Re-Worked Kitchen Schematic

After closer inspection on the BHG Eye-Catching Garden from yesterday's post I think it could use a little re-working to fit the needs of my family. Meaning I spent hours and hours last night trying to cook/eat/cleanup dinner while refusing to put down my schematics.

Schematics sounds like a technical term but I've been drawing schematics since I was old enough to write my name. From that time until now my Dad has operated heavy equipment for a living. So when a long holiday would roll around it would only make sense that he would want to enjoy himself. And he did...immensely. Because whenever he could talk his bosses into it he would borrow a piece of equipment to bring home. Our long weekends were full of landscaping adventures and they all began at the kitchen table with paper and pencil. The drawing of a detailed work plan became a family tradition. And like all good family traditions it got a nickname. Schematic. To this day I begin every project with a schematic only now I start at the kitchen table and end at the computer.


Back to the Kitchen Garden Schematic: First, remove all tomatoes. Wait! I know that a lot of gardener's love them some tomatoes and I certainly give kudos to all those tomato lovers. However, hubby and I aren't fans. After all of my minor changes to the garden plan I ended up with the finished layout plan above. But maybe, you are a fan of tomatoes and peas and all the other things that I took out. If so, you can get your own copy of the original garden plan (minus the color coding I've added) by visiting Better Homes & Gardens by clicking on the BKG link above or by clicking the original layout below.

Veggie or Kitchen Garden? There's a Difference!?!

I'm apparently the only person in the world who doesn't know that vegetable gardening comes in many forms. As I've delved deeper into the vegetable gardening world I have readily admitted that I'm an idiot. I know nothing. Absolutely nothing. And so as always I grabbed my trusty mouse and began my research. In a past life I might have been a researcher for the NY Times or something more devious like the IRS. Today however, I believe that I have turned my researching knack into an artform. For today, I have turned an idiot into a novice in the ways of vegetables.

As I began my research journey I started with Wikipedia's Vegetable Garden and then proceeded to Wikipedia's Kitchen Garden. I was struck with a new thought. "There's a difference?" Why had nobody told me?!? After hours of research I've determined that ultimately the difference is this: Veggie gardens grow veggies and some fruits like tomatoes. Kitchen gardens grow veggies, fruits, herbs, and flowers edible and decorative. Now that I know the difference I believe that I've been wanting a kitchen garden. Go figure!

However this discovery provided yet another "I never knew that" moment. (I know that's common with me.) It was as I moved from Wikipedia to more traditional garden sites that I read a wonderful 2 part article by P. Allen Smith aptly named Starting a Kitchen Garden. From this article I learned that there is a difference between raised garden beds and framed garden beds. Again, Why had nobody told me!?! The main difference: A raised garden bed does not need to have sides. It can be just mounded soil. Meanwhile, a framed garden bed needs (obviously) a frame around the soil such as wood, rock, bricks, etc. However, a framed garden bed must be bottomless. That sounds kinda dirty...P. Allen Smith explains it so much better.

With that useful information tucked inside my brain (probably never to be heard from again) I made my way to BHG's Eye-Catching Kitchen Garden. Aha! I'm already a member of this site so I am eligible to download the PDF file that gives me a detailed layout diagram, a list of plants for the garden as shown, and complete instructions for installing the garden. Finally (tears of joy streaming down my face) I've found Gardening for Dummies! I've been just praying for someone to tell me where, how and what to plant. It's a Halleluiah Moment! But it looks too good to be true. Can I really do this? Is it really possible?

If only there was a gardener out there who showed a real picture. Or better yet a slideshow! A real gardener showing that yes kitchen gardens are possible, are pretty, and can be a dream come true. Wait! I've found that Gardener. Terry L. Yockey of Northern Gardening (a site I'm sure most of you are fond of) has been gracious enough to provide a visual step by step through the construction of a beautiful and real kitchen garden. This slideshow (viewable only in Internet Explorer) gave me a feeling of "I CAN DO IT!"

When I joined my garden club 10 years ago I begged the ladies to help me to stop killing my plants. It's taken me 10 years to finally feel comfortable claiming to be a "gardener". I love my ever changing flower beds. And as a friend recently pointed out to me...I've become obsessed. So I've set myself a new goal. In 10 years, I hope to be just as comfortable with being a "kitchen gardener" as I am with perrenial flowers. Give me a few decades and I might even try hydroponics!