Vegetable & Herb Garden Ideas

by Three Dogs in a Garden

Now is the perfect time to start thinking about what you want to do in the garden this spring. If you are planning on growing some vegetables for the first time this year, you're not alone. Sales of vegetable seeds now outsell that of flower seeds.

vegetable herb garden ideas, container gardening, flowers, gardening, homesteading

Niki Jabbour, author of the book Ground Breaking Food Gardens has lots great advice for novice veggie gardeners:

"Pick the right site. The best place is a spot that receives plenty of sunshine- at least eight hours each day.

Consider your soil. If your soil is less-than-ideal, don't panic! Instead, build a raised bed to grow your vegetables, filling it with quality garden soil and compost.

Start small. I always tell novice veggie gardeners to keep it small! A manageable 4-by-8 foot raised bed or even a few pots of edibles will be much easier to care for than a large garden. Start with a handful of your favourite crops and once you've got a handle on planting, tending and harvesting, you can always decide to go bigger the following year.

Plant your menu. Grow what you like to eat."

Don't worry about keeping vegetable and fruit crops separate from your flowers. If you only have a small space, mix everything in together.

I love that these suburban homeowners have put a table and chairs in amongst their flowers and pear trees.

Mixing in flowers can be beneficial as well as pretty. Flowers like these marigolds actually deter insect pests.

A small, hillside property did not deter these veggie gardeners.

They terraced the slope and added a hedge along the front for privacy. An arbor makes a charming entrance to an to a small courtyard with raised vegetable and flower beds.

I was quite impressed by the variety of produce even this modest space could produce. There was everything from carrots to kale to grapes.

Growing vegetables vertically is a great idea when you have only a small space to work with. It doesn't have to be fancy- these simple bamboo poles lashed together make a wonderful plant support.

This herb garden is located right outside the back door.

There is nothing more fresh than herbs and vegetables that are steps from the kitchen!

The use of stone pavers in this herb garden are not only decorative, they also provide an easy way to step in amongst the plants and harvest a few herbs.

Growing herbs in containers on your porch is another means to a convenient harvest. Pots are also a great way to control plants like mint and oregano that can be invasive.

Aren't these plant supports fun?

There is no reason why something functional like this support for beans or peas can't be whimsical as well.

Keeping critters out of your garden can be a problem.

Why not turn a problem into an asset? How gorgeous is the fencing that surrounds this rural veggie garden!

This is a more rustic version of garden fencing.

The fence here is made of cedar left after the homeowners cleared their country property.

To make the curved centre sections young cedar saplings were cut and the branches were removed. The flexible young saplings were then bent into place and wired to hold them.