Gather from your Garden

Kitchen Gardens

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Elements of a Kitchen Garden

The basic elements of these gardens is simplicity, practicality, and productivity. A kitchen garden is the ultimate cooks' garden as well as a relaxing and beautiful space for all to enjoy.

By combining beauty and functionality, the kitchen garden is a great addition to any outdoor space.

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Layout

Proximity to your residence is the first consideration when planning a kitchen garden. Whether it is formal or informal, the space needs an open route, like the conceptual plan above designed by The Aldrich Company for a residence in sunny Carpinteria.
The actual layout is usually a symetrical design, in order to improve accessability and productivity.

There are various configurations one could implement, depending on size and taste. Keep the layout tidy and well apportioned.

This particular layout makes the most of a rectangular space, with neat rows and a designated sitting and relaxing area to view the bounty.

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The kitchen garden in this design by The Aldrich Company makes use of a gradual slope of an estate in Santa Barbara.  A central pathway leads past rows of herbs, roses, and vegetables. The top tiers are planted with fruit trees, and the pathway ends under a Honeysuckle covered pergola.

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Pathways

Pathway material varies in kitchen gardens, depending on taste, availability, and funcionality. For instance, a garden in a zone with little rainfall should opt for materials other than lawn. Paths are for creating a network between beds as well as weed suppression. Below are four examples of common pathways: lawn, hardscape such as stone, mulch, and pea gravel.

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Raised Beds

A raised bed for your vegetables, herbs and fruits provides optimum soil health, as well as a weed and gopher barrier. It is easy to add certain amendments to a particular bed and improve overall soil drainage.
Excavate to a depth of 8" or more to allow more room for root growth. If gophers are a problem in your area, it is crucial to install gopher wire to deter them.

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Materials for a raised bed vary, but perhaps the easiest is pressure treated wood like redwood. Other materials include stone and woven willow. Often the beds are lined with boxwood to add formality.
Prefabricated raised beds are a sensible solution to those living in small spaces. You can have a kitchen garden with tubs such as these or other plant containers.

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Structures

Fences, trellises, arbors, pergolas, benches, obelisks, and support cages are basic structures in the kitchen garden. 

Trellises support a variety of climbers and provide shade for heat intolerant vegetables.

Garden obelisks, or tuteurs, draw the eye upward and offer support to twining plants such as pole beans, sweet peas and cucumbers. These structures can also be built of metal or constructed of branches.

A good fence with a gate provides protection from deer, rabbits, raccoons, dogs, and other hungry creatures.

Pergolas, arbors, benches, and dining areas add to the appeal and beauty of a kitchen garden.

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Planting

Care should be taken when deciding on what to plant. Plant vegetables, herbs, and fruits that you enjoy, and perhaps a few you haven't tried before. Depending on your zone, the best times for planting are when danger of frosts have passed. 

• For some plants, it is more profitable to be sown by seed, but for others it is better to buy a sixpack from the nursery. This greatly shortens time to harvest. Cilantro, carrots, radishes, and lettuce may be sown, harvested, and sown again in a matter of a few months. 
  
• Use organic matter, topsoil, and perlite or other nonsoil substrate to make the most of your kitchen garden. Apply organic fertilizer as needed.
  
• Plant the biggest and tallest plants in the center, while planting vegetables that won't mind the shade near them. Low lying plants are on the outside, for easy access.  
  
• You can harvest all during the growing season by staggering your planting times, but be sure to plant enough of those that need both a male and female plant to reproduce.
• Consult a designer, nurseryman, or master gardener if you need extra help.

Harvest and Enjoy!

The Aldrich Company offers design services and consultation to residents in Goleta, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland, Carpinteria, and the Santa Ynez Valley. To contact, click on the link below.

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The Aldrich Company