Potager Gardening

A New Site for Our Kitchen Garden

2012-08-26T19:39:00.002-07:00

We've finally moved into our new home on Vancouver Island and the spot is perfect for a garden. There are two acres in the back to work with and the site isn't too treed, giving us options to set up the site.

This is a picture of the property to the south. You can see our neighbour's white horse in the distance.

A picture to the east shows the length of the property which extends to another road in the distance. The land is fairly rocky right now and will need a lot of work to make it suitable for planting.

Some of the tree are pretty tall but are far enough away from the house and garden.

One of the main things to contend with on Vancouver Island are the deer. They don't have any preditors to keep their numbers down and can be hard on a garden. I'd rather have a fence around the property than get rid of them. The babies are out right now and they're pretty cute.

We've recently hired workers who've been preparing about thirty feet out from the house for irrigation and lawns. A lot of the homes in the area have either grassed a huge amont of land or are using it to keep horses. We're each allowed two horses! Our neighbour's horses are always out in the morning. I'm going to have to walk over to ask their names (the owners' and the horses').

My plan is to work about 30' x 30' of the property to create a symetrical kitchen garden. I'll draft a plan and post it soon.

Potager Gardening - Espalier

2011-03-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

An espalier is a tree trained to grow flat against a wall. There are advantages to growing fruit trees this way. Less space is required, more sunlight is able to ripen the fruit and the gardener has easier access to maintain and harvest from trees.

Where to Start an Espaliered Tree

The best place to start an espalier is on a south facing wall which receives full sun in summer or as close to full sun as you can manage. The second best place to plant is east-facing. The wall or fence will block wind and create a warm micro-climate. Avoid a south or west-facing placement or the trees won't survive winter conditions. Here's a great video explaining how to start an espaliered tree: Planting an Espaliered Pear

Pruning an Espalier is also a great video for reference: Pruning an Espalier

Espalier Shapes:

Dwarf apple and pear whips are probably the best choice. A whip is a very young tree of a single vertical growth with no branches or side shoots.

Potager Gardening - Basil - Edging Plant

2011-03-22T20:45:00.001-07:00

In French cuisine, basil is a very important herb. Torn basil leaves are added to salads of sliced tomatoes, seasoned with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and virgin olive oil, accompanied by a crusty baguette. One of the most famous basil dishes is pesto.

The bouquet garni or "garnished bouquet" is a bundle of herbs tied together with string and used to prepare soup, stock and stews. The herb bundle is boiled with the other ingredients and is removed before serving.

A bouquet garni includes parsley, thyme and bay leaf. The recipe may require more herbs including basil, burnet, chervil, rosemary, peppercorns, savory and tarragon.

Château de Villandry - Famous Potager

2011-03-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

The Château de Villandry is located in Villandry, in the département of Indre-et-Loire, France.
The Château was acquired in the early 16th century by Jean Le Breton, France's Controller-General for War under King Francis I.

The château remained in the Le Breton family for more than two centuries until it was acquired by the Marquis de Castellane. During the French Revolution the property was confiscated and in the early 19th century Emperor Napoleon acquired it for his brother Joseph Bonaparte.

In 1906, Joachim Carvallo purchased the property and created one of the most beautiful gardens anywhere. The gardens include a water garden, ornamental flower gardens, and vegetable gardens. The gardens are laid out in formal patterns created with low box hedges. The Château de Villandry is open to the public and is one of the most visited châteaux in France.

Potager du Roi de Versailles - The King's Kitchen Garden

2011-03-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

Thirty gardens were spread around the central Grand Square and would shelter espalier-trained fruit trees behind their high walls. The original idea of a succession of protected rooms, favouring microclimates and diversity of exposures remains unchanged.

As initially planned, the Grand Square of 3 hectares is composed of sixteen smaller squares surrounded by espalier pear trees. Within the square is contained fifty species and varieties of vegetables including traditional vegetables, condiments, gourds, pear-shaped tomatoes,Jerusalem artichokes and ancient vegetables.

The pruning of some 5000 fruit trees requires an extensive number of hours of work to train wall-trees (espaliers) or to fix them on trellises (counter-espaliers, which have replaced La Quintinie’s round-headed trees by the XVIIIth century).

