Create a Kitchen Garden

 Backyard Garden  1 Response »
May 082009
 

Kitchen gardens were always a part of the backyard plan in the past and with the return of the recession gardens and popularity of the outdoor kitchen area the kitchen garden is again becoming popular. 041709 023
Creative Commons License photo credit: themissiah

A kitchen garden was set up to be small and easy to access from the home and preferably near the kitchen area.

It was also set up to include the favorite vegetables, herbs for cooking and a few fruits.

Basil, oregano, garlic, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, leaf lettuce, rhubarb and strawberries are a few of the items most often selected.

Kitchen gardens can be set up in a very small space or even on the balcony or patio. They are often grown in containers if space is limited.

Here are a few ideas to consider if you plan on creating your own kitchen garden area.

Choose a site that receives full sun during the growing season. This would be at least six to eight hours of lighting. If you live in a cooler climate try to select a site that thaws early. You will be able to work your soil earlier and get in your lettuce and other small vegetables.

Raised beds, using windowsills or container gardening would also help you plant earlier if your climate is cooler

Select a site that will permit access to a storage shed and water so that your gardening supplies will be close by.

The garden area should drain well and have the proper soil mix. Both drainage and soil can quickly be improved if you add compost, peat or fertilizer.

Design your kitchen garden to include the vegetables you use the most but also to be ornamental garden. This way you have the benefits of fresh garden produce but the beauty of a unique garden landscape. This is easy to do with vegetables of different colors, the use of vining plants and including flower, which can be edible, in your garden.The garden one year on
Creative Commons License photo credit: tristanf

One other advantage of a kitchen garden is that it is usually is within easy reach which makes weeding and picking the harvest easy. And if it’s close to the house you shouldn’t have to worry about damage to your crops from deer or other small wild animals.

Add a kitchen garden to your backyard or patio area.

It will add color to your garden oasis and fresh produce to you table. And with planning it will take very little room or time to maintain.

Posted by Denise at 9:52 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Small Fruit Orchard: Part One

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
May 052009
 

There are many fruit trees and other varieties of fruits that can be grown in containers. Growing fruit in containers is a perfect solution for people who want fresh fruit but have limited garden space or live in a city. And with the emphasis on recession gardens and growing you own produce and fruit the small space fruit orchard is catching on. Iron grapes
Creative Commons License photo credit: Marina Cast.

If you are looking for fruit that will produce the first year soft fruits are you best choice. Strawberries, currents, gooseberries, and grapes work well. These can be bought in compact varieties or dwarf rootstock. But this may not be necessary because the size of the container will usually restrict the size of growth of the plant.

Watermelon, cantaloupe, melons, kiwi and vine peach also grow well in containers, And if you like nuts, try growing peanuts indoors.

And although growing you own fruit is easy and rewarding with fresh fruit with limited chemicals or no chemicals its important to realize that growing fruit in containers will not produce the quantity that will be produced in a garden area. But your crop is usually enough for your needs.

Containers for the Small Fruit Orchard

Half the fun of growing in containers is selecting the container. Consider the pot as an addition of art in your backyard and home. You want the select the right size for your fruit crop but color and a container that adds to your décor or expresses your personality is also important.

The best containers for growing fruit are those only slightly larger than the existing rootball. This would be an additional 2 to 3 inches in diameter.

As a rule of thumb, most fruits do well in a pot that is 18 inches in diameter and at least 16-18 inches deep. Melons will need a larger pot. I prefer to grow them in a planter box so that I can trellis the plants easily and make sure they have enough fertilizer and water.  Fresh Fruit
Creative Commons License photo credit: allyrose18

Strawberries can be grown in smaller pots and work well in hanging baskets or window boxes. I grow my strawberries in hanging baskets and have a crop of berries that produce all year long.

Container tip: Large pots will get heavy from the soil so set them on casters to make moving them around the patio, balcony in and out of the house easier.

One final consideration in selecting a container for your fruit is to make sure it has adequate drainage and a water tray for catching excess water.

With proper sunlight, fertilizer and watering, you can raise great fruit in a small space garden or orchard area.

