There are several types of kitchen garden plants. These include vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. Some of these are best suited for small-space gardening, while others are better suited for larger-space gardening. To get a feel for what to grow, read our guides on Herbs, Vegetables, and Herbs – Square-Foot Gardening.
Herbs
Spices can be grown in pots and can be used in cooking. For instance, fennel can be used to help with digestion problems. This herb can be easily grown indoors as well as outdoors and is low maintenance. You can use it in soups and salads. It also has edible flowers, which you can use to garnish dishes.
Some herbs can tolerate some amount of drought, depending on their type. Among the herbs that are drought tolerant include sage, mint, thyme, rosemary, and basil. However, they do require moderately moist soil.
Vegetables
When choosing vegetables for your kitchen garden, consider your space. If space is a limiting factor, consider compact varieties. For example, you can grow a dwarf tomato in your kitchen garden. This type of tomato grows to about two feet tall. These varieties are bred to stay small, making them ideal for smaller spaces.
Vegetables for your kitchen garden should be easily accessible. Choose crops you’ll use daily, as well as those you’ll freeze, can, or dehydrate. You should also consider the space that your kitchen garden will require, as many kitchen gardens are small. However, this shouldn’t discourage you from attempting a garden for this purpose.
Growing your own vegetables is a great way to eat healthier. It will also help you cut down on the amount of money you spend on produce from the grocery store. Freshly grown vegetables have a much higher vitamin content than those from the market. It’s also a great way to reuse the waste materials in your kitchen and create a useful space for your kitchen.
Edible flowers
Edible flowers are flowers with the ability to be used for food or beverage preparation. These flowers are composed of petals, sepals, stamens, and pistils. If you wish to use edible flowers in your culinary creations, it is important to pick them during their peak freshness. They are best picked in the morning and evening when the flowers are still bright and not wilted. Rinse them thoroughly with cold water or gently shake them in a large bowl to remove dirt and insects.
Edible flowers in your kitchen garden will add to the flavor of your dishes. Some of these flowers contain bitter, sweet, or tart flavors. You can eat them whole, but you should avoid them if you are allergic to pollen. Some varieties of these flowers are poisonous to humans.
Square-foot gardening
In a square-foot kitchen garden, you can grow a wide range of plants in a small space. However, you should know how to prune your plants. This is particularly important when growing tomatoes. If you want to grow a variety of tomatoes, you must know how to prune them properly.
You can start with different types of seeds and plant them in different sections. You can plant a tomato plant in a square of one foot, four lettuce plants in another, and nine bush beans in another square. Vining plants can also be grown in this type of gardening, although they take up a lot of space. Plants with deep roots will grow on the upper sides of the square, while those with shallow roots will grow on the lower sides.
The soil for a square-foot kitchen garden should be at least 6 inches deep. Once the soil is prepared, you can use string to divide the bed into 16 squares. In a square-foot garden, you plant two to three vegetables in each square. You can even grow three rows of spinach. This way, watering your vegetables is easier and less time-consuming.
