What Is A Kitchen Garden?
I'm working on a magazine assignment, and an interesting question arose. What, exactly, is a kitchen garden?
Do we mean, for instance, some variation of a potager---a semi formal garden of raised beds, mixed flowers and veggies, and permanent paths?
Do we mean, instead, an early American garden, in which "field" crops and "kitchen" crops were grown separately?
Do we mean any garden plot in which we grow our own food for the kitchen?
Or do we mean something else altogether?
I'm just curious what everybody thinks.
Do we mean, for instance, some variation of a potager---a semi formal garden of raised beds, mixed flowers and veggies, and permanent paths?
Do we mean, instead, an early American garden, in which "field" crops and "kitchen" crops were grown separately?
Do we mean any garden plot in which we grow our own food for the kitchen?
Or do we mean something else altogether?
I'm just curious what everybody thinks.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ian on -
Here in France, Brook, the Potager is still going strong. Very often it will be the "old fashioned" formal raised beds with permanent paths used to grow things for the kitchen and the house. So herbs not only go into the kitchen but also in pot pourri throughout the house and cut flowers from the potager adorn every room.
There is an increasing move to forget the raised beds and permanent paths and work an area of ground to produce just food with the need for flowers and pot pourri pushed aside to more guaranteed efforts of the horticulturalist. The potager I am creating here follows the idea of raised beds and permanent paths. but will not, I think, be used for growing flowers
Ian
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Permalink Reply by ilex on -
For me, it's the garden near the kitchen, and it grows whatever it is I like to eat.
But I certainly also think it can be all the things you wrote, depending on the country and tradition.
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Permalink Reply by Roger on
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I think "kitchen garden" means different things to different people and don't feel we need to agree a single definition. I have a broader interpretation than most, I suspect, in that I consider my entire yard my kitchen garden. We've got fruit bushes and dwarf fruit trees in the front, a strawberry patch and herb garden on the side, and a large vegetable patch in the back.
A few years back, I tried defining the term "kitchen gardener" and arrived at this:
http://www.kitchengardeners.org/2005/10/what_is_a_kitch_1.html
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Permalink Reply by Brook on -
Actually, Roger, my editor saw that. Which is what led to my question.
You wrote a beautiful, evocative description of the people who keep kitchen gardens; that is, the gardeners themselves. But, alas, the places they work are not part of the description.
My problem, of course, is telling people what a kitchen garden is, and how to build one. So, while you are right---there can't possibly be a singe definition---I have to come up with something as a starting point. I figure if everybody posts their ideas I can reach a consensus concept.
Or maybe not.
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Brook,
I'm glad you started the discussion. It could be that there's more consensus than we know.
I like Storm's short answer above.
Roger
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Permalink Reply by John Walker on -
Dear Brook,
Come to the edible gardening club and find out...... whimsical answer...
My 2C.
A place, close to home, where you grow plants (better definition needed perhaps) to eat.
How to build one is the bigger question.
If someone has never grown food, I refer them to mel Bartholomews book, square foot gardening and ID-128 (home growing veggies in KY),
If they have grown food, I would refer them to ID-128.
In all cases I would invite them to the EGC, go to talks by people such as yourself, read, ask questions, come to my house and see what I do etc etc.
hope this helps
pax
John
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Permalink Reply by Brook on
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John, me bucko, if you're going to put in a plug, do it right!
For those interested (which should mean anyone who grows veggies in Central Kentucky), the next meeting of the Edible Gardening Club will take place at The Arboretum, in Lexington, May 21, 6:30-8:30 PM. Bring a pass along dish for the potluck.
The subject will be growing heirloom vegetables, with myself and Roger Postley as discussion leaders.
After the discussion period we'll go out in the gardens and plant something.
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Permalink Reply by Penelope on -
Hmmm. "pass-along dish". I've never heard that term before. I've heard "covered dish" or simply "bring some food to share." I like these little regional nuggets. How are Kentucky potlucks in relationship to Jello???
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Permalink Reply by Penelope on
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Quite simply, it's a garden, of manageable size, usually by one or two people, designed to provide food for the person(s) living nearby. It's generally placed within easy walking distance from the kitchen door, which traditionally leads to a back yard, space behind a house, probably because people tend to grow food close to where it's likely to be prepared. All very practical. I think fresh herbs are an important element -- i grow rosemary and basil and marjoram in pots -- start indoors, set out for summer, bring them in in the fall and place in a sunny south window. I also have hardier herbs: chives, parsley (that I allow to reseed itself but sometimes have to purchase another plant or start more from seed indoors), greek oregano, lemon balm, spearmint, orangemint ... I like borage and hope what i planted last year has reseeded itself -- it's too early to tell. And Sage of course -- for the T-day turkey stuffing, and sage butter is a great sauce for chard stuffed ravioli. And how could I forget thyme??? I just started a new batch since my last plants winterkilled. Bad winter.
I am puzzled by houses that don't have doors leading into backyards as if there's no intention of extending life into the outdoors at all. On THIS OLD HOUSE PBS program, I've seen it several times and the owners' remodel always includes opening up the back of the house to the outdoors. Maybe the lack of back doors comes from a time when kitchen gardens were viewed as ugly, the domain of the servants, and were to be kept from public view. Now, however, we find beauty in them, as well as usefulness, and not that many of us have servants these days. Aesthetics again.
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Permalink Reply by Penelope on
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My point is that it's usually (note the word "usually") from my observations small enough to be easily manageable by even one or very few people -- as opposed to being a big production requiring heavy equipment -- but I'm sure school gardens, community projects, etc., employ more people, but my particular model is imagining a one family dwelling (not including huge polygamist families, although they appear to have gardens too) which mimics my personal experience. that doesn't mean there wouldn't be produce to share with others.
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Permalink Reply by Penelope on
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I recommend you open a bottle of champagne and go out in your garden and watch things grow.
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