You will find it rewarding and you may want to mix a few herbs or flower in your containers for more color and fun.

Posted by Denise at 9:34 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Small Space Fruit Garden

 backyard design  1 Response »
May 042009
 

Small fruit varieties grow well in limited space garden designs. There are many fruit trees that you can train as espaliers or to grow in containers but strawberries, brambles, and melons will grow well in containers and on patios and balcony gardens with little care. Dill
Creative Commons License photo credit: quinn.anya

Raspberries are a good choice for fruit container for the small space garden. There are summer and fall-bearing varieties. Raspberries also cost quite a bit in stores and have been heavily sprayed for insects, so by growing your own you will save money and have a cleaner fruit

The summer bearing raspberry plants will produce fruits in early summer, with the season lasting around five weeks. The fall-bearing varieties, which are known as everbearing, will give you two crops each year – one in early summer and a late crop min fall. In my zone 5 this is late September and into October.

You can choose red, gold, purple or black raspberries for your fruit container garden. Some of the good red and yellow varieties of raspberries are named ‘Anne;’ and ‘Autumn Bliss.” If you want to go in for black or purple varieties, you can choose between ‘Brandywine’, ‘Munger’ and ‘Royalty are great selections in black and purple raspberry varieties.’ These varieties are summer bearing.

Blackberries also do well growing in containers. My suggestion for blackberry plants when selection a variety to grow is to get the thornless variety. The sting of a blackberry thorn seems to be worse than any other bramble bush. Brambles are usually spaced one foot apart when planted.

Another option for blackberries or raspberries is to train them to grow on trellises. You will make better use of the space and I also grow a small crop of lettuce or herbs in front of the berries for better use of space and to add color to the garden area.

Melons are also a nice fruit for the mini garden area, but they will take a large container. Melons will need plenty of water, fertilizer and soil that drains well. The reason for a large container is to ensure that the melon plants have enough fertilizer to produce a good crop.

Peach vine or Vine Peach is also a favorite heirloom fruit that I grow. It has a wide variety of uses and takes very little space. I grow this crop on a trellis and usually mix in a vining flower for color.

There are many fruits that will grow all year long. Strawberries are a perfect example. As long as they have fertilizer and decent lighting you will be able to harvest a crop all season long. I tend to grow most of my strawberries in hanging baskets. They take less space, look great and produce well this way.

Care of you fruit garden

I only use organic insect control on my fruit plants. By checking the plants regularly and making sure the plants have the proper water and fertilizer I rarely have an insect problem. I also check and remove any weak stems or leaves.

Raspberry plants tend to attract Japanese beetles so I grow an okra plant and place it 20 foot away from the berry brambles. It’s a pretty plant and Japanese beetles like the plant but the plant doesn’t agree with them. It’s a natural insect control for the raspberry plant.

Other insect controls are a homemade insect spray.

Most fruit varieties dislike frost and extreme cold and will damage easily if exposed to frost. Keep your fruit container gardening efforts in a cool place, away from the frost. And if they are located outdoors cover the crops during the late fall.

Posted by Denise at 11:42 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Backyard Postage Stamp Garden Design

 backyard design  No Responses »
Apr 212009
 

In a Postage Stamp garden, a garden that uses a barest possible amount of space, the placement of your plants is critical. You need to utilize every square inch of space but leave room for the plants to breath and receive enough nutrients to grow healthy and produce large crops. Freesia
Creative Commons License photo credit: The Marmot

Below are a few suggestions for plant placement

Its best if you had time in the winter to plan a garden but you may have decided to plant at the last moment or you have just created a space for a garden. If you haven’t planned a garden it is helpful to lay a design out on paper.  You will have a better plant placement plus you won’t forget a plant or two.

One important part of a postage stamp garden is to use as much of the air space as possible. Some call this layering the plants. Train tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and vining plants up trellises, arbors, fences, poles, walls or what ever is available. This keeps the plants off the ground, saves space and promotes healthier plants. Sprawling plants will also choke out over smaller plants and makes weeding more difficult.

