Veggies by Design
If Aphrodite visited your vegetable garden, what do you think her reaction would be? I think it would be something like, “Oh dear. I have some work to do here.” Vegetable gardens are ugly—most of them. Have you ever wondered why we spend countless hours designing beautiful shapes and patterns for our flower gardens, not to mention the effort we spend choosing plants to achieve exactly the right combinations of color and texture? And yet, when we plant vegetables, we dig up a square plot of land and plant seeds or seedlings in straight little rows with no regard for design whatsoever.
I think our vegetable gardens are strictly utilitarian because we think that’s what we’re supposed to do. After all, that’s what my mother did—and her mother—and her mother. We probably plant in rows because that’s what farmers do. On a large scale it makes perfect sense. Straight narrow rows make tasks like weeding, watering, and harvesting easier. Rows also facilitate crop management, i.e. seed calculation and crop rotation. Most importantly, plows—whether hand pulled, horse drawn or mechanical—need a straight run to be efficient. And so it has been for thousands of years. According to Plews Garden Design, “Growing vegetables in rows was an invention of the Chinese. There is a document from the third century BC where the efficiency of the crop or amount produced is said to be increased by growing the crops in rows.” I realize that really old habits are hard to break, but when was the last time any of us used a plow in our home vegetable garden?
I think all residential gardens should be beautiful, veggie or otherwise. Most of us have a very limited space in which to plant so if we can free our minds and think outside of the box, every inch of our yard can be aesthetically appealing—even the veggies.
Let the beautification process begin. Here are some ideas from Aphrodite to get you started.
Shapes – If you really want to have a separate vegetable garden, please think about the shape of it. It doesn’t have to be a rectangle. Reduce the number of rows and consider blocks of plants or at least wider rows with paths. Even straight rows are more interesting if they are done on an angle. If you have the space, think Versailles and create a French parterre. Beach Plum Farm’s herb garden is a lovely example of this style. You can do something similar with raised beds. Think about planting in waves rather than rows—after all we are at the beach! Curves instantly add visual interest and soften the overall effect.
Add flowers – Some, like those in the daisy family, attract beneficial insects that will eat harmful pests like tomato hornworms or aphids. Others attract pollinators that will help to increase your vegetable garden’s yield. Marigolds have been used this way for years, especially with tomatoes. Not only can flowers add beauty and protection for your garden, but there are many you can eat! Flavors vary from bitter to sweet so some will make a lovely addition to your salads while others can simply decorate your dinner plate. Here are a few of my favorite edible flowers: alyssum, beebalm, borage, calendula, carnation, chamomile, coreopsis, cosmos, lavender, nasturtium, pansies, roses, and zinnias.
Pay attention to color and color combinations. Veggies are not just green. Tomatoes are red of course, but they can also be yellow or orange as can peppers. Include some Swiss chard, red cabbage, or red leaf lettuce for deeper shades of red. Add purple with eggplant, purple kohlrabi, purple cauliflower, rhubarb, purple basil or the flowers from chives. Paint your support structures a vibrant color, perhaps one that echoes the fruits or vegetables you are growing. Use colorful containers and place them on your patio or directly in your garden beds.
Add structure – Trellises, archways, obelisks, sculptures, birdhouses, and fountains will all help to elevate your vegetable garden to new heights. Decorate the space just as you would a flower garden. You might even want to add a bench so you can rest for a while and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. You can even create a teepee trellis for pole beans. Try planting different color beans together. Green: Kentucky Wonder, Blue Lake, Scarlet Emperor and Romano; Purple: Blue Coco, Dow Purple Pod and Royal Burgundy; Yellow: Monte Gusto, Mellow Yellow and Gold Rush. Not only will the bean pods add color, but the flowers that precede them will too.
Think vertically. Train your tomatoes to grow up a string. Any variety will do, so long as it is indeterminate. Use your fence, if you have one, and hang planters filled with herbs.
Add an entrance – Arbors, gates, tall shrubs at the beginning of your garden say, “Welcome. Please come in.” Make your pathways pretty with steppingstones. You can even plant herbs between them.
Integrate fruits and veggies into your flower beds. This is a great idea especially if you are short on space. We love to grow ornamental cabbages in the fall, why not edible cabbages in the summer? Try adding highbush blueberries to your foundation plantings.
Other Things to Consider
Repetition is the key to unity in a garden. This is what keeps your eye moving through the space and gives your garden movement. Never plant one of anything unless it is meant as a focal point. Repeat the plants themselves or simply their colors.
Unfortunately, you can’t simply just insert veggies into your flower beds wherever you have space. Almost all veggies require a lot of sun—five to six hours of direct sunlight per day. Also keep in mind how big some vegetables get when they are mature. For example, a seedling zucchini is only a few inches wide, but it will need at least four feet of space by the end of the summer.
Unlike flower beds, vegetable beds should never be more than four feet across so you can easily harvest your crops. If you have combination beds, make sure to place the veggies where you can reach them. And remember, harvesting leaves bare spots. Fine Gardening magazine suggests filling the gaps by seeding with fast-growing crops like radishes, lettuces, and basils. The garden will be full and lush again in no time. In the fall you can add annuals like mums, asters, and pansies.
One last thing: untidy gardens are not pretty. Try to give your veggies the same attention you give your flowers—and don’t forget to mulch. Happy gardening.
