It's done. Kind of. Actually it's not done. A vegetable garden is never really "done". It's what's known as a constant work in progress.
So, more preciesely, it's done more than the last time you saw it.
I welcome you to (but keep your paws off my vegetables) my Front Yard Vegetable Garden.
As you can see, I ended up leaving some grass. I went back and forth about whether or not to have grass but finally ended up deciding, even though I know it uses up a lot of water, it's a lot of work and prone to up and dying ... I like it. I mean, those things don't stop me from owning pets so .... I'd like to introduce you to my newest pet; Blade.
It adds a nice amount of green and it's soft on my feet. Plus it plain old looks pretty.
If you read this, you know the baskets all around are filled with seed potatoes.
The left side of the garden has radishes, beets, Kale, spinach, swiss chard, all kinds of lettuces, herbs, peas, fennel and to the far left, a couple of the heirloom tomatoes I grew. Unlike regular tomatoes from the garden centre the heirlooms will grow very tall. Heirloooms are "indeterminate" which means their height and size isn't pre-determined. Most garden centre tomatoes have been hybridized and genetically altered to make them "determinate". A specific size that they grow to and then stop. I knew heirlooms could grow very tall, but was shocked, stunned and kind of frightened when a reader commented that hers had grown to 14 feet. That's not a tomato. That's a character in a Brother's Grimm story.
Of course the height is determined a little bit by the length of your growing season. So hopefully mine won't go too far past the 6 ft bamboo tee pee I'm supporting them on. Eep.
You've probably noticed my wooden board in other pictures. Because I only have access to my garden from one side, I've left strips of soil that aren't planted with anything. I can then lay the board down onto any of those strips and stand on it to weed and pick the vegetables all around me. Otherwise I'd be stomping down and compacting the soil. Works great.
The right side of the garden also has radishes, beets, peas and swiss chard. Then there's carrots, zucchini, acorn squash, potatoes, and a spot where sweet potatoes will go once the soil gets a bit warmer.
This I am proud to announce is my first pick from the garden. A French Breakfast Radish as grown from seed. (purchased from Cubits)
The entire outside of the garden is still filled with perennials like roses, phlox, lavender and other english garden staples. BUT ...
I've also filled in areas with rows of a variety of potatoes. They're planted in baskets and right in the soil.
Seriously. Wherever I could shove a basket of potatoes I did. In this case the potatoes have lupins on one side, peonies on the other and ...
Peas right behind it.
The general look of the garden is organized but not pretty, perfect, cutsie. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun it is to come out and see how much everything has grown overnight. In a few more days I'll have more radishes to pick and the lettuce is just about ready to use tiny bits in salads.
I'M FREAKING OUT. It's so very, very exciting.
I grew 80% of the plants myself from seed, like the heirloom tomatoes. The two at the front are Black Krim (a dark, almost black tomato) and Costoluto Genovese (a large irregular shaped, scalloped tomato).
As the tomato grows I'll just loosely tie it to the tee pee to keep it from toppling.
The basil I grew from seed ... the parsley I did not.
This big, puff of a bee was with me ALL day. He didn't bug me, I didn't bug him. It worked out.
Buttercrunch lettuce. Grown from seed.
Mixed heirloom carrots. Seeded in garden in April.
Freckles Romaine lettuce. Seeded in garden in April.
Red and Green leaf lettuce. Seeded in garden beginning of May.
Red and yellow onions. Planted from dutch sets in April.
MY POTATOES ARE ALREADY GROWING!!! Planted in baskets beginning of May.
French Breakfast radishes. One of the many radish types I'm growing. Direct seeded into garden in April.
And finally ... one of the plants I bought at the nursery 'cause I just couldn't help myself. I love growing everything from seed, but there's comes a time in gardening when you're sick of waiting and you want some INSTANT gratification. I got it in the form of celery.
I planted the majority of it in the garden, but decided to throw this one in a topiary cage. Just for fun. It'll probably die.
