Kitchen Gardening for starters

A kitchen garden doesn’t means you have to garden inside your kitchen, rather it refers to a garden where you can get fresh healthy vegetables to cook In your kitchen. Though the closer the garden to the kitchen better it is for you to collect the vegetables in fresh condition.

For the starters it is recommended to start small and plant what you want to eat, you can always do the add on later. It will not only maximize your pleasure and health it will add energy to continue the activities of Gardening for the longer period.  Choosing a site is very important for the success of Gardening. Given a choice between a sunny spot and a shaded one I would recommend to choose the place with the presence of sunlight. For details on the effect of  sunlight on the growth of plants check out my earlier blog Sun or No-sun.

Next step is to prepare the media for growth. It can be soil or Soil-less. You can directly put the seeds or the seedling into the soil. In case the soil is not of good quality or lack proper drainage, you can always go soil-less. There are different types of soil-less media available. I have discussed some of them here. Whatever the option you take make sure there are no weeds present in the media.

Next is to add compost to the media. It controls weeds adds organic matter to the media and also retains water. More on this here.

The next choice you have to make is whether to start with seeds or with transplants. It is always better to start with transplants as there are fewer chances of mortality and more the chances of success specially for plants like tomato or brinjal. Though many gardeners starts with seeds due to lower cost, more variety and more satisfaction to see a plant go from seed to fully grown.

Make sure your plants don’t die of thirst. Fruits and vegetables require lots of water. Specially in case of transplants, you need to provide enough amount of water initially as the plants yet to grow deep root structure.

Lastly one single tip. It is important to plant some of the flower plants along with the vegetables plants to your Kitchen Garden. Flowers add colours to the garden as well as attract beneficial insects which promote pollination. In some cases it also repels some of the undesirable and harmful insects.

I hope you got what you are looking for. Help others by sharing the content. By the mean time you can check out this Cool looking 4-Tray Kitchen Seed Sprouter

2013 Gardens on the go

Here in Tuscany the seasons have had a strange uneven flow of late and many plants have gone into a state of confusion, to blossom or not to blossom this is the dilemma.  

The last few weeks have been taken up by planting thousands of spring bulbs, Narcissus, aliums, crocus, iris, tulips you name them we've dug the holes for them.  The nursery garden is full of trays and pots and we are awaiting the arrival of our new poly tunnel.

In December our latest garden design project in Tuscany kicked off with a flurry of activity.  We are now in mid flow of creating a relaxed family garden designed to deter wasps, bees and other stingers as the family are extremely allergic.  We are introducing meandering gravel paths, hidden corners in which to sit and relax, flower borders beneath the trees and a covered eating area.  A large semi circle of neutral toned gravel has given the old Tuscan Farmhouse a welcoming entrance and we are introducing raised beds for veggis and herbs which have been handcrafted from chestnut timber poles.

The garden is taking on a whole new identity one that draws you in to different spaces and entices you to explore.

Our wonderful tree surgeon Oscar and his assistant Stefano have just completed a chestnut pergola for a woodland cottage in Pescia and also created a bespoke handcrafted wrought iron balustrade.  We love including artisan or one-off designs in our garden projects as they give the outside space a unique quality.  Next up on the list is a 'Alice in Wonderland' style tree-house constructed from natural timber, no straight lines here!  We are building this tree house with the idea that it will last for generations and still appeal to teenagers and adults alike.

When not working in a client's garden I'm pouring over seed catalogues for a little indulgence as I have just started an orto in our own garden here near Siena.  I also hope to create a small formal kitchen/herb garden or 'witches' garden as they are known here.

A few images from Bella Terra's gardens this winter...