My favorite parts of the garden are the flowerbeds. Beauty abounds in the annual and perennial borders. But, I have also discovered that vegetables can be beautiful too!The first step, in ensuring this, is to pick a very sunny, well-draining, and moderately sheltered location.
Next, you will need some sturdy garden tools, such as a digging spade, rake, and hand trowel. You may simply plant straight into prepared ground, or create raised beds, which are ideal for cool and wet climates.
I highly recommend using open-pollinated varieties, so that you can save your own seeds to plant the following year. And choose vegetables that you love. There is nothing lovelier in a kitchen garden than watching a treat ripen!
May I, now, suggest some reasonably compliant plants to cultivate? Runner beans are an elegant and easy vegetable to grow on a trellis. This vertical element adds attractive efficiency to a garden.
Other easy vertical plants are peas and cucumbers which can be trained to climb.
Another simple and stunning addition are the summer and winter squashes. The squash flowers are not only eye-catching, but they are mouth-watering when coated in a tempura batter and fried lightly.
Vegetables that can be grown in rows or patches are bush beans and broad beans. Broad beans have lovely little white and black flowers that are as fragrant as any designer perfume.
Tomatoes are relatively easy to grow in hot climates. Keep them in a greenhouse if your climate is cool.
In cool or hot climates, the Perpetual Spinach is a great choice, since it is slow to bolt. This gives you a more reliable crop than regular spinach, which tends to go quickly to seed – at the first sign of heat!
Once your seeds are sprouting, mulch around them with compost to help keep your garden healthy and tidy looking. Mulch keeps weeds away, retains moisture, and adds nutrients to the soil, as it breaks down. Potatoes can be heavily mulched, since they produce above the planted tuber.
I hope that you have enjoyed my vegetable sermon and tour. And I hope that I have convinced you that vegetables are beautiful too!
I have been growing vegetables for almost as long as I have been writing. When I see a garden – I want to take photographs. When I see a picture, I hear words, and http://greenlightlady.wordpress.com is where I write them down. Thanks for visiting.
Growing greens ~ Wendy
How lovely, I wish I had a garden too!
I have a friend who grows vegetables in big black plastic pots on her balcony. I have passed on seeds to her… an idea, perhaps?
Hugs ~ Wendy
I do grow flowers on my balcony! But sometimes I miss having a garden, just walking through the grass and enjoy the smells.. 🙂
Oh, yes, I agree. I find it so therapeutic to stroll through the garden…it’s the first place I go to, when I have a heavy heart.
Hugs ~ Wendy
I LOVE fresh green beans cooked with bacon–mmmm! God bless you–love, sis Caddo
That sounds yummy!
Hugs ~ Wendy
You not only made me very hungry for some fresh veggies but you’ve inspired me to try a vegetable garden next spring. I may be coming to you for advice. 🙂
I’d be happy to help – if I can!
Hugs ~ Wendy
I understand completely – LOVE my garden! 🙂
Would you believe I was just on your blog as you sent this? We vegetable lovers/growers have similar timing!
Have a nice evening.
Hugs ~ Wendy
Ha ha! Maybe we’re connected at the ‘roots’? 🙂
Or, grafted into the same Vine?
😉
Ah, now THAT is much better! 🙂
Thanks for the lovely tour of your garden! Beautiful photos, too. I’m hoping to be able to have a garden when I move. Have a blessed day, Wendy! 🙂
Thank you. I hope you find the perfect spot, at your new place, for a cheery little garden. We had the spot, but we needed to put in the raised beds after removing some lawn. It was fun planning it out.
Blessings ~ Wendy
Based on the title, I expected to see you in the garden pic.
You are my favorite commenter and loving husband. Thank you!
xo ~ Wendy
Thank you Wendy. i grew up on a small farm with a substantial vegetable garden and my mom loved flowers, so there was also a wonderful flower garden. In the evenings we (the family) would gather around mom and she would read from her bible (always in a place of honor by her chair) and we would learn the days lesson. When I come to visit your site I’m reminded of the fonder memories of those times. Again sincere thanks, Penny.
Penny, that sounds like such a wonderful childhood!
Wherever a family lives… unconditional love in the house, is what makes it truly a home.
Blessings ~ Wendy
It was mostly. Sadly, because of almost no hearing from birth and my family not recognizing this I spoke with a lisp (couldn’t really hear how words were pronounced) So I was treated as if I were simple minded and while loved, not paid attention too re: my mind (a lot of very smart people in my family).
When I got my hearing in the 4th grade and corrected my speech patterns, it got some better, it wasn’t until I was a teenage and part of a College IQ study that how intelligent (really high score) I actually was came out. The family was shocked!. Then they realized I had self-taught myself how to talk by watching people move their lips when I couldn’t here sounds.This is true.
I can still read lips to this day. My parents apologized a lot for those young years, but they were lonely ones for a child who could feel and see so much and no one really listenen then. Happily years go by and this like all others becomes a part of your personal life experiences.
I am fine with things now,
And was very close to both parents at the end of their years! So coming here and remembering the “good” of my youth is a very special feeling. And yes I am quite the smartest one in the family 🙂 Sorry for the run-on here just wanted you to understand that the “good memories” of my youth re: you and your garden are incredibly “special” ones! Penny, with much love and affection!
I admire you for not becoming bitter. You have a beautiful attitude!
Hugs ~ Wendy
The one thing I know to be true in life is that how we interpret life is dependent on our own attitude. They were not bad people, they just didn’t understand. Thank you, Penny xox
Wise words!
🙂
Hugs ~ Wendy
Thank you Wendy, I do appreciate you! 🙂
Congratulations!! your post has been published, check out the magazine here
http://bbookmagazine.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/diy-gardening-published/
Thank you! I like how you arranged the photos.
Blessings ~ Wendy