Kitchen garden ideas
Productive and good-looking are not in conflict. A kitchen garden just needs its geometry settled before any seed goes in.
AI-generated concept image
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- High
- Upkeep
- High
- Colour
- Vibrant
- Planting survives
- −5 °C / 23 °F
Getting it right
Size the beds around your arms rather than the space: 1.2 m wide means you can reach the middle from either side and never stand on the soil. Leave 450 mm between beds and one main run at 900 mm so a wheelbarrow fits. Put the herbs you cut most — chives, parsley, thyme — nearest the kitchen door, because the ones at the bottom of the garden quietly stop being used. Keep one bed empty for whatever the season turns out to want.
Plants that work
| Plant | Type | Light | Water | Height | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TomatoSolanum lycopersicum | Edible · Deciduous | Full sun | High | 1–2 m | Grown as an annual |
| LettuceLactuca sativa | Edible · Deciduous | Partial shade | High | 20–30 cm | −5 °C / 23 °F |
| KaleBrassica oleracea (Acephala) | Edible · Semi-evergreen | Full sun | Moderate | 40–80 cm | −12 °C / 10 °F |
| CourgetteCucurbita pepo | Edible · Deciduous | Full sun | High | 50–90 cm | Grown as an annual |
| Runner beanPhaseolus coccineus | Edible · Deciduous | Full sun | High | 2–3 m | Grown as an annual |
| StrawberryFragaria × ananassa | Edible · Deciduous | Full sun | Moderate | 20–30 cm | −25 °C / −13 °F |
| RaspberryRubus idaeus | Edible · Deciduous | Partial shade | Moderate | 1.5–2 m | −30 °C / −22 °F |
| RedcurrantRibes rubrum | Edible · Deciduous | Partial shade | Moderate | 1.2–1.8 m | −30 °C / −22 °F |
| AppleMalus domestica | Edible · Deciduous | Full sun | Moderate | 2–5 m | −30 °C / −22 °F |
| RhubarbRheum rhabarbarum | Edible · Deciduous | Partial shade | High | 0.8–1.2 m | −30 °C / −22 °F |
| ChivesAllium schoenoprasum | Herb · Deciduous | Full sun | Moderate | 25–40 cm | −30 °C / −22 °F |
| BasilOcimum basilicum | Herb · Deciduous | Full sun | High | 30–60 cm | Grown as an annual |
| ParsleyPetroselinum crispum | Herb · Deciduous | Partial shade | Moderate | 25–40 cm | −10 °C / 14 °F |
| ThymeThymus vulgaris | Herb · Evergreen | Full sun | Low | 20–30 cm | −20 °C / −4 °F |
| SageSalvia officinalis | Herb · Semi-evergreen | Full sun | Low | 40–70 cm | −20 °C / −4 °F |
| SpearmintMentha spicata | Herb · Deciduous | Partial shade | High | 40–80 cm | −25 °C / −13 °F |
Surfaces and materials
- Timber raised beds
- Metal raised beds
- Self-binding gravel
- Compost mulch
- Trellis
- Woven hazel screen
- Reclaimed brick
Works well when
- You want to grow food
- It gets sun for most of the day
- You enjoy hands-on gardening
- The space is sheltered and warm
- Young children use the garden
Think twice when
- You want low maintenance
- It is shaded for most of the day
- Deer or rabbits browse the garden
See it as a kitchen garden
Photograph the space as it is today and compare a kitchen garden against what you already have.
Download free on iPhone
Scan to install
