Vegetable Garden Facts
The kitchen garden, with its rich history and age-old appeal, is as flexible in design as it is delicious in its expression. The garden can be designed as a frilly, ornamental masterpiece or it may be manifested as a humble, practical plot without artifice or flourish. A well-cared-for vegetable garden can be both beautiful and practical. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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Vegetable gardens (in some form or another) have been a part of human life since the dawn of species. Ancient records (from Egypt, China, Central America, etc.) describe the importance of the family food garden in nearly every culture. Most vegetable gardens are still miniaturized versions of sustenance crops, but it was the French who developed the idea of the kitchen garden ("potager") as we know it today-a garden of culinary delights, meant to be separate from the ornamental section of the residential outdoor space.
Present Popularity
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Home gardening tends to increase in popularity during the years surrounding a recession, as families look to spend resources more efficiently. According to a recent survey by the National Gardening Association, food gardening in the U.S. is indeed on the rise: 19 percent more American families planned to add a food garden to their outdoor space in 2009, compared to 2008. It's no wonder that so many new gardeners are joining the fray: NGA research estimates that the average well-cared-for garden puts five hundred dollars a year back into the gardener's pocket (even with the costs of gardening factored in).
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Organic Gardening
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Organic gardening is the art of improving soil and maximizing plant production without using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides. The "population boom" of American participants in organic gardening mirrors the growth in the overall gardening hobby. The proportion of all-natural home food gardens in America is increasing by leaps and bounds. Compared to just 5 million households in 2004, a full 12 million chemical-free household gardeners in the US identified themselves on the National Gardening Association's 2008 survey.
Choosing Plants
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Draw up a wish list of favorite vegetables, take a few photos (at different times of day) of the space you're planning to install the garden, and put a scoop of soil from that space in a baggie. Take the list, the photos and the soil to an expert at your local nursery or a master gardener. They'll help you design the space and choose the vegetable varieties that grow best in your specific climate.
Finding Help
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Once your garden is established, you'll begin to tackle the challenges that have faced gardeners since antiquity-soil nutrition, pests, watering, climate and other issues. For do-it-yourself help, visit the National Gardening Association or the USDA websites and search for vegetable gardening. Contact your local university extension program, as they often provide month-to-month to-do lists that instruct local gardeners on the best time to plant and harvest specific vegetables, as well as how to handle regional pests.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Basket of Garden Vegetables image by Karin Lau from Fotolia.com