First is a central portion devoted to vegetables. It's also known as the "grand square" an area of three hectares. It's divided into sixteen squares arranged around a large circular pool decorated with a central fountain, which serves as a reserve for irrigation water. Around the grand square are four raised terraces that transform it into a kind of scene theater.

Enclosed by high walls, there are now a dozen (twenty-nine originally) gardens, home to fruit trees, mainly apple and pear which are trained on trellises (palissés) on the walls. In 1785, six southern walls were taken down due to high humidity and poor ventilation, leaving five gardens instead of eleven.

Twelve gardeners prune and maintain 2800 and 2100 the apple and pear trees, and other fruits and vegetables produced annually in the season.

In Spring

From April to June, brings flowering fruit trees upon entrance to the garden. Growing now are lettuce, carrots, artichokes, herbs, garlic, onions, shallots, potatoes and early beans.

In Summer

Fruit crops begin by mid-June berries: raspberries, gooseberries, currants. The first apples "Stark Earliest" are harvested in late June and pears "Citron des Carmes" are harvested between the 10th 15 July.

From July to September, the Potager du Roi is full also of melons, cucumbers, turnips, radishes or lettuce.

In Autumn

September is the busiest month when all crops are harvested.

In Winter

The vegetable garden is laid bare ...

But gardeners do not stop working, they prepare the garden for the next years crops, enriching it with compost and work to prune trees to improve their shape and quality of fruit.

I'll need to take a more in-depth look at the King's Kitchen Garden in a future posting.

Potager Gardening - Tarragon - Filler Plant

2011-03-05T20:23:00.007-08:00

French tarragon plants should be purchased instead of seeds. In warmer areas, to propagate Tarragon, you can divide the roots in March or April. Plant small root clumps about 12 inches apart.

In the Kitchen: Fresh tarragon has very intense flavor. You don't need to use as much fresh as you would dried. My favorite ways to use tarragon is with chicken. To keep the most flavor of fresh tarragon when storing is to freeze whole sprigs in airtight baggies for up to 6 months.

Tarragon is a main ingredient in Bérnaise Sauce and the French herb mixture, fines herbes.

Fine Herbes is a classic French herb seasoning mix and is easy to make at home. Use equal parts chopped:

tarragon
chervil
chives
parsley

Potager Gardening - Marjoram - Filler Plant

2011-03-05T20:23:00.005-08:00

Marjoram or sweet marjoram is a perennial in the mint family that grows wild in the Mediterranean. Although considered a perennial, in cooler climates it should be treated as an annual. Plant marjoram in well-drained, humus-rich soil. Pinch back the blooms to maintain its shape and to encourage growth. Marjoram and oregano are very similar. Oregano is a hardy perennial, while marjoram is more sensitive and prefers damper soil.

In the Kitchen: Marjoram is a staple in French cooking. Marjoram is sweeter and milder than oregano. In French cooking, it's used in herbes de Provence which typically contains savory, fennel, basil, and thyme flowers and other herbs. Thyme is usually the strongest taste produced by the herb mixture.

Herbs found in herbes de Provence:

Thyme
Chervil
Rosemary
Summer Savory
Lavendar
Tarragon
Marjoram
Oregano
Mint
Bay Leaves

Potager Gardening - Chervil - Filler Plant

2011-03-05T20:23:00.003-08:00

Chervil is a delicate annual herb related to parsley. It's used to season mild-flavoured dishes and is a component of the French herb mixture fines herbes.

Herbs de Provence

Thyme

Chervil

Rosemary

Summer Savory

Lavendar

Marjoram

Oregano

Mint

Bay Leaves

Potager Gardening - Parsley - Filler Plant

2011-03-05T20:23:00.001-08:00

Parsley grows best in moist, well drained soil, in full sun. It's usually grown from seed. Mature plants can be purchased from local nurseries. Plants grown for their leaves should be spaced about 10 cm apart. Parsley attracts swallowtail butterflies who use the plants as a host plant for their larvae.

