Potager Gardens - A Creative Use Of Your Backyard Space

Right from old times, that is, centuries ago, people had no other option but to be self-dependent in terms of food, vegetation, medicinal commodities. Around the mid 17th century, the idea of potager gardens was presented. People seemed to be interested in knowing what a potager garden is, how it is different from other patterns of gardening and why it is so widely preferred.

The entire reading is dedicated to every creative nature lover who also likes to mix work with pleasure!

 What is a Potager Garden?

Potager is a formal way of presenting a garden, more like a vegetable plot, and the feature that differentiates it from all other styles and patterns of gardening is that it’s very idea lies at the intersection of cultivation of edibles and aesthetic, ornamental beauty. It conveniently accommodates weed management, waste management, herbs, vegetation, and flowers in its spectrum.

Interestingly, the concept of potagers was dwelled upon so much that there were books written about it centuries ago and even today people who are passionate about decorations and gardening dig into the dynamics of it.

Broadly, potager gardens were preferred over other designs because of the following reasons:

• best use of compact spaces
• allows an increase in production
• distinct boundaries giving a neat finishing look
• promotes garden biodiversity

Taking from the history, potager gardens are of two kinds: Formal Potager and Informal Potager

However, in today’s time, the distinction between the two is decided merely by the location and planning structure. It is important to be familiar with a few technicalities before one plans to have a potager garden for themselves.

How to plan a potager garden?

The primary concerns to consider are rhythm, line, shading, and surface, and it is critical to acquaint a point of convergence with the entire plan, i.e., to bring the entire design to subtly curl up about a common focal point.

If the garden is in your backyard, then the flowers can be either in contrast if your house is sun facing or bright in an obvious way, or they can complement the outsides of your house in a way that it looks subtly pretty in a low-key way.

If the garden is close to your kitchen window or door then the placement of edibles like vegetables and fruits, especially the ones that might be frequently needed inside, should be done in a way that these things are easy for you to reach for. It would be a bit cumbersome to walk through the whole thing to pluck just one basil leaf to add to your soup!

What is a potager garden without an attractive pathway?

It is obvious that this garden being amalgamation would sometimes require caressing at periodic intervals. It is already established that it’s not just pleasure but works too! So, it is always better to pick a material that is low-maintenance and durable for your pathway. Some of the good options include gravel, bark, brick, or even pebbles all over with firm plans to walk over!

While the idea of marbles or kota stone may look appealing but they ought to be let go of, for two major reasons:

• Sometimes, due to prolonged exposure to sun or simply heat, these things tend to lose their color or shade and after a period the surface layer or material starts to fade and look dull. And let’s face it, “dull garden” is just an oxymoron!
• The other reason is that crops in a potager garden are supposed to be rotated annually, sometimes sooner! Having a low-maintenance, or replaceable pathway that is also pocket-friendly is clearly a better option.

Having said that, the aforementioned feature of potager gardens might be perceived as a treat for some people, as it would give them an opportunity to redesign their eye candy! For others, it could be a hassle, which is understandable since not everybody has the time, energy, or money to redesign a garden every year.

It is essential to discuss some more pros and cons of potager style of gardening

 Pros of Potager Garden

•  allows the best use of kitchen water waste
•  leaves no wasted spaces 
• allows growing a variety of crops
• production from your garden could turn into your small business

 Cons of Potager Garden

• management of weeds can be a task at times
• serious thought must be put into designing a plan for the garden, which sometimes requires help from a professional, making the planning phase a longer process
• Requires consistent and disciplined maintenance and can be more labor-intensive as compared to other methods of gardening

 As the season’s change or plants quit delivering or go out of season, change them out for new ones, and take the benefit in an environment where you can develop edibles and ornamentals throughout the year!