Ornamental Vegetable Garden

[Digeroo]

I have said I would help with a decorative vegetable garden at a residential home.  The area is small about ten feet by three feet.  What is required needs to be brightly coloured and decorative but also productive. 

I would very much welcome any ideas or suggestions. 

Is decorative kale good to eat? 

[Digeroo]

[plainleaf2]

what types of veg would want grow for project

[Digeroo]

Hope to grow as much as possible by growing climbing things.  Not sure what to grow, though beans, squash amongst others. 

[manicscousers]

saddad has some salmon flowered peas, better in soups etc than fresh but pretty, lots of different coloured climbing bean flowers...again, different colours/shapes of lettuce, mizuna etc..still trying to think, of course there are the companion flowers  :)

[saddad]

There are lots of great ideas for this... as well as manics suggestions there are Purple podded peas, purple/yellow CFBeans, Barlotti Beans... many lettuce can look very ornamental, beetroots, chards... the list is almost endless..  :)

[ceres]

There's also those really ornamental cabbages, all frilly and multi-coloured.

[Digeroo]

the list is almost endless

Perhaps that is the problem the list is endless but the space very limited.

[ceres]

Have you investigated square foot gardening to make the best of the space?  There's a starter for ten here:

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicgardening/gh_sqft.php

[Digeroo]

Thanks for the link ceres looks just what I need. 

Not sure at some of the choices, dwarf beans are a waste of space compared with the climbing, and I will forget the tomatoes, but I very much like the concept.  I can mark out the plot into little squares and put something different in each.

I had no idea that beans do not like onions.  I have some CFBs next to some leeks and they are all doing well.

[GrannieAnnie]

I'd recommend pretty fencing around it which forms a backdrop for the leaves and makes everything stand out better besides protection from varmints.

[Digeroo]

protection from varmints

What kind of varmints did you have in mind?  Unfortunately the worst one will be the slugs and they do not seem to be detered by fencing.  There is already a fence at the back of the site and I like the thought of painting it, it will add colour.

Been reading up on Square foot gardening.  The soil on the site in question is appalling, being a mixture of clay and beach pebbles from some durassic(?) coastline. So doing raised beds in squares will solve several problems, the biggest being that there will be no requirement for any digging, and the grid will hold in the moisture.

[GrannieAnnie]

protection from varmints

What kind of varmints did you have in mind? 

Rabbits?

[1066]

Ideas that come to mind are things like Caevlo Nero - nice height, shape of leaves and in the ground at a time when a lot of things are or have died back, ruby chard for colour. You could edge it with herbs - parsley, basil etc

1066

[Digeroo]

I have grown rainbow chard in my allotment and it is very colourful.  Not sure that I have worked out what to do with it. 

[1066]

I have grown rainbow chard in my allotment and it is very colourful.  Not sure that I have worked out what to do with it. 

;D

Omlettes / fritatta, or steamed like spinach and cabbage (with or without some garlic), and of course Soups  :D

[Vinlander]

Hi Digeridoo - nice idea - I agree that purple climbing french beans are your easiest win here.

Mangetout Pea Carouby de Maussane has lovely blue&violet flowers - very nearly as pretty as a sweet pea and pretty hardy.

Here's a really easy suggestion:

Something I've only noticed recently is how amazing the flowers of elephant garlic are - great big lilac pompoms every summer - very nearly as big as the ones on ornamental alliums, and the plants are a lot tougher - I think I get less white rot on them than I get on any kind of onions. They don't take up much space either.

I also love the purple coloured leaves that St.Victor leeks get in midwinter, though leek flowers are a pretty nondescript white...

You might consider planting a Pineapple guava (Feijoa/Acca) bush behind the plot - it is evergreen with a silvery olive look, has amazing edible flowers (petals like marshmallow) and edible fruit - good but with a hint of iodine.

Unfortunately for fruit you really need  a self-fertile one (Unique or Apollo) and the only source I know is Reads nursery.com - - which has sold out  -  but look at the pictures on  http://the-plant-directory.co.uk/house-conservatory-plants-conservatory-plants-c-64_133.html

I think the most useful ornamental pepper is Black Hungarian - good dark leaves and stems, nice blue flowers and 90mm fruit that start black and turn red in Sep/Oct. They aren't insanely hot either - sort of medium, so although the residents may find they are a bit much the staff might appreciate them (does everybody lose their taste for hot chillis as they age? I know I am).

There are some slightly more ornamental peppers but they tend to be smaller hotter and less useful, certainly Filius Blue have virtually no flavour - it's a bit like eating broken glass...

Slim Jim is an aubergine plant that also has good dark leaves and stems, nice blue flowers and silvery lilac fruit.

Good Luck.

PS. the lablab bean Dolichos Ruby moon looks attractive but the pods are almost inedible unless they are picked 2cm long or less - just too much trouble.

[Digeroo]

Many thanks for your suggestions Vin.

I once looked round the garden of a lady called Rosemary Verey who had an amazing ornamental kitchen garden.  She had veg planted in patterns and squash climbing up arches.

[saddad]

I think I have the book Digeroo  ;D

[Obelixx]

A few years ago I was at Kalmthout arboretum - home of many lovely hamamelis varieties - and saw a fabulous red and purple combo of Ruby chard, beetroot, red onions, Cavolo Nero and Bishop of Landaff dahlias.   You could add in some deep red nasturtiums whose leaves and flowers would be good in salads and maybe some red cabbage or red oak leaf lettuce which is a cut and come again salad.

For many years I have planted green Cos lettuce alternated with red oak leaf in my salad bed and in 2007 at Wisley I saw them using green and red salads planted in the formal beds by the main building to make a mosaic effect.

[Digeroo]

I must say I like the combination of the dark leaves and the red dahlias.  I grew bishops children from seed and they also have really dark leaves and very bright flowers.  Does anyone know if Dahlias are poisonous, just in case someone makes a mistake.