The Kitchen Gardener: Grow Your Own Fruit and Veg

Product Information

The owner of one of the Loire chateaux in France, the Château de Villandry decided many decades ago, to recreate a French formal garden with an elaborate geometrical scheme of beds surrounded by low hedges, but planted with kitchen garden plants (more recently the garden has been extended, the new areas mostly not planted with vegetables). This striking scheme has been highly effective in turning the gardens into a tourist attraction, but is in no way historically authentic. I am interested in the journey from seed sowing through to the human connections built around food and I appreciate the wellbeing benefits from growing, cooking and eating within a community setting. Meet Stephen Histed One of the many advantages of growing your kitchen garden is your freedom to break away from conventionally grown plants. You may want to Slowly but surely start to introduce other veg. It’s much easier to grow onions, celeriac and beetroot than it is to grow lettuces and asparagus. You've got to grow into it.”

This course is perfect for horticulturists wishing to specialise in a particular area of horticulture by spending a full year within that area of specialism. Flower garden - History of Early American Landscape Design". heald.nga.gov . Retrieved September 22, 2023. The primary benefit of building raised beds is it allows you to grow your kitchen garden in a tailored soil mix that offers an optimal growing environment. The soil used to construct the raised bed is typically lighter, fluffier, holds more water, and contains more nutrients. The Ideal Soil for Growing Vegetables and Herbs In some modern gardens, edible plants and especially herbs are planted alongside ornamental plants. Fruit trees are one of the most common ways of doing this. [4] The goal is to make the function of providing food aesthetically pleasing.Mediterranean perennial herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme grow well from cuttings. Softwood cuttings can be taken in the spring, or semi-ripe cuttings in the late summer or fall. Use mulch to insulate the soil, limit weed growth, and minimize moisture loss by evaporation. Mulch also helps prevent soil compaction. Heading up our new opening is Mairead Gleeson, Hotel Director for THE PIG-in the South Downs. Born and raised in Ireland, Mairead is a highly seasoned hospitality operator with a career spanning over two decades including: Tom Aitkens’ Tom’s Kitchen, Hotel Du Vin Edinburgh, and most recently, General Manager for the Soho House Group’s Shoreditch House. “ What I find really special about this hotel, is standing on the front lawn overlooking the vineyard, seeing the colours change from week-to-week – sometimes day-to-day! My other favourite place, the views from the Hayloft which overlooks the whole property.” All you need to do is pop your scraps in the base of the regrow kit, which should be submerged in water. Place the kit in a sunny spot and keep an eye on the water levels every few days. After a few weeks, you should notice some growth, at which stage you can transfer your veggies to a plant pot. How do I start a small kitchen garden?

My main responsibilities are the growing cut flowers, looking after our vast array of fruit and keeping our ornamental standards high. I also work with our various community groups, leading them as volunteers, giving demonstrations or just making them feel at home in the garden. Stephen Histed, image by Gregor Petrikovič How did you become a kitchen gardener? Look for color: When choosing varieties to grow, look for ones with particularly attractive features, such as colorful leaves and stems, including Beetroot ‘Bull’s Blood’, or unusual leaves like curly kales that come in a fantastic array of colors, such as kale ‘Candy Floss’. Make use of vegetables with unusual flower colors, such as broad bean ‘Crimson Flowered’ and runner bean ‘Celebration’ or ‘Painted Lady’.

Stair Estates is a diversified rural estate in southwest Scotland with a varied let property portfolio; in-hand farming, forestry, tourism and country sports enterprises. It includes a number of renowned horticultural landscapes. These include the historic Castle Kennedy Gardens and the gardens at Lochinch Castle which are open to the public as well as the wider estate.