@NormandyLiz - please don't worry about @war garden 572's comments. He's very much a traditionalist when it comes to vegetable growing. There's nothing wrong with what you're planning, and mixing flowers with veg can look stunning. Do have a look at the link provided by @Pete.8 to the Geoff Hamilton programme if you have time.
Thank you
I'd sort of picked up that war garden 572 might not be quite along the same lines as what I've got in mind, and I appreciate that the mixed flower/veg patch isn't everyone's thing.
We don't have a DVD player (or telly for that matter) but I have just ordered a 2nd hand copy of Geoff Hamilton's book 'The Ornamental Kitchen Garden'. So thanks for the pointers in that direction.
I'll let you know how it develops, although 'stunning' might be wishful thinking. I'll settle for 'good' for the time being!
The concept of mixing flowers and veg is actually very old, it was only later we moved toward regimented monocultural rows! The classic French potagers offer a masterclass in companion planting and it’s worth seeking out any old chaps locally that still do it or, of you French is up to it, looking in second-hand bookshops. Some permaculturalists have a permanent bed for tomatoes so also something worth investigating.
As for salads, depends what you are growing. Mustard leaves, mizuna, mibuna, rocket and radishes can take a bit more sun than the tender lettuces and spinach. All the former are actually brassicas though so that doesn’t help with the rotation, but they can be grown and intercropped between the main brassicas. For others that need more shade, it may be possible to grow them in moveable troughs or use temporary shade netting as required. It might be more of an issue rotating sun-lovers into shade.
There are probably lots of youtube videos on the subject, so you don’t necessarily need a TV 😊
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Mixing flowers and vegetables is delicate balance.
rotation for disease and pests pretty useless on small scale. since diseases will spread unless your sanitizing your garden tools. the small distances in garden will not impede garden pest. As for companion planting flower you need to make sure you not more causing problems. soil differences between different beds could be serious problem if you plan on rotating.
my garden methods and techniques are very far from traditional.
Thanks for the reply, war garden 572. I can see the logic in what you're saying - rotating won't work because of the soil difference (and others), and companion flower planting could cause more problems. I don't want to sound dismissive of your help but, on the mixing, it is something I want to do, so I'll have to research and get it as right as I can, and yes, I probably won't get it nearly right at first!
The classic French potagers offer a masterclass in companion planting and it’s worth seeking out any old chaps locally that still do it or, of you French is up to it, looking in second-hand bookshops.
Thank you, Nollie. French is no problem, I'm pretty well fluent. I've made a few gardening friends but none of them do what I'm looking to. 2 have fairly straightforward allotments (if such a think exists), one doesn't grow veggies at all and one has a very random sculpture garden, a bit overgrown but lovely all the same.
I'm planning a trip to Miromesnil in the spring (it's not open till April), but at the moment that's the only one I can find.
Posts
I'd sort of picked up that war garden 572 might not be quite along the same lines as what I've got in mind, and I appreciate that the mixed flower/veg patch isn't everyone's thing.
We don't have a DVD player (or telly for that matter) but I have just ordered a 2nd hand copy of Geoff Hamilton's book 'The Ornamental Kitchen Garden'. So thanks for the pointers in that direction.
I'll let you know how it develops, although 'stunning' might be wishful thinking. I'll settle for 'good' for the time being!
As for salads, depends what you are growing. Mustard leaves, mizuna, mibuna, rocket and radishes can take a bit more sun than the tender lettuces and spinach. All the former are actually brassicas though so that doesn’t help with the rotation, but they can be grown and intercropped between the main brassicas. For others that need more shade, it may be possible to grow them in moveable troughs or use temporary shade netting as required. It might be more of an issue rotating sun-lovers into shade.
There are probably lots of youtube videos on the subject, so you don’t necessarily need a TV 😊
rotation for disease and pests pretty useless on small
scale. since diseases will spread unless your sanitizing
your garden tools. the small distances in garden will
not impede garden pest. As for companion planting flower
you need to make sure you not more causing problems.
soil differences between different beds could
be serious problem if you plan on rotating.
my garden methods and techniques are very far from traditional.
Thank you, Nollie. French is no problem, I'm pretty well fluent. I've made a few gardening friends but none of them do what I'm looking to. 2 have fairly straightforward allotments (if such a think exists), one doesn't grow veggies at all and one has a very random sculpture garden, a bit overgrown but lovely all the same.
I'm planning a trip to Miromesnil in the spring (it's not open till April), but at the moment that's the only one I can find.