But until then ... I will sit, relax and enjoy looking at it.
This isn't every plant I've stuck in the ground, but the majority of them. I also have jalapeno peppers, green chile peppers, zucchini, a few more tomato plants, a bunch of acorn squash, some fennel (did I already mention the fennel?), and the plant I'm probably most excited about ... a Bay Laurel. Yup. Growin' my own bay leaves.
This long weekend in Canada I got everything planted other than the Sweet Potatoes which I'll put in next weekend when the soil has warmed up a bit more. And then ... it'll be done.
Wait. No it won't. I already explained that.
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turktime
Oh Canada, I'm officially jealous....makes me want to take the plunge and start a garden myself...only in Georgia, you can plant early and everything goes gangbusters, but then the S-UH-N comes out in late May minus the rain then the plants chuckle weakly and DIE...at least that's always been my experience...you should be proud, though - looks yummy!
Jo @ Let's Face the Music
Love the variety and noticed how smart you are to have placed a bench. Jo @ Let's Face the Music
Ingrid
BRAVA!!! Looks amazing! Gorgeous!!! I may have missed what I am about to ask in a post....are the sweet potatoes going in the basket planters as well? I am now beginning to root my slips and will also wait until temps are a little warmer...i have tiny little space in my raised beds but will throw 'em in a wine barrel if you are in fact going to plant yours in baskets like your other potatoes!!! As always, I thank you for the inspiration and your amazingNESS!
Ingrid
Karen
HI Ingrid - I'm planting my sweet potatoes in regular old dirt in the ground. As opposed to regular potatoes, which grow upwards, sweet potatoes, grow down. The tuber is actually the root of the sweet potato. So pile up a mound of dirt (could use a barrel if you like), cover it with black plastic about a week before you're going to plant them (to get the soil good and warm) and then cut slits in the plastic to insert your sweet potatoes. Done! ~ karen
Ingrid
LOVE IT! THANKS!!!!
Lonelle
So strange that you are planting/growing lettuce and its 100 degrees where I live!! lol
sherri
Ha- Karen I am from Ottawa!! I am with you on the bear arms. I was just curious if anybody actually had a problem....there always seems to be one!
Karen
OH! LOL. No. No problems. There was one woman in the States a year or two ago who was going to be arrested because she planted vegetables in her front yard! ~ karen
Spokangela
Your amazing garden and fantastic ideas and the enthusiastic support of your readers had restored my faith in humanity...
Then I read this. Now I don't know what to do. Move to Canada? :)
sherri
I am curious about being "allowed" to have a veggie garden in your front yard. Is there zoning or bylaws that prohibit this or problems with your neighbours? I don't mean to be Debbie Downer, just curious. Or perhaps your neighbours have already decided that you are a teeny bit nuts and leave you alone?
Personally, I think it is a great idea and looks awesome....I never really understood the concept of the front lawn anyway- nobody does anything on it....seems kind of pointless- good on you for putting it to good use!
Karen
Sherri - We don't have those kinds of laws regarding front yard vegetables in Canada. I was stunned when I heard about that in the States. You're allowed to bear arms but not a tomato, LOL? All of my neighbours love the garden and several of them are now planning on doing it themselves next year. Also, I'm aware it's the "front yard", so I've made sure that it's also aesthetically pleasing. Nobody wants to look at an ugly yard across the street whether it's vegetables, shrubs or grass. ~ karen!
Maureen
Karen, if you want more celery, try this. Cut the bottom few inches off a bunch, stick it in water for a few days and it will be sprouted as big as the one you bought. Plant directly in the garden watch those cute little stocks grow! You don't have to pull the whole plant, just cut off a stick when you need it.
taria
that is a wonderful garden. I need a bit of grass/lawn too. that bee pic is really cool. how about a webbing, rope or leather strap on that board to pick it up and move easier? great work!
olemike
Wow ! Looks great!
