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.
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.
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.

Technorati Tags: Backyard Garden, backyard oasis, garden oasis, kitchen garden, landscaping, recession garden, small backyard design, Small Space Garden

Gardening and backyard trends and design have been changing in the few years. For quite some time pastel colors were in but this year bright fiery colors and garden art made of recycled items are making a statement in many yards. Bold and exciting is in this year, along with Small Backyard Designs .
photo credit: SanGatiche

The downward turn in the economy has also made people reevaluate their backyards and design their space making the most use of every available inch of space. This is particularly important for those who rent or live in a city. It is possible to have a garden or mini retreat even on a porch, deck or balcony.

One way to do make more use of you space and make it look larger by extending the home living space into the backyard and making better use of whatever outdoor space is available. Vertical gardening and container gardening are also increasingly popular, even in the bigger backyard.

Larger backyards are being broken up into outdoor rooms with each area having its own use or activity. These open rooms are then designed to flow together to create an overall backyard. This technique helps to create a backyard that is functional to all family members. The entertaining area is one of the more important area followed by a recreational area that could be a child’s pay area, a pool or even a min golf putting area.

Bold and flashy are in and Gardeners are focusing more on foliage and less on flowers. The use of ornamental grasses has doubled in landscape design. They make a wonderful backdrop for flowers with vibrant colors such as reds, oranges and yellows. And for the small space garden layering your flowers and plants make better use of space and creates depth, thus creating the feeling of more space.
photo credit: tomsaint11

Green gardening methods using fewer chemicals, better use of space and water conservation is setting the design for all backyard spaces. And the addition of many vegetable gardens, with the emphasis being compact and easy to care for, has made home gardening increase by 20%. This summer you will notice many windowsill, curbside, container and vertical gardens.

This trend in home gardening has lead to creating gardens with less work and the return of Victory gardens and Recession gardens. The most successful small space gardens are combining ornamental plants with vegetables and fruits. Commercial growers have been stocking petite annuals, perennials, shrubs and garden vegetable that require less space to grow. So buy your garden supplies as early as possible as many places are experiencing shortages this year with the increase in gardening.

This is “Small Backyard Designs Week” at the Backyard Oasis. Ideas for garden rooms, small space gardening, garden art and many more useful backyard design ideas will be covered.

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis, garden trends, green gardening, landscaping, outdoor rooms, recession garden, small backyard design, small space garden designs