Home for the Harvest
Digging In.
Savor the flavors of sun-ripened herbs and vegetables that you grow yourself. Kitchen gardens suit yards of any size—even where the only real estate sits in containers. Cultivating fresh produce embodies versatility. So if precise rows come to mind, it's time to retool your thinking. After all, a tomato plant is able to thrive in a raised bed, a 5-gallon bucket, or a 14-inch-diameter planter.
Bed Design
Traditional kitchen gardens blend herbs, vegetables, and edible flowers in an eye-pleasing medley. Plant beds can be formal, featuring organized plantings in repetitive patterns. They also can be more casual, showcasing cottage-garden abandon with artful arrangements.
To design a garden that fits your style, consider your goals. Do you want to harvest mouthwatering essentials for home-cooked meals, or do you long to capture summer's sumptuous tastes for winter feasts? (Stocking a pantry with canned produce or dried herbs requires more plants than the amount needed to create fresh meals.)
Here's another thought: Do you desire vegetables or herbs? You can grow them together, but most veggies are annuals that need to be composted at the end of the season. In contrast, many herbs are perennials that can remain in the ground year-round. For a large quantity of vegetables, you'll need to designate entire beds (or areas in existing beds) for them. Include annual herbs, such as basil or dill.
You also can tuck vegetables into existing flowerbeds, but you'll have to practice annual crop rotation, which requires changing the type of veggies grown in each spot from year to year. Rotating plants also reduces pests and outbreaks of diseases.
Containers
If space is limited, vegetables grown in containers yield flavorful produce. Use planters 14 inches in diameter or larger for tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, or beans. For vining plants, try larger pots. Choose dwarf selections of vegetables for smaller containers. Herbs also thrive in pots; you can raise tasty foliage inside 12-inch-diameter (or larger) containers. Toss in a few alpine strawberries with miniature petunias and ornamental peppers, and it's a feast for the senses.
An Earth-Friendly Garden
Lowe's has more than 40 organic products to help care for your plants safely and gently.
Follow organic practices to yield irresistible produce. This type of gardening focuses on raising plants that are able to withstand pests and diseases.
Begin by planting disease-free seedlings and seeds in favorable conditions. Plants in less-than-ideal growing conditions prove more susceptible to problems.
Arrange vegetables in blocks, interplanting crops to increase your yield and shade the soil. Mulch plants and paths to limit weeds and conserve moisture. Compost plant waste; work finished compost into the soil.
Provide food, water, and shelter for birds to attract some of the best allies in the battle against pests. Birds will eat many insects that attack veggies. Allow vegetable crops to bloom and set seed. Flowers draw pollinating insects, and seeds beckon birds.
Good To Know
Organic fertilizers allow beneficial bugs, such as ladybugs and green lacewings, to thrive.
Master the Basics
Follow these tips and transform your space into a natural pantry.
Location, Location, Location
For more produce, plant your garden so that it receives at least six hours of sun daily. The ideal orientation for a vegetable garden is east to west, with taller crops planted to the north. And if you're placing veggies among annual or perennial flowers, be sure to give them enough elbow room. (A wider, deeper growing space equals a higher yield.) When planting herbs, grow them near the kitchen door because you'll harvest these edibles as you cook.
A Good Soaking
Vegetables are 70% to 95% water and require 1 inch of water per week from rainfall or irrigation. To conserve soil moisture and reduce weeds, use landscape fabric and cover it with mulch. Also consider low-maintenance watering methods. Drip irrigation delivers water directly to the soil for thirsty roots. Sprinklers are equally effective, but best used early in the day.
Down and Dirty
Invest in good soil. For vegetables, deeper, richer, and looser soil yields the best results. If possible, prepare your soil a full season before planting begins. (In colder climates, practice fall preparation for spring planting.) Work compost into your planting beds, and make sure you understand growing requirements before tackling soil preparation. Many herbs, for example, prefer less-rich soil.
Tailor your garden to your family's tastes. For ideas, visit Lowes.com/Vegetables