My partner gave me another late birthday present at the weekend. "Creative Vegetable Gardening" by Joy Larkom.
Has anyone else been inspired by this book? It's full of lovely pictures and some information relating to the style of gardening where everything is mixed up together and the top priority seems to be having a beautiful garden. You can either have a formal potager where you plant deliberately to create patterns or an informal one where it looks more like a cottage garden, and if something self seeds - there it seems to stay, In all the photos everything is ever so close together. Not much bare soil. I can't help thinking that the veg would suffer. For example, she mixes her carrot seed with flower seeds. Anyway, the overall effect is lovely.
It did make me think I'd like to try something out like that at the allotment. I have a bed which would be ideal. Could divide it into 4 small beds with paths around and make pretty rustic type archway out of overgrown cob nut trees. (Still dreaming.....)
Sarah.
I don't have the book...boohoo...been ages since I bought a gardening book. Oh well, burfday is coming! ;D However, you saying about sowing flower seeds with her carrots, that would be an interesting thing to do with the parsnips on the plot. As they are so slow to germinate, and have to be in the ground for so long, you could mix the seed with something quick and pretty, like nigella, which would germinate, and flower and be gone leaving you (hopefully) a row of 'snips. My garden is a jumble, everything far to close, all fighting for room, and I have to frequently sort the bullies out, but I do love a packed garden, I don't want to see the neighbours fences or bare soil!