Kitchen Garden

Written by Doris Donnerman (last updated January 22, 2025)

Although our family moved many times when my siblings and I were young, Mom and Dad usually managed to have a garden. Sometimes we had a large garden plot, but other times we simply had a kitchen garden and we grew herbs and vegetables in containers. No matter the size of our yard—or lack of yard—Mom and Dad always managed to grow some type of fresh food. In instances where we could not garden, we visited the you-pick farms, picked our fruits and vegetables, and then brought them home to prepare them for canning and freezing.

Creating a kitchen garden can be as simple or elaborate as you wish. You may wish to make a garden plot in your yard, or use container gardening if you are an apartment dweller. Whichever type of garden you choose, ideally your garden should be close to your kitchen so you can gather what you need as you are cooking. The basic requirements for creating a kitchen garden are:

  • Choose a planting site that receives at least eight hours of sunshine each day. Plant tall plants behind short plants so that the tall plants won't block the short plants from receiving sunlight.
  • Choose a growing site close to a source of water. Unless you have a very long water hose, or you don't mind toting water in a bucket, make sure that you plant close to a source of water.
  • Make sure that the growing soil is fertile. If your soil is sandy or full of clay, adjust the balance to make a favorable growing environment for your plants.
  • Once you've met those requirements, decide what you want to grow. Keep in mind that while some plants grow well in containers, others do not. For instance, while tomatoes, peppers, and beans tolerate growing in pots, blackberries or raspberries will not thrive in container gardens. If you've limited space, you can grow vegetables for your kitchen garden in large containers, such as Rubbermaid tubs. Some types of vegetables that you can grow in a container kitchen garden are lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, peas, onions, beans, potatoes, and eggplant.

    You can also grow herbs as part of your kitchen garden. Consider growing them in tiny clay pots inside of your kitchen on your windowsill or a sunny part of your kitchen counter. Use fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, rosemary, mint, and parsley while cooking. You will notice a difference in the taste of your food when using fresh herbs as opposed to dried herbs bought from the grocery store.

Author Bio

Doris Donnerman

Doris is a jack of all trades, writing on a variety of topics. Her articles have helped enlighten and entertain thousands over the years. ...

MORE FROM DORIS

Get Your Electric Cables Organized

Anyone who has ever had a home theater or home computer can attest to how quickly the cables associated with each can ...

Discover More

Don't Feed Cats and Dogs Onions

Onions may serve to spice up our food and give it more flavor and zest. However, it doesn't do the same things for ...

Discover More

Help with the Ironing

So many people just don't do ironing because it's seen as boring and arduous. However ironing doesn't have to be ...

Discover More
More Gardening Tips

What is a Planted Path?

Garden paths are a great way to add elegance to anyone's decorative garden, and are often an integral element of a ...

Discover More

Important Weather Conditions

Everyone knows how important weather is to a gardener, but not everyone knows what the most important parts of weather ...

Discover More

Importance of Proportion in Garden Design

The importance of proportion in garden design is perhaps one of the most easily identifiable, at least when you take a ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Receive an e-mail several times each week with a featured gardening tip. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is nine more than 5?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Receive an e-mail several times each week with a featured gardening tip. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)