VEGGIES IN THE FLOWER GARDEN
Perhaps you haven’t done vegetable gardening for years. Or maybe you have never grown veggies. Too much work, too little time?
An alternative to a traditional vegetable garden is planting some edibles in your sunny flower beds. You will need to choose a spot that gets all day sun and good drainage but, most of us already have this type of site for our landscape plantings.
The one thing that the existing site may not have is the proper ph for veggies. Most properly prepared landscaping soils have a low ph because that is what is best for shrubs and garden flowers. It has been my experience that a sprinkle of lime, to raise the ph, worked in to the planting hole will provide a better home for the vegetable seedlings.
The soil for the seedling should be brought to a somewhat granular rather than a powdery-fine condition for planting. This can be done with a spade or simply a hand trowel. Mixing-in a generous scoop of compost at this time is another good addition. Organic matter improves soil as a growing medium for plants. It helps release nitrogen, minerals, and other nutrients for plant use when it decays. The same mulch that you used on the flower gardens helps keep the soil surface from crusting, retards water loss from the soil, and keeps weeds from growing.
Damage from tree and shrub roots to veggies crops may be largely prevented by digging a trench one and one half feet deep between the trees and the garden, cutting all the tree roots that cross the trench. Then put a barrier of waste sheet metal or heavy roofing paper along one wall of the trench and refill it. This should take care of invading roots for a couple of years.
Here in Sussex County we have a long growing season so fertilization is necessary to get the most out of your plants. Follow the directions on the fertilizer package for vegetables.
Lettuce and other greens like spinach and arugula look great as a ground cover amid flowering shrubs or landscape roses. These leafy vegetables don’t mind the bit of shade that the shrubs may cast. Greens grow easily from seed. A dollar ninety-five seed packet can provide enough greens for your spring salads!
Early crops of onions, beets and shorter varieties of carrots, like Red Cored Chantenay or Little Fingers, make nice borders or a low ornamental hedge around flower beds. These also grow easily from seed.
Allowing vine crops to intermingle in the flower garden provides some interest in your perennials. Cucumber, zucchini and other summer squashes have very attractive blossoms followed by an abundance of vegetables.
If there is a fence in your garden, it can serve as a trellis for runner beans, peas, tomatoes, and other crops that need support.
Purchase some seedlings or grow them indoors from seed four to six weeks prior to May 15 (our frost free date) of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant. Use these as accent plants to mix in with perennials. These can provide a little height or a splash of color and textures. There are many ornamental hot peppers that will provide interest and will successfully grow with flowers.
And don’t hesitate to use herbs in your flower garden. Herbs like chives, dill, parsley, lemon balm and various mints adapt easily to most surroundings. Mediterranean herbs like oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme, bay, marjoram and lavender like a drier soil. Plant these out of reach of your irrigation system or soaker hoses.
Get creative and plant some interesting and unusual vegetables. Artichokes and cardoon are colorful and almost tropical looking with their big, bold leaves. Kiwi plants have soft heart shaped leaves and there are decorative varieties with white and pink foliage available that will contrast nicely with the edible green varieties. And asparagus plants can offer a delicate, feathery 6' background of fluffy green leaves.
Most vegetables are pretty in their own way and can hold their own in a flower garden.
Happy gardening……………….Mary Sue