Fine Herbes is a classic French herb seasoning mix and is easy to make at home. Use equal parts chopped:

tarragon
chervil
chives
parsley

Potager Gardening - Rosemary - Filler Plant

2011-03-05T20:22:00.013-08:00

In the Garden: You'll find it easier to start with a plant purchased from a nursery. If you'd like to propegate rosemary take a two inch cutting from new growth of a mature plant. Remove the leaves from the bottom and dip the tip into a rooting hormone. Place the dipped end into a container of seed starting mix. Choose a mix that says it is well draining. Place the new plant in a warm spot with indirect sunlight.

After a few weeks, your cuttings should have roots. They can then be transplanted into individual pots. Pinch off the top of the cutting to encourage it to develop branches. To dry herbs, cut branches from your herb plants. Rinse with cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Wet herbs will rot. Remove the lower leaves along the bottom inch of the branch and bundle branches together and tie. Place bundles in bags and hang upside to dry. They should be ready in a couple weeks to store.

Herbs found in herbes de Provence:

Thyme
Chervil
Rosemary
Summer Savory
Lavendar
Tarragon
Marjoram
Oregano
Mint
Bay Leaves

In the Kitchen:

Potager Gardening - Summer Savory - Filler Plant

2011-03-05T20:22:00.011-08:00

In the Garden: Summer Savory is a member of the mint family and orginates in southern Europe. Savory is grown year round. The winter-harvest is stronger and used in smaller quantities for the same taste as the summer variety. You can start summer savory by planting seeds directly into the ground after the last front. When harvesting, cut the herb, and hang it to dry before frost sets in.

In the Kitchen: Summer savory is an ingredient found in herbes de Provence:

Thyme
Chervil
Rosemary
Summer Savory
Lavendar
Tarragon
Marjoram
Oregano
Mint
Bay Leaves

Summer savory is preferred over winter savory for use in sausages because of its sweeter, more delicate aroma. Summer savory spice is often used in salt substitute seasoning blends, and as a support or replacement for thyme and sage. It's commonly used in a variety of meat and vegetable dishes to add an herbal complexity to the flavor.

Potager Gardening - Chives - Perennial Plants for Edging

2011-03-05T20:20:00.005-08:00

Chives are the smallest of the onion family. Its name comes from the French word cive. It`s used in the kitchen for its leaves on fish potatoes and soups.

In the Garden: In the Potager Garden, I think it looks best as a border or a beautiful purple clump in the centre of a circle. It also serves a secondary purpose by repelling pests. Chives are one of the `fine herbes` of French cuisine, which also include tarragon, chervile and parsley. They bloom in May and June.

In the Kitchen: Chives need to be chopped before drying or freezing. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and let them dry a little to prevent freezer burn, put them in a freezer bag and try to remove as much air as you can before freezing.

Medicinal Properties: Chives lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

Potager Gardening - Cosmos - Plants for Edging and Garden Paths

2011-03-05T20:20:00.003-08:00

Cosmos work beautifully as a cut flower. Chocolate Cosmos are seen in a lot of wedding bouquets. They are a herbaceous perennial that can grow to 2 meters high. Because of their height they should be kept to the back of a small potager garden or edging of a larger garden.

Cosmos are easily grown from seed in full sun. One packet will fill a large area with flowers. Cosmos will bloom continuously until frost sets in. If left alone, Cosmos will reseed, or you can collect the seed pods for sowing next year.

Potager Gardening - Cabbage - Plant for Edging and Garden Paths

2011-03-05T20:20:00.001-08:00

Cabbage makes a really bold and striking edging plant in the fall. It's perfect for a larger potager. You can stagger your harvest by sowing from mid spring until early summer.

Cabbages sown in spring don't need a lot of care, but shouldn't be allowed to dry out. Water liberally during dry weather and add compost around plants.

Potager Gardening - Dwarf Irises - Plants for Edging

2011-03-05T20:19:00.005-08:00

Dwarf irises are a perennial and bloom very early in spring to make your kitchen garden come to life right after frost has passed.

You should buy dwarf iris bulbs at a nursery to ensure quality. Look for bulbs that are dry, firm and undamaged.

Potager Gardening - Kale - Plant for Edging and Garden Paths

2011-03-05T20:19:00.003-08:00

Kale and cabbage prefer cool weather and can survive light frosts. They can be purchased from the nursery and should be planted at least 12 inches apart. Ornamental kale are not as nice to eat as their cabbage cousins, but their bright color is beautiful in the garden in the fall after frost has set in. I've put kale under the heading 'Plant for Edging' although you can see in the picture above that kale has been used as a filler. Unless you live in a Chateau and own a huge plot, I would suggest using it as an edging plant.

