POTAGERS

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The French named their kitchen gardens potagers and today this term is used to describe a decorative garden where fruit, vegetables and herbs are grown in a plot in a ornamental fashion.

A potager is a French term for an ornamental vegetable or kitchen garden. The French named their kitchen gardens 'Jardin Potager'. The historical design precedent originated from the Gardens of the French Renaissance and Baroque eras.  T

The arrangement of the crops is just as important as the production of food. These herbs and vegetables are often interpolated with flowering plants and shrubs, but the main features are the vegetables. Non-food plants play a supporting role in the potager but never take centre stage.

The Potager is more than a vegetable plot.  It is a formal, decorative garden that places vegetables at the top of the bill, whether they are suitable as crops or just for orientation. The beauty in the garden is the celebration of the vegetables, herbs and fruit on their own merit.

Potagers are formal in design, often conforming to geometric patterns and beds are typically enclosed by dwarf hedging.  Often the paths are gravel or stone.  Arches often run across paths and are covered with runner beans, grapes and roses.

Plants are grown in groups for maximum effect.  Ornamental vegetables are grown as specimens amongst the beds.  Vegetables are set out in beds to contrast with each other with regards to form, texture and colour.  Swiss chard, with its white veins and stalks, or red varieties of celery and brussel sprouts make unusual plating combinations. The ferny leaves of the carrot, the red stalks of beetroot and yellow marjoram all contrast well.  This is an opportunity to showcase vegetables in a formal garden style to dazzling effect.

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SHADE LOVING FRUIT AND NUTS

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There are plants available that will thrive in problem areas of your garden. If you wish to grow fruit and nuts in a shady part of your garden then it is a case of carefully selecting the right varieties of plant that will tolerate and enjoy these conditions. It is often better to work with nature than fight against it.

All plants require sunlight to grow, but some plants are more tolerant of shade than others.  Fruiting plants that naturally grow in shady areas tend to be woodland plants, as they are shaded by the tree canopy during the summer.  They include blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, raspberries, rhubarb, tayberries and toysenberries. Alpine strawberries will tolerate more shade than other strawberries, although they do require some sun to fruit.

One advantage of a shady area is that the ground is likely to stay moist.  The increased dampness of the soil and  slow ripening can help to plump up the fruits before they ripen and are harvested. This gives them a delicious taste.

If your plot receives sun in the morning than nut trees such as filbert and hazelnut will be successful. Fruit trees growing in light shade will produce a lower fruit yield but will generally grow well. Sun loving fruit trees growing in deep shade will be prone to pest and diseases and will return a low fruit yield.


A shady area will mean that you have a reduced need to water, and crops that can bolt will be more successful. However, all plants require light to grow so a heavily shaded area will be problematic for growing crops. Crops grown for leaves, stems or buds actually benefit from some shade. Leafy vegetables such as salad crops and some herbs do better in shade than fruiting plants. 

 Mushrooms can be successfully grown in shade.  These can be grown on inoculated timber or mulch. Mushroom spores can be bought as plugs that can be placed into drilled holes on a log.  Ensure that the log is hard wood variety and seasoned timber. Varieties include oyster, white button, chestnut and shitake.

You could address heavily shaded areas by pruning this area if shade is caused by overhanging trees.  Seeds can also be given a head start by germinating them indoors and transplanting the young plants into the ground when they have a well established root system, giving them an advantage over seeds placed directly into the soil.


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