Top 5 Gardening Ideas For Your Vegetable Garden
Growing your own vegetables is among the most satisfying gardening experiences, but creating an efficient vegetable garden requires some planning. There are a myriad of ways to start and create an artisanal plot.
The best place to start is to determine the vegetables you'd like to plant. They will affect the design of your vegetable garden.
Companion Planting
Companion planting is a method of growing flowers and vegetables together in your garden. The idea is to attract beneficial insects that will help reduce pests that damage or eat the crop. This is particularly beneficial for vegetable gardens, since certain plants naturally repel pests from other plants and certain plants function as natural trellises to help assist climbing plants.
The most well-known example for companion planting is the Native American "Three Sister Planting." This ancient combination of beans, corn and squash - usually pumpkins - makes a great trellis for the beans to climb up and the large squash leaves help block out weeds and sunlight. Companion planting can be achieved by growing legumes like cowpeas beneath sweet corn or green bean plants or by planting herbs like basil and cilantro alongside tomatoes to repel thrips.
Companion planting is also a way to rotate vegetable plantings each year to avoid insects and soil diseases from growing in the garden. Crop rotation also reduces the need for chemical fertilisers that can build up in the soil and lead to deficiency in nutrients.
The SummerWinds online Garden Planner is a great way to start by planting companion plants. It will let you know the types of flowers and vegetables that are compatible with each vegetable. It is a breeze to plan an aesthetically balanced garden. Nasturtiums that are planted near kale and beans are effective in repelling aphids as well as moths of cabbage. Garlic planted around carrots can deter the root fly. Basil and tomato plants planted close together deter aphids and can confuse the thrips. The same is true for marigolds and zinnias. They both enhance the flavor and increase the development of tomatoes near by and help repel tomato hornworms.
Walled Gardens
A walled garden is a perfect spot to grow fragrant flowers and exotic fruits. As opposed to open-air garden s, the walls absorb and hold the sun's rays, creating microclimates that allow plants that would not normally thrive in British climates to flourish. The protected environment protects from wind and frost.
There are no rules to what you can plant in a walled garden, so you can plant a variety of vegetables and flowers and even an orchard. Fruit trees are a great choice for walled gardens since they grow best in cooler temperatures. Just be aware that certain varieties are susceptible to frost.
The appeal of a walled garden is that it can be anything you want it to be, a relaxing spot or a place to entertain guests. It's not essential to have a formal geometric design. You can design an elegant garden or a tropical design.
To create a more natural look, you can plant vines up walls or planting hanging baskets of herbs. This will make your garden more interesting and attractive when you stroll through it. This kind of garden is best suited for fragrant plants like lavender and honeysuckle. They will bring a lovely scent to the area.
It is crucial to think about the way you'll water your wall gardens too. Too much water falling on the plants may cause mildew and so it is essential to have a drainage system in place. You should also make sure that you don't overwater your plants because they may not be able to absorb all the water they require.
Seating Areas
A garden would not be complete without a seat. Seating areas can help organize the layout of a garden and mark pathways. They also serve as focal points within the landscape. Seating areas are also great places to sit and relax with coffee or a cake. There are many possibilities for stylish seating. These range from DIY projects, traditional wood, to slate designs that last for a long time.
The seating option is an excellent way to draw visitors into the garden, enticing them down a path or inviting them to sit and relax on a bench. It could be a basic seat that is placed in the middle of a garden, or it can be a sculptural piece that is clearly intended to serve this purpose.
Consider how the seating will look after a few seasons, and whether it will blend in with the surrounding plants. Make sure to consider the practical aspect of a seating space. It will save you time from running back and forth to your vehicle to find tools or items you did not bring.
Borders
Growing vegetables in your own backyard is growing in popularity as people seek to eat a healthy diet, save money and know exactly where their food originates from. If you want to add a little style to your vegetable garden, think about adding borders.
The borders aid in defining the vegetable plot. They can be constructed out of a variety of materials, including woven willows, flagstones or even bricks. These can be painted to add additional interest and compliment the planting and draw the eye away from what is often an uninteresting and utilitarian piece of land.
Traditionally the vegetable garden is usually separated from the areas that are flowering in the garden. But why not try the idea of companion planting and include flowers in your vegetable garden. This is not only beautiful, but can also be beneficial to your crops. Flowers, especially those which attract pollinators, can encourage more insects and increase the yield.
This is a great way to make borders to mark out rows in your vegetable garden. There are many options for DIY projects, ranging from durable slate designs.
Fruit Trees
Fruit trees can be a bright addition to your garden. Depending on the type of tree, it can provide shade to cool the garden or provide food for wildlife. Shade trees include the pawpaw which is native to the US and is a popular addition to many vegetable gardens. Other shade trees are apple, pear and plum trees. They are also a good source of nutrients.
Self-fertile fruit trees produce fruit without the need for other trees around. Self-fertile trees are more productive than their pollinating cousins and can save space in your garden. Plum trees, for example are frequently a favorite of gardeners at home due to their small size as well as their sweet oval fruits and vibrant foliage.
If you don't have enough space to plant a standalone fruit tree, consider training them up to a fence or wall using a technique called espaliering. This involves training branches in interesting patterns and shapes on a wall, typically in a Trellis. This lets you cultivate plants like kiwis passionfruit and figs without taking up a lot of space.
There are also dwarf garden plants for those with smaller yards. These are usually smaller than 10 feet in height and take up a tiny amount of space. They are also simple to maintain since they don't need a lot of pruning, but this can depend on the kind of tree.
Start your own scrapbook once you have planted your fruit trees. Include details about the kind of trees that you planted along with dates and methods for planting. This will allow future gardeners to develop their tree-growing skills and ensure abundant harvests for years to come.