What is a Kitchen Garden and Do I Need One?
What is a kitchen garden, exactly? For some of us, it’s the gateway into the incredible world of gardening!
A kitchen garden is so much more than just vegetables and herbs. Kitchen gardens are small, dedicated, and beautiful spaces in our yards used to grow fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
We shouldn’t have to hide our kitchen garden from surveying eyes. These amazing spaces can be full of promise and beauty!
Do I Need a Kitchen Garden?
I love gardening. Personally, I can spend all day tending to the variety of plants and gardens that I have cultivated over the years.
But you don’t have to be a “die hard” gardener to relish the joys of a kitchen garden. All you really need is a small section of your yard devoted to growing herbs, fruits, vegetable and a few flowers.
This space can be a single 3′ x 6′ raised bed along a fence line. It could be a few beds where you grow a variety of foods that you love and pick from each day.
And the smaller it is, the easier it is for us busy moms to care for the garden, in the first place. We don’t have to compete with a garden we saw in a magazine or at a neighbor’s house. These garden spaces are for us. They are to have fun, grow some food, learn, and grow some more.
We can have such fun bringing the kids into the kitchen garden with us to learn about plants, food, and pollinators. Want your kids to eat more vegetables? Take them out to your garden and watch as they eat beans straight from the bush! It’s absolutely incredible.
Whether you want to get outside more, or you just want to try your hand at gardening, you won’t be disappointed with a beautiful kitchen garden that incorporates some of your favorite kitchen ingredients and a handful of gorgeous blooms, too.
Where Should I Grow a Kitchen Garden?
Kitchen gardens don’t have to be eye sores. We don’t have to hide them! One thing I suggest is to make it beautiful. And really, when it’s beautiful, we are so much more inclined to visit the space more often.
My kitchen garden sits right smack in the middle of my backyard. It’s bright white and can be seen from the road. And she’s beautiful whether in full grow mode or in the depths of winter.
You’ll want to find a space that gets full sun…at least 6 hours of direct sun.
If you have a patio or a deck off of your kitchen/dining room, consider placing a raised bed or large planter in this area. It’s easy access to the kitchen and you will probably walk by it anytime you’re outside.
Lay out the plants in a way that can maximize space – – Place cucumbers/melons/peas near a trellis so they can grow vertically. You can grow lettuce and other leafy greens on the north side of these vining plants to help provide shade in the hottest parts of the summer. Use edible flowers like calendula to not only look beautiful but to attract bees for pollination and act as a trap crop for the “bad” bugs.
If you’re like me, add some cutting flowers in your kitchen garden so you grab a handful of zinnias/cosmos and some basil for a fresh flower bouquet while your snipping beans and tomatoes for your dinner.
You have lots of options whether you’re strapped for space or can spare a handful of beds. You get to decide!
Kitchen Gardens for Real Life
What about gardening brings you joy? Is it your hands in the dirt? Maybe it’s watching something grow? Is it just getting outside and maybe growing a handful of tomatoes for a fresh salad?
Think of what will bring you the most joy, peace, and satisfaction. You don’t have to aim for growing all of your families produce for the year. That’s a bit much!
Yes, it’s possible. But it can also be overwhelming and lead to a weedy unkempt mess because we went too big, too soon. We don’t have to be in the production game. This is gardening for real life. This is gardening for us.
If you hate zucchini, don’t grow it! I despise kale so it won’t ever grow in my garden. And I’m okay with that. It’s mine!
Your Kitchen Garden, Your Way
Grow for you! You can make this a beautiful space just for you. Or you can make it fun and bold for you and your kids. You have the power to choose how you use this kitchen garden.
And next year, you can change! Each year we learn as we grow (literally and figuratively). We get to make changes and accommodations as we see fit.
I haven’t had a successful year of cucumbers in 11 years of gardening. Why? No clue! But I keep trying different tactics. Maybe next year I’ll throw in the towel with cucumbers and use that spot for something else. That’s what’s fun! We can have successes and failures with these spaces and we are always the better for it.
Finding joy in our own backyards is a gift that continues to give. So do you need a kitchen garden? That’s up to you. But in my opinion, hell yeah you do!
Let’s grow together! Let me know what you’re growing this year. And if you have any help in the cucumber department, I’d love to know!
If you want more ideas on gardening, head over to Pinterest for loads of great stuff.
If you’re interested in gardening, you may find these posts helpful, too:
How to Grow Zucchini from Seed
One Comment
Comments are closed.