Step By Step Your Garden Grows: Design an Easy Kitchen Garden
Follow our easy plan and harvest delicious, organic food right outside your kitchen door.
February/March 2009
By Jim Long
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A kitchen garden that mixes vegetables, flowers and herbs feeds body and soul. With our five-year plan, your garden will grow gradually and naturally.
Rob Cardillo
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Sidebars:
• Tip: Cook Delicious, Simple Green Beans
• Research: The Rise in Food Gardening
• Five-Year Kitchen Garden Design Plan
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Suppose you could eat better, save money, drive less, get fit, enjoy the outdoors and help the environment … all at the same time.
One time-honored tradition offers these benefits, and more. And it’s catching on with a new generation of devotees all across the United States. The solution to so many of our concerns is quite simple: gardening.
What could be more convenient than stepping into your backyard to grab a handful of garden-fresh green beans, crisp lettuce or a fully ripe, mouthwatering tomato? By growing vegetables and herbs, you can ensure they’ve been raised with care. Plus, with your own garden, you can switch to organic produce without breaking your budget. Simply choose organic methods for healthier food and a healthier environment.
With our simple, step-by-step plan, you can begin to reap the benefits of your own kitchen garden this summer.
Ground Rules
One of the most common mistakes new gardeners make is trying to do too much the first year. With that in mind, we’ve divided our plan into installments, which you can implement over three, four or five years.
The first—and arguably most important—step is to choose the location of your garden. The groundwork you do there will be the most labor-intensive part of your project, so choose wisely. The most important consideration is sunlight: Nearly all herbs and vegetables require full sun throughout the day, so your garden should face south, east or west.
Also try to choose a location that is close and convenient to your kitchen. Remember: The closer your garden is to your kitchen, the more often you will use it.
Don’t rule out your front yard if it’s the sunniest and most convenient site available. Having a beautiful garden out front could be an attractive and welcome addition to your neighborhood. (For an example, check out “Southern Color” from May 2008 online.)
Place Your Beds
Let’s say you’ve chosen a site in your backyard, which has a fence along at least two sides. Following our plan on Page 35 (or your own adaptation), measure out and mark the space on the ground so you can envision the area your future garden will occupy. Our garden plan, when completed in five years, will cover an area of about 18 by 18 feet (324 square feet), including pathways, beds and an arbor. In that space, you can grow enough produce and herbs for a family of two or three, with some left over to share with neighbors.
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