herbs and leafy greens, plus certain kinds of eggplant and onions.
Italian: Be sure to include tomatoes, oregano, and basil, at the least.
Mexican: The easy herb cilantro is a must, as is epazote, and of course, a salsa medley of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and various peppers, hot and mild.
If your goal is to serve healthier and fresher food to your family, go for a variety of classic vegetables and herbs. Even salad skeptics may be won over after they taste a wondrous array of colorful lettuces accompanied by fresh ripe tomatoes. And kids who don’t normally enjoy vegetables can discover the joys of fresh, sweet homegrown peas and carrots. For more on raising vegetables, consult Chapter 15; I cover herbs in Chapter 17.
The easiest, most successful kitchen gardens are small and simple. You can always expand later. To start, I recommend
Keeping it sunny: At least six hours of full sun per day is essential for good growth and ripening of almost all vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. Morning light is preferable to afternoon because it dries the dew (reducing the risk of disease) and is less stressful than the blazing heat of midafternoon.
Setting the boundaries: Stake out a spot using string rigged between wooden sticks, or try a simpler approach: Use your garden hose as a guide. After you establish the garden, you can edge the bed with bricks or stones or commercial edging. Plastic edging is cheaper but quickly becomes brittle when exposed to full sun; steel edging is a much better choice and will last a long time. Or dig a roughly 4-inch-deep (10 cm) trench all around the edges. The idea is to keep any lawn grass from encroaching on your kitchen garden.
Building raised beds: If the soil in the appointed spot isn’t very good, erect a raised bed from planks standing on edge. Be sure to use untreated lumber, because some wood preservatives may be harmful to edible plants. Unless you use the more expensive cedar, these wooden sides will eventually rot and need replacing. Composite lumber that is a mixture of wood fiber, plastic, and some type of binding agent is another option. These ingredients are bonded together to form a material that is denser, stronger, and heavier than wood alone and makes it extremely resistant to insect damage and rot. See Chapter 15 for info on raised beds.
Installing protective barriers: If you garden in deer, woodchuck, or rabbit territory (just to name some of the worst pests), or if you host backyard soccer games, a protective fence around your kitchen garden may be in order. Use poultry wire or wood and sink it into the ground to discourage digging invaders. If the fence doesn’t look very attractive, plant fast-growing, lightweight plants to cover it, such as morning glories and moon flowers.
Planting a few containers that are literally at the kitchen door: Try a small tomato plant surrounded by ‘Spicy Globe’ basil, a cut-and-come-again mix of lettuces and salad greens, and another container of your favorite herbs.
Zeroing In on Your Ideal Garden Style
After you’ve determined your basic wants and needs for your garden space, you’re ready to decide on its overall style. Gardens come in many types, themes, and moods. Yours can be informal, with less strict boundaries, a more casual look, and a wide variety of plants; or it can be formal, with symmetrical lines, crisp edges, and a limited plant palette. Or it can be one of many variations in between.
Select a style based on the architecture of your house, the lay of the land, or even an idea you saw in a magazine or online. Your choice also ought to take into consideration the advantages and disadvantages already inherent in your yard and gardening space, as I outline in the first half of the chapter.
Gardening around a theme
Garden design often goes beyond the types of plants you want to grow and the type of function you want your garden to have. Thematic elements can also influence the look of a garden. Do you have a soft spot for old-fashioned English rose gardens? Or Japanese Zen gardens? Or even sandy deserts filled with cacti and succulents? In the following sections, I list some popular style elements to help you continue clarifying what you may want and need.
Formal gardens
Keep formal gardens simple (see Figure 2-1). Aim for balance and symmetry so the garden has an air of calm elegance. Here are some tips:
Use strong lines and boundaries, such as groomed hedges, walkways, perhaps even a reflecting pool.
Employ single-color plantings, aiming to match or complement your house color, fence, or another element.
Add stylish pots, urns, gazing balls, or statuary. Keep everything in moderation so it doesn’t look cluttered.
© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
FIGURE 2-1: Annuals come in many different shapes and colors.
Japanese gardens
Japanese gardens (refer to Figure 2-2) are usually based on a garden floor, or a broad area of raked sand or stones. Choose fine-textured traditional plants, in pots or in the ground. Try bamboo, dwarf conifers, Japanese maples, iris, azalea, and flowering fruit trees. Then include Asian-style accessories such as stone lanterns, bamboo fencing, a water basin, or even a small tea house. When you choose plants for a Japanese garden, think small. Using dwarf varieties of plants can help keep the garden in scale.
Tropical garden
Put a piece of paradise in your own backyard. Tropical gardens (check out Figure 2-3) emphasize lots of big, bold, leafy foliage plants (such as cannas, coleus, hibiscus, and taro) in the ground or in large containers. Use bright flowers in hot colors: yellow, red, and orange, as well as bicolors. Then include a water feature, such as a pool, fountain, or stream. You can add drama with extras: birdhouses or cages, colorful pots, gazing balls, and playful or handcrafted decor and statuary.
© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
FIGURE 2-2 A delightful, relaxing Japanese garden.