Potager Gardening - Hyssop - Plants for Edging and Garden Paths

2011-03-05T20:18:00.007-08:00

Hyssop has a good place in the garden because it deters the Cabbage White butterfly. Hyssop should not be grown near radishes. There are three varieties of Hyssop and flower blue, red or white from June to October. If grown with catmint it makes a nice border.

In the kitchen: As a herb, it is used in broths and salads.

In the garden: Hyssop can be propagated by seed sown in April or by division

Potager Gardening - Dwarf Lavender - Plants for Edging

2011-03-05T20:18:00.005-08:00

I've always dreamed of owning a lavender farm to see long stretches of lavender flowers and watch the bees drift around. Even if you can't own acres of filled with lavender, you can still enjoy lavender in a small garden as an edging plant. Lavender does best in dry, sandy or gravelly soil in full sun. All lavender needs little or no fertilizer and good air circulation. Root rot can be a problem in wet areas.

In the Kitchen: Lavender is not used in traditional southern French cooking. It's only recently become popular in cooking.

Medicinal Uses: Essential oil of lavender has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Potager Gardening - Lamb's Ears - Plant for Edging

2011-03-05T20:18:00.001-08:00

Lamb's Ears is a soft fuzzy low growing perennial. It has silvery-gray foliage and is named after the texture of its leaves. They flower early in the spring and provide a nice edging plant.

Potager Gardening - Elements of the Kitchen Garden

2011-03-05T20:17:00.001-08:00

Elements That Define A Potager

A potager is usually defined, edged or 'boxed in' by some type of enclosure. The enclosure can be walls, fences, short boxwoods, vegetables, espaliered fruit trees or support for tall plantings. The larger structures or walls can provide a secondary job by producing a micro-climate through heat retention, keeping out wind and animals.
Pathways are important to divide and define symmetrical plots for planting. I particularly like paths of pea gravel as it looks very tidy, but paths can also be made of coarse mulch, gravel or soil.
Edging around plots can be permanent by growing boxwood hedging which looks nice year round or stone borders. Smaller borders or impermanent borders can also be made up of plantings such as flowers or vegetables. Borders which can be changed easily might be a good idea for the first two seasons in order to see what plants will work in given areas.
Structure is an important element in your potager. Structure can be vertical in the shape of an arbor, small trees, a garden ornament. Structure is also walls, gates, and even terraces. Structure adds interest, and further defines the personal style of your potager.
Order versus chaos. You might prefer a very formal potager, set out with boxwood borders, and neatly confined rows of planting. Your potager might start out with order, and as it grows becomes chaos, or a more romantic mixture of vegetables and flowers. Or your plantings from each seasonal beginning may by more informal, such as planting wildflower seeds.
Center a focal point in your potager such as a small tree, garden ornament, urn, statuary. In my potager I have planted a bay laurel tree trimmed into a two-ball topiary. A focal point might also be an impressive artichoke plant, which renews itself year and year. More examples of possible focal points are a sundial, bird bath, obelisk, or a planted arbor.
- Through posts, I'll describe plantings that can be used for either edging or fillers for the middle of the plots within the potager.
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Potager Gardening - It's Complicated

2011-03-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

Okay. I know what you're thinking. The garden depicted in 'It's Complicated' is too Hollywood...it's an impossible dream. But I think the movie`s portrayal of the `ultimate`kitchen garden has done a wonderful thing. It's brought attention to Potager Gardening. Meryl Streep`s fictional garden layout is beautifully arranged and, although the vegetables are wrong for the season, it can be reproduced (to some extent) with effort.

Beds don’t have to be square or rectangular. Vegetables grow just as happily in round, crescent, triangular or long, thin, snaking plots. Whatever shape you choose, you should be able to reach the centre from the path without treading on soil, as this compacts it, making it difficult for roots to grow. A square bed shouldn’t be more than 4ft across. A rule of thumb is to create a bed where you can stretch to the centre comfortably, regardless of its shape. Group them attractively, in anything from a formal grid to semicircular beds around a garden feature. A design will add character.