The Pacific Northwest has a climate
that is both challenging, and forgiving at the same time. Our unique climate
offers a wonderful opportunity to grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs, as well
as an incredible variety of landscape plants.
Armed with a few
important techniques, our short growing season can be extended to allow even
the inexperienced gardener to grow like a pro.
This site is full of
free information about gardening in the pacific northwest. There will be many
additions over the next few months that will expand this gardening site
dramatically. Besides just focusing on vegetables, we will also be adding
landscape advice, construction of your own greenhouse, gardening sheds,
landscape tools, and tons more.
Please feel free to check back often,
and be sure to bookmark this site as one of your favorites, as it will be a
most useful reference tool when we get it all done.
Most people
think of landscaping as rocks carefully placed, manicured lawns, and large
trees scattered about a property. However, a garden can make a very attractive
addition to any landscape. Whether it is an herb garden or whether it is a
vegetable garden, these features can be just as beautiful as any other
landscape element, and provide added benefits as well.
Well maintained
vegetable and herb gardens also provide other benefits: they are a source of
food and can be a source of very pleasing smells.
An herb garden is one
of the most common types of edible landscape. This is because they are very
easy to grow, very tolerant of a variety of climates and conditions, and
because they grow rapidly.
Additionally, herbs are more than just
tasty. Many of them look very nice, with attractively shaped leaves and
different shades of green that can add a subtle beauty to the landscape. Not
only that, but herbs often smell nice. They can surround your home with a
pleasing perfume that exudes a true sense of “home.”
Many
people plant parsley, rosemary, and thyme in their herb gardens, but there are
other herbs that can be planted as well. Cilantro is a little milder than
parsley, and it has a different look. Mint is another herb that many people do
not think to plant, as is lavender. Both of these herbs look different, and
they both give off very nice scents.
Another herb with a very
attractive smell is Roman chamomile. Even though some of these herbs may be
less frequently used, it is possible to find plenty of recipes that use them,
and lavender and chamomile are noted for their usefulness in providing an
atmosphere of calm. So even the scents can be of use. Simply bring them into
the house and enjoy the feelings that accompany the smell.
Vegetable
gardens are other edible landscaping devices that can look very attractive.
They, too, can be planted in a variety of climates, and can be grown in a
variety of soils. There are some plants that grow only in certain regions, but
your basic garden fare can be grown almost anywhere.
Just the look of
green plants has been shown to be soothing, and when you grow your own food, it
adds another dimension of satisfied feelings associated with self-confidence
and accomplishment. Every vegetable has its own look to it, and so it is
possible to enjoy a variety of different looks by carefully choosing the plants
that you grow.
However, you should choose, first and foremost, plants
that you will eat. If you are not going to eat much squash, avoid planting it.
But there are plenty of vegetables that have very attractive looking plants and
even flowers. Peas have cute little flowers and send up beautiful curly vines.
And there are many species of pepper that look beautiful after the fruit has
arrived, with their yellow, greens, and reds.
When you use herb and
vegetable gardens as part of the landscape, there is no need to plant them all
together in one place. Spread them around the yard. Use tomato plants and
squash plants (including pumpkins) can be used as accents. Herbs make excellent
ground cover.
Most vegetables and herbs can be grown very successfully
in containers. You can make a very attractive landscape design if you use
flower boxes for your herbs, and if you use quaint old antique washtubs for
things like beans. Pretty sticks can be decorated to emerge from decorative
tins for your peas.
The great thing about growing vegetable and herb
gardens as part of your landscape is the fact that they are edible. They do not
cost very much to plant, and they can save you even more money down the road
when you buy less produce at the grocery store.
Additionally, if you
have too much you can always can or freeze it for later. Many people use the
excess plants from their gardens as gifts to their neighbors or family members.
There is no reason to relegate herb and vegetable gardens to some hidden corner
of the property, or even to garden in a conventional way, with large plots.
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Herbs
Recipes
Winter
gardening
Seeds
Artichokes
Asparagus
Beans
Beets
Broccoli
Brussels
Sprouts
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Garlic
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce
Melons
Okra
Onions
Peas
Peppers
Potatoes
Pumpkins
Squash
Sunflowers
Tomatoes
Watermelons
Other
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