I have also found I have less insect problems growing certain plants vertical. One more additional plus is that it is pretty. Mix a flowering vine in with the vertical vegetables and it’s stunning. The flowering vine will also help pollination.

For your small backyard design postage stamp garden it’s not necessary to use rows. As a matter of fact rows use more space. I divide the garden into rectangular, square or circular spaces and plant a certain vegetable in that space. The same applies to seedling that you buy. Plant them randomly leaving enough space between the plants. Plants need enough space to grow and like to touch when mature. Spacing will depend on the plant.

For example tomatoes need one foot on both sides when trellised, lettuce like six inches and you can space beans four inches apart. . The Square Foot Garden book by Mel Bartholomew has a great section on plant spacing.

Its best to leave pathways in your garden if you have to reach more than a couple of feet. This way you can get to all the plants easily. This layout will also give you garden an artistic look. And if you have room on the garden place a small bench to rest. I also place a rain barrel in the center of my garden that I fill with water for quick watering or plants.

I also mix flower, herbs and vegetable all in the same plot. They benefit each other, many flowers have natural insect repelling characteristics and it just makes the garden prettier. I am a firm believer in a garden should be fun.

One other important consideration in your small backyard postage stamp garden design is to make sure you plant tall vegetable on the north end of you garden. Taller plants will shade the smaller plants that need sun. Plant the other vegetables in a descending order according to their size down to the south section of the garden. I do occasionally break this rule during the hot summer months with spinach and lettuce plants to give them a little shade in the afternoon hours.

With intensive gardening and the Postage Stamp Gardening method for using space you should be able to design a small backyard garden for any area, even balconies and patios. Gardens add to the development of a backyard oasis paradise.

Posted by Denise at 11:12 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Grow Fruit in Small Spaces

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Apr 172009
 

There is a trend in backyard design and gardening to work with small space to get the most use out of an area. This is particularly good news for renters and city dwellers. The other plus to small space gardening is the smaller the area, the less work you will have. Backyards are to be enjoyed – not to be all work.  Barossa Valley. SA
Creative Commons License photo credit: amandabhslater

When people think of a small garden they think of a few flowers and vegetables in a container but the truth is herbs, flowers, vegetables, fruits and even fruit trees can easily be grown in a small space and produce enough to supply a family with fresh produce. Containers, soil, a trellis or wall are all you need.

Strawberries adapt well to growing in containers. Put a strawberry jar in a corner along with a few small plants for a nice floral arrangement. If you have more room set up a strawberry barrel or a tower container. If you keep these watered they will produce a plentiful supply of berries.

My personal favorite is growing strawberries in hanging baskets. If you water and fertilize regularly its possible to have fresh homegrown berries all season long.

Rhubarb is very ornamental and I grow it in with my flowers. You can grow it in a large pot as a foliage plant for the patio or balcony. But the rhubarb will not produce as large of a crop in a container.

One other fruit I grow is the vine peach. It’s an heirloom seed that produces a small fruit somewhat like a melon in texture. I have grown it for years and it makes wonderful jams and jellies.

And if you have space on a patio you can even grow a few melons in a large container. You need a container that will hold a lot of dirt and fertilizer. Melons are heavy feeds and I put about one foot of compost and fertilizer in the bottom of a container to make sure the plants will have an ample supply of nutrients for the season. This container also has a trellis so that the melons grow vertical.

If you have a trellis or available wall, Blackberries, Raspberries, gooseberries and grapes can be trained to grow on a trellis, fence or wall. You will need to keep the vines trimmed to increase the plants fruit production and to control the vines from encroaching into living space.

Kiwi grows very well in a container or on a trellis. Just check to see the hardiness or the kiwi variety you have chosen. The kiwi plant is very beautiful and I like to mix the container in with other flowering containers. It makes a nice focal point when arranged this way. Kiwis
Creative Commons License photo credit: Sheep purple

You can grow fruit trees in containers but you need to check the rootstock to purchase the right fruit variety and you will need to prune the fruit trees to keep them small and manageable.

Posted by Denise at 9:52 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , ,
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