A kitchen garden is what most people think of when they think of a vegetable garden. It is a relatively small garden that is designated to grow veggies and herbs and is easily accessed from the house, ideally the kitchen. It’s where you go to grab a handful of herbs, pick lettuce for salad, cut fresh greens for dinner, and harvest the summer tomatoes.

Before you call us, there are some things you should consider:

Sunlight

Vegetables and edible plants need a lot of sun.  Look for a spot in your yard that gets at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight each day.

Water

Your garden needs to be accessible to a water source.  A nearby spigot is ideal, but we can also adapt existing sprinkler and irrigation lines to fit the new garden’s needs.  It is very helpful if you know where your irrigation lines and controls are, and how to set the timers.

Also think about whether you want to water the garden by hand, or have an automatic system.

Size

How much space do you want to devote to the garden? 100 to 200 square feet of planting space can supply a substantial amount of home grown produce for a couple or small family

Style

Do you want your garden to look like a mini-farm, an English garden, a tropical forest?  Do you want raised beds, and what would you want them made out of? These are options we will discuss with you at your consultation, but it’s good if you have some ideas beforehand.

What do you eat?

What do you wish you had growing right in your own backyard? What do you want to grow and how much? In our climate we can grow almost any edible plant, but they often have very different growing requirements, so what you want affects a lot of other decisions.

What’s your budget?

There is a huge range in how much a kitchen garden can cost to install, so your budget is very important to design considerations.  Cost has less to do with size and more to do with the complexity of design, what building materials (if any) are used, the irrigation system, and if there’s any subcontracted work needed.

Installation Process

Assessment

The first thing we need to do is see your space.  Even if you have a spot in mind we’d like to see your whole yard to explore all of your options.  It’s helpful if you have thought about the above considerations beforehand.

Design and Pricing

After your assessment we will put together a design and estimate.  We can work through different drafts of these to fit your budget and garden needs before deciding on a final plan and cost.

Installation

Once the design has been approved by you, we get to work. Depending on the complexity, installation can take a day or a matter of weeks. Hardscaping, carpentry, and other building projects are usually subcontracted. Subcontracting arrangements can be made by you or us, depending on which you prefer.

Planting

We will give you a list of plants to choose from that are appropriate for the season and readily available.  We will try our best to find any special requests as well. Depending on the time of