Gardening for Kitchen/ for Flowers?

I like any kind of garden. I do agree that home-grown vegetables are best. You might try growing fresh herbs for cooking. They don't need much space and the fresh taste is amazing. I used to have a vegetable garden and lined it with marigolds to keep out some of the pests. Some animals don't like the smell and leave the produce alone. Then I got the best of both worlds...flowers AND produce. :)

When I moved into my house, one of the first things I did was to plant a tulip garden. The garden itself was already in place, but needed a bit of maintenance. By the time it was optimum time to plant the bulbs, I had it ready. Unfortunately, work took me away for a year, and I didn't get to see my garden flower. My hubby sent me pictures... While I was gone, my hubby got a couple dozen strawberry plants. They now give us lots of berries. My five-year-old son got most of them this year. Upon my return, I expanded on the garden started for the strawberries. I now plant a vegetable garden every year. My poor flower garden nearly always looks (and is) neglected, as we pour all our gardenning energies into the fruits and vegetables. I am just now getting ripe tomatos. My onions are getting big. Don't know about the potatos yet. One of the kids dug up a small one when weeding the other day. I'm on my second crop of lettuce and radishes, and so on. Though I appreciate the beauty of the flowers, I love my food gardens more, yes, more than one. I thouroughly enjoy the food while it's fresh, but even more, I love the long term benefits of foods that I've grown and stored. It's lots of work, but we save a bundle on food costs and it's better for me that store-bought. I've a big yard. I also have the beginnings of an orchard. The squash and pumpkins and such are elsewhere so they can spread out. Near the house I have the herbs. Dillweed, parsely, thyme in one spot, chives and walking onions in another. The strawberries are little by little getting moved to a different location.