AccuWeather.com

Potager Gardens

Jul 26, 2010; 11:01 AM ET

The Importance of Growing Your Own...From You!

We all know how important it is to have fresh fruits and vegetables and if we are lucky enough to have a garden that we can grow our own, then so much the better. Even if you don't have a garden, you can grow your own in containers. Potager gardens - what are they? A potager garden is the French counterpart to the English kitchen garden, but with an emphasis on growing vegetables. One of the most beautiful potager gardens I have ever seen on my garden tours was the one at Rosemary Vereys garden...it was a work of art, full of colour as things were ripening mixed in with all the various shades of green that the leaves gave it. One of the reasons I enjoy going to Chelsea each year (and there are many) is that I get to check out the displays that have vegetables in them. Who would not want to just reach over and pinch one of these beauties to munch on...the design eye it takes to put these displays together that marry flowers and vegetables together is remarkable. Think about growing vertically as well if you have a small area.

Janet Davis, a wonderful writer on our website asks these questions in her article: 'Do you love garden-fresh vegetables and herbs, but own a property that seems too small to devote space to their needs? Are you fond of fruit and berries, but not ready to give up your sunny flower beds in order to grow them?' If you do, then read on as you will discover that you can stick them into the unlikeliest places and enjoy their Beautiful Edible flavour.

Now, why is it important? Here are some comments that I have received from gardeners and I also welcome yours?

'Not only do I love getting 'down and dirty' planting my own vegetables, but I enjoy watching the progress of my vegetable garden. My vegetable garden is actually interspersed within my flower beds as our house faces south - the side getting the best sun! I tried planting several vegetable patches in not-ideal locations on our 1.3 acre lot, but the front is where I've had the best success. So, my tomatoes ripen alongside my roses! Carrots and cucumbers grow in big pots along with colourful annuals, some of which are actually edible flowers and herbs. I have four grown daughters, none of whom is really thrilled with getting their hands dirty but will give me a hand with weeding from time to time. Their reward is that they score some freshly-grown produce from Mom's garden. They used to be 'fussy' eaters as children and vegetables were well down the list of favoured foods. Growing our own veggies made them want to eat what they'd helped nurture. It got them away from the television, and into the fresh air. Healthy food for healthy bodies, and they still reminisce about the 2-pound potato and the year we never had enough pea pods for a meal because the littlest sister was always eating them fresh off the vine! Now, I can make jam from my own strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. I make homemade spaghetti sauce and bottle it for winter and for gifts. I have newly-planted fruit trees we are hoping will bear their first fruits this summer. The birds love the abundance of food in my garden as well, and I don't mind sharing a little with them as well (just don't eat ALL my blueberries this year, please!). They aren't the only ones who benefit though, as my herbs and vegetables get shared with friends and donated to our local food bank. I love the freshness of the vegetables grown in my own garden, and I know that they haven't had any dangerous chemicals added to their environment. Eating my own produce also reduces our dependence on goods imported from far away - not a very green process! What can't be used for food, I compost along with the old plants when the season comes to an end, so the goodness of the plant is returned to the soil. This practice is an all-round benefit as beneficial insects are encouraged, the soil is enriched, and the produce draws rave reviews with improved taste, smell, colour and size. Growing my own vegetables also provides good exercise for my increasingly-arthritic joints, and saves me money - if I plant from seeds. I have to admit that I don't always grow from seed as we have a short growing season on the East Coast. I have to 'make hay (read: edible gardens) while the sun shines!'~Christine

'love growing my own food. Not only does it make me feel more connected to the earth, ( I LOVE the smell of good dirt), but I really enjoy being in control of the quality of what it gives back to me. Every time I eat something I grow, I say "It couldn't be any fresher'. Colleen

'I think it is important to grow your own vegetables because then you can have easier access to less expensive, organic vegetables. I think it is also important to grow vegetables with my daughter so that she can have a better understanding of how vegetables grow and we can both enjoy the sense of accomplishment of taking care of the vegetable garden and watching the vegetables grow and eventually eating them.'~Andrea

'We live in a world of GMO's and the ability to buy strawberries in the middle of Winter. People spend a lot of time on cell phones, Blackberries, playing video games etc., and the need for instant gratification. We want it all and we want it now. That is why now, more than ever, as technology takes over our lives, it is so important to slow down, get into the garden, reconnect with Mother Earth, get our hands dirty and grow our own food. There is nothing more satisfying than planting a seed, nurturing the seedling, watching it grow and finally tasting that earthy carrot or beet (or whatever veggie you choose). Along with the satisfaction and pride that comes from growing your own food, gardening is education for life. There is ALWAYS something new to learn, a new vegetable to try, a compost pile to build, the importance of beneficial insects; I could go on and on! For example, I am now learning the importance of heirloom vegetables and how to save my own seeds. As I am so passionate about gardening, I could probably give you another 100 reasons why growing my own veggies is so important now. I'll finish off by saying I'm looking forward to teaching my infant son all about gardening, and hopefully he will grow up to love and respect this planet and his place in it. I'll know I will have achieved this if he loves gardening as much as I do and passes on his knowledge (and maybe some seeds!) to his kids.'~Deanna

'There are so many reasons!

Need more reasons? There are lots.'~Janet

There are lots of reasons, in fact, as many as there are gardeners...if you have something to share, please send it along to me at donna@icangarden.com

Donna Dawson

Continue Reading on ICanGarden.com >