed garden, but shaped geometric beds and bosquet beds will look the most organic.

Make sure that the fence around the garden does not completely obscure it, that is, the area for the garden should be quite spacious. For this reason, a fully enclosed garden is suitable for large areas. Otherwise, close off the garden area locally by placing trellises at key visual points. To maximize the beneficial effect, grow climbing garden plants on such trellises: peas, beans and even cucumbers.

Idea: Complete the look of a medieval garden by placing a bench or swing under the trellis. Let in your garden there will be a place not only for work, but also for relaxation.

3. Make an exhibition out of the garden
This approach is the opposite of the previous one. I propose not only not to hide, but, on the contrary, to show the garden in all its glory and even decorate it additionally. Carefully consider the layout of the garden: in this case, curly beds will be just perfect.

Rick O'Donnell Architect, LLC

A. Sculpture
Use garden beds as a showcase. Who said that only gardens and parks are worthy of sculptures? The flower beds will be an excellent exposition area for them. Use sculptures made of concrete, metal (as in the photo) or wood, romantic, fantasy images or modern forms. Or you can go the traditional way and arrange an exhibition of garden scarecrows.

Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates

B. Collections
A garden is a great place for collections. Let it be a collection of garden tools, or a collection of rare varieties of vegetables. A great collectible is pots and containers for plants. They can come in a variety of shapes, colors, materials and finishes and can be very decorative.

Of course, the same planters look stylish and sort of collect the area into a single composition. But this is not the only possible decorative technique. And the garden is just the place where a variety of garden containers will look organic.

Tip: Unite planters by one property - material or style. Otherwise, their design can be completely different.

Austin Creations

Alternatively, use homemade vegetable gardens.

Greico Designers/Builders Dallas

C. Fountain or Pond
Install a fountain in your garden. This will immediately make it not just a utilitarian platform. Let it be a geyser fountain, echoing the shape of garden planters, or a laconic flowing stream.

A small pond will also create a wonderful atmosphere. In addition to decorative, water objects will perform quite functional roles in the garden. An irrigation system can be connected to them, and the pond will perfectly cope with the drainage function and maintain a moisture balance.

Magrane Associates San Francisco

D. Sculpture Plants
Treat plants like sculpture. Use standard, columnar trees and weeping forms. Bet on extravagance. Try growing unusual and even exotic varieties. Or mark the most ordinary plants with original plates (after all, what is signed is already almost a collection). And then you can proudly lead tours of your garden.

Structures Building Company

4. Want to have a beautiful garden?... Stop gardening!
No, I'm not suggesting that you give up the pleasure of eating fresh vegetables and herbs grown by yourself (the photo shows an idea of ​​how you can decorate a table on the terrace with your harvest). I propose to abandon the garden as a dedicated area on the site. Place fruit plantings not locally in one place, but in small groups throughout the site.

Charles C Hugo Landscape Design

Let them form a lush border along the fence. Tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini are suitable for this. Heating up from the sun, the fence will give off heat, which will provide additional heating and faster ripening of the crop.

Beautiful borders of greens, lettuce and herbs will turn out along the paths of the garden. Alternate colors and combine different leaf textures and you have a truly decorative composition that provides, among other things, also a navigational function.

Use garden plants for zoning. Use cucumbers, beans and peas to create pergolas. And the same cucumbers, zucchini and lush herbs in tall containers will become beautiful and useful borders that separate different areas or accentuate the entrance.

This approach perfectly suits the needs of a small area, as it allows you to use literally every centimeter of space.

CSDesign llc

Tip: Tall and container beds are ideal for the spread garden. Use curly containers, place them in tiers, take into account the logic of movement and zoning of the site. And then the “garden in the absence of a garden” will not only not take up precious space, but will also help to visually enlarge it!

YOUR TURN…
What do you like about decorating your garden with your own hands? Show photos of your sites in the comments section below the article!

How to make a proper and beautiful garden with your own hands: photos and ideas

If, according to the proverb, sleds are prepared in summer, then the question “how to make a garden” should be puzzled even in winter. While there is snow on the street, you need to think about what will be grown in the garden and how many beds you need to prepare, how they will be located on the site and how they will be watered.

Decoration of the garden on the site

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