BD
It looks great. I have often thought of a front yard garden due to all of the sun it receives. What holds me back is wondering what to do with the yard in the winter. I don't think I (or my neighbors) want to look at big patches of dirt for the long winter! What do you plan on doing during the winter?
Karen
BD - I haven't decided yet. It depends on how well the garden works out for me. I'll figure it out when the time comes. :) ~ karen
Beth
Your garden is so lovely! I'd never leave that bench! I'm stuck with just container gardening this year, and the containers seem to keep multiplying. I'm jealous of all your space!
ruth
It's beautiful, I love it, and I can't wait to see the next stage of growth!
Angela
Lovely garden! Did you make the teepee? Love the new (?) sod. It adds a lot to your garden!
Susan
Gorgeousness!! How do you do all this and a Blog too? I got it; you must not sleep.
Wonderful job. Thanks for the inspiration. Now I gotta go out and replant because stuff didn't come up.
Not to mention spray the Stoopid Slugs.
Love ya, S
Karen
Susan - I haven't been able to find it in Canada, but "Sluggo" is supposed to be GREAT for stopping slugs. ~ karen
Susan
Thanks for your reply! I make up my own spray of 1/4 ammonia and 3/4 water. Spray El Slug and watch it die. Satisfaction and cheap.
I've heard of using wood ashes too.<3 Susan
Lonelle
You can also hot glue gun pennies around the boarder of your garden if its a raised one, or on paperplates. You cut the middle out of the paperplate, glue pennies to it and then slip it over the plant. Slugs don't like the copper!!
Patti
Oh, Karen! You are going to have so much fun! We did our veggie garden last year for the first time, and it was the most rewarding activity I think I`ve ever done! They`re like little babies!
There is just nothing like pulling something fresh from your garden and popping it into a salad, or a stir fry or whatever. It`s amazing!
And once you`ve had zucchinis plucked straight from the garden, you`ll never even bother with the teeny weenie zuchs at the grocery store! Two different worlds!
Enjoy! Great work, Karen!
Melissa
The plants >are< like little babies, which is why it's so darn frustrating when something (I think a little skunk, in our case) eats them!!! We lost all our Swiss chard, and now I'm afraid to plant anything else for fear of losing it.
Karla
Love the garden. Do you have a small greenhouse for all the seeds you started in April? I planted my first veggie garden last weekend from seeds directly into garden boxes. I do not have the room to grow inside the house. My radishes are already peeking through...so exciting.
Karen
Karla - I have a 3 tiered growing stand with grow lights to start all my seeds. ~ karen!
Mary Werner
Beautiful! I love fennel and plant it all the time. I have MANY butterflies and caterpillars as a result.Used it's flower heads (mostly seeds) as a gorgeous green arrangement in my daughters wedding. Lined the church pews with cones from brown paper filled with fennel and tied up with brown ribbon. Her wedding was brown and green and she released butterflies - good luck with your fennel! Used butterflies on the alter green plants instead of having flowers and it was wonderful. As I love natural more than "arranged" I love your front yard garden.
Annie
Looks amazing, Karen. I'm so envious. Your garden is absolutely perfect. Looking forward to the next update!
Kristen S
Thanks Karen! You inspired me. I turned a 26'x1.5' strip of lawn in my tiny urban backyard into a veg garden!
Rachel
Hi Karen ,
The garden looks great. I also planted celery this year , but I used regular celery from the grocery store. Its true , when you purchase celery for eating , cut all your stalks of about 2 inches from the bottom (as you use them of course). This leaves you with a solid 2" chunky base of celery. Viewed from the top it kind of looks like a celery rose. Soak this in small bowl of warm water overnight ,almost , but not completely covered with the water. The next day take it out to the garden ( or use a plant pot if you want to keep it in the house) and plant it , covering with about 1/2 inch of soil. Thats it!! Within a day or two you'll have celery leaves popping up above the soil line and boy , does it grow fast!
I am envious of your garden , mine does not look nearly as organised and pretty as yours. Thanks for the pics' cant wait to see how it will look in a month or so.