Monday, January 9, 2012

A Garden that Inspires

In recent years, I have made drastic changes in what I prepare for my family when I cook. I now seek out seasonal  and locally grown fruits and vegetables as much as possible.   I have always loved to plant things, so a natural way to channel my desire to eat healthier was to create a "Potager", which is a French kitchen garden.  When I saw the two pictures below of a kitchen garden in Country Living magazine, I started serious planning.  Through the fall and winter of last year, my husband and sons worked hard to create a fenced area that that is almost 5,000 square feet!  My dad also helped out on the project by driving to Plano a few times in his pick-up to get loads of compost for me. 

Many of the plants listed in the CL article are not well suited for Texas, but the overall design of the garden is beautiful and inspiring.  I plan to give my garden structure and beauty while working in enough herbs and vegetables for us to enjoy throughout the year. Of course a variety of flowers will be included in my garden too.

Pictures of my garden taken last spring are below. My husband and two sons made the trellis with cedar trees cut down near one of our ponds.



I have some work to do to get the "look" of the garden in the magazine article.  And, unfortunately, last summer was the hottest summer on record for Texas.  

It's January now -- and time to plan (and start seeds) another garden.  I'll be sharing more in the coming days as we creep closer to spring and another growing season!

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