Someone once described a kitchen garden as the shortest, simplest path between the earth, the hands and the mouth. I think that is a good definition of a kitchen garden. A survey in France found hat about a quarter of the produce consumed by the population is home grown fruits and vegetables.
The French potager is their version of the English kitchen garden. There is an emphasis on beauty as well as practicality. Herbs often play a large role in the potager both because many of them are quite attractive while growing and because fresh herbs are an essential ingredient in much French cooking. One of the wonderful things about a kitchen garden is that it can be as organized as you want it to be. In general the kitchen garden mixes fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs, How they are mixed and in what proportions is largely a matter of personal preference. It can be large or small, manicured or loosely managed.
Thomas Jefferson kept meticulous records of his gardens at Monticello and the gardens are still one of the biggest attractions. Jefferson was passionate about peas. He grew 22 varieties, and challenged his neighbors to a competition every spring to see who could get the first English pea to the table. His orchards held 170 varieties of fruit. He knew that native species had a much better chance of surviving and he favored them in his plantings even though he also tried many new varieties of plants from other locations and countries.
A typically informal kitchen garden.
There are not really any rules about what you can or cannot grow in a kitchen garden other than what you can grow in your local climate zone. For a fascinating read from an avid gardener, Jefferson's garden books remain in print - (don't forget to try the library or your favorite used book store). Perhaps among the most famous gardens are the gardens at Versaille. The gardens were planted in blocks rather than in rows, with the vegetables filling in geometric patterns that sometimes were surrounded by low hedges. By grouping vegetables in blocks rather than in rows, their texture, color and structure became an integral part of the overall garden pattern. Blocks of flowers were often used to help create the tapestry-like patterns.
Versailles.
The gardens at Versaille are huge, covering hundreds of acres. In contrast, most of us could supply enough produce for a family of 4 in a normal back (or front) yard. Using small space gardening techniques can mean growing an amazing amount of food using little space. Container gardens can be very productive as well. Window boxes and roof gardens are all possibilities.
Hi Deb,
I enjoyed the photo comparison from a kitchen garden to Versailles! :) I also really enjoy the comments regarding fresh herbs, I absolutely enjoy using them!
Michael
A sprig of anything that is fresh from the garden is an amazing thing. Its' juices and vitality are still flowing when you cut and cook it.
Deb, love the post. Two random thoughts:
I listen to the Thomas Jefferson hour on NPR. The actor who portrays him does a great job in reenacting Jefferson's thoughts and notes on gardening.
Seed sales are going up! Seeds are recession proof. I guess people like to eat.
Fresh herbs and vegies are always my favorite... I'm anxious for the fresh season to begin...
I love fresh vegetables. Thanks for the post and the small space gardening link.
Renee, you are welcome,
Dena, funny thing about that, people seem to have a habit of eating every now and then. I hope that it leads to ore seed saving as well. There are some mighty tasty veggies out there like some of the heirloom tomatoes that only have survived because people saved seeds from their gardens.
Michael,Sabrina and Caron - cooking with fresh herbs is a joy. I'm glad you enjoy it too, I stayed at a B&B on the Pacific Coast Highway once where they quite literally went out into the garden and picked your salad when you ordered it!
Aloha Deb,
If you have the space, everyone should consider growing their own vegetables. Why buy produce that's massed produced on industrial farms, has been shipped thousands of miles, and has been treated with chemicals and possibly genetically modified? Viva la jardin! Thanks for the post.
Peace,
Deb, I thoroughly enjoyed your bringing the French potager into your blog. After visiting there multiple times, I became fascinated with gardens off to one side. You didn't say what you grow. Any specialties?
Deb, this is a beautiful post with regards to the sentiments, artistry and practicality a garden can impart. Gardens expressed with a sense of geometry or a humble group of pots growing herbs and produce vertically brings forth the same exquisite results. You tell the tale beautifully by starting with that powerful first sentence to the last coaxing reminder that it is attainable for anyone.
Deb--You & my mother would have a great conversation. At 86 she is still plants her garden. I will be back. Mary
Mary, I bet your mother has heirloom tomatoes that are very hard to find any more and the taste is unbeatable.
Michelle and Sherry, thaks for the kind words- as for a specialty, I don't really have one, except that I love salad so mesclun and any green leafy thing that can find it's way into a bowl is a likely suspect. I tried artichokes for the first time last year...not much success but not a dismal failure.
Kimo, Nothing beats stepping into the back (or front) yard rather than going to the grocery store. You are quite right about the accumulation of chemicals on the plate- not to mention the amount of embodied energy involved in the huge farming, packing and transportation of these foods....then there is the chemical residue that eventually winds up in streams and groundwater.....
Deb,
Don't say heirloom tomatoes before July. The mere thought of their flavor will set me off and I don't think even greenhouses have any of my Favs. growing right now.
Yes, I would rather have a little pepper spray on my plants over pesticide any day.
Congrats. on getting his post featured.
Hi Deb, I can't wait to start my kitchen garden...Ooooh fresh basil & tomatoes on my pizza! Woo-Hoo!
It is amazing what one can grow in a small space by using intensive techniques like Square Foot Gardening. A kitchen garden should be in every yard.
Thanks for the reminder! I used to have a kitchen garden but now I am down to some blueberry bushes:) However, there are quite a number of my neighbors in and around Lake Norman that do have their own vegetable gardens.
Hi Deb~
What a lovely history of kitchen garden's you have provided! I was not aware of Thomas Jefferson's love for gardening and now will have to seek out one of his books! Great post! I can't wait to eat fresh from the garden!
I have a garden. This year I went all out and am growing everything from corn to squash and tomatoes and onions and carrots...you name it I probably planted it. I even have peach, plum, lemon and orange trees. Texas is a great place to grown many varities of fruits and veggies. You are only limited by your own imagination, time or climate when it comes to gardening. Good post.
Thanks to all of you. Cheri, I have apple and peach trees. I am pondering berries (raspberries) but have not taken the plunge yet. I think I am going to be visiting you come harvest time with all those goodies!
Mary, Jefferson was a huge gardener and his garden diaries make for some pretty good entertainment!
Deb - I loved your post it was informative yet fun. I am looking foward to a kitchen garden , but my family thinks I am crazy. I stand alone in the sun LOL:)