Enhance yours meals with a ‘kitchen garden’

If you enjoy cooking, you know how a garden of fresh produce and herbs is a wonderful way to add a bright zest to your creations. A handful of Italian basil, some tomatoes, olive oil and mozzarella can make a delicious and fast summertime meal, so why not create your own “kitchen garden” so that fresh ideas and herbs are at the ready all year round? Harvesting produce and herbs from your own garden will enhance your home and all your meals.

Planning

A good kitchen garden starts with a sunny -- and convenient -- spot near the kitchen; say, near an outdoor patio just outside your kitchen door. If cutting herbs means a long traipse to the backyard garden, you’ll not be as likely to use herbs from there as opposed to from one that is located nearby.

The amount of space you’ll need for your garden is another consideration. What would you truly use in your cooking, and how much time do you want to devote to the garden? If you just want to snip and enjoy, maybe all you need is an herb garden.

For those with more time on their hands and those who would like to snip fresh lettuce or radishes, something a little larger might be required. Once your size is determined and you’ve located a nice spot for your garden, outline the bedding areas. If animals will bother it, consider a small fence with poultry netting tacked inside to stop little foragers from eating your garden.

To make the garden and your fresh herbs and vegetables easy to access, make rows that are no more than about 2 to 2 1/2 feet wide. Raised beds are some of the quickest ways to create growing beds for your plants. Or, create beds with spare bricks or stones you have around your yard. Adding a crushed granite or pea gravel path around your beds will give your garden a neat and tidy look.

Fill beds

Visit your local nursery to find plants suitable for your kitchen garden. A kitchen garden is nice when it’s small enough to be convenient to replant and use, but large enough to have a variety of plants or herbs. Try mixing one or two herbs with plants. A patio tomato or cherry tomato plant will go nicely next to a green leafy basil.

Some herbs are known for taking over gardens. Mint, is one such herb. For that reason, you may want to plant mint in a pot to keep it from becoming invasive. Look, too, for herbs you can enjoy year-round. Your local nursery will help you create a nice assortment of herbs that work well in your climate. Try adding an edible flower here and there, too, such as pansies or nasturtiums that are a nice addition at meals and make your garden look pretty. Lettuce and spinach are also easy to grow.

Dress up your garden with some statuary or a small piece of lattice to plant a flowering vine or climbing green beans. The vertical height of the lattice and small piece of sculpture will make your garden look delightful.

(For more information, contact Kathryn Weber through her website, www.redlotusletter.com.)

(c) 2018 KATHRYN WEBER. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.