Gardeners of the Kitchen
Gardeners of the kitchen are a special breed who really enjoys food, not just for the end product but for the process in how they arrived there. Kitchen gardeners not only savor the fruit of a tomato plant but the care and maintenance that was needed to produce the fruit. They usually start planning their gardens many months ahead. They envision the salsa and pesto in the latter part of winter when they purchase seeds or in early spring when the young seedlings are available for a kitchen herb garden.
These gardeners usually plan their garden plots with the utmost care. Some have plenty of time during the long winter months to arrive at a plan for a kitchen garden that will give them many delicious items. This project during the winter helps get through the long dreary days of the season. The first decision that needs to be made is whether it is going to be an indoor garden, an outdoor garden or one of each. If the outdoor garden is the choice, are the seedlings going into the ground or raised beds?
The outdoor kitchen garden should be in an area that is close to the kitchen and not close to any tree roots. Most of the fruits, vegetables, and herbs require 6 to 8 hours of sun every day. The fruiting vegetables need full sun but some of the herbs such as basil and dill want some afternoon shade. The lettuces and other greens do better if there are large plants or trees for protection from afternoon sun.
For in-ground gardens there needs to be proper drainage. Most of the herbs do much better if they are planted in raised garden beds because of better drainage. Container gardens will work well for the gardener that only has a balcony. Container gardens can also be converted into raised beds by placing them on small stands or bricks to allow for easier drainage. Containers can be hung from deck or balcony railings for better drainage and easy access for the gardener.
Grouping plants in 2′, 3′ or 4′ squares around a focal point instead of in rows can create fascinating patterns of color, texture, and structure to the garden. These square planting beds can be raised for easy picking and maintenance; if left on the ground they need to have wide enough aisles to get a garden cart through them. A garden hose should be able to reach the entire garden unless a sprinkler or drip system is installed.
Once the garden area has been decided upon is the time to figure out which vegetables are going to be planted. In a small kitchen garden, it is best to avoid planting corn, melon, and maybe zucchini and squash. Some of the vine crops can use vertical structures of some sort for training the plant to grow upwards and they will save space. Taller vegetables should be planted in the back or the center of the bed with shorter plants in front or around the taller plant in the center.
Experienced gardeners know which plants can be planted together; this is known as companion planting. Here are some good companion plants: eggplant and beans; carrots, squash, and beans; lettuce and herbs; basic, tomatoes, and onions; and spinach, chard, and onions. Vegetables that should not be together are: carrots with fennel or dill; beans with onions and garlic; onions with beans and peas; or tomatoes or squash with potatoes because they will compete over the same nutrients. The best vegetables to be planted in containers are peppers, potatoes, eggplant, cherry and bush tomatoes, summer squash, pole beans, lettuce, chard, and Asian greens and of course the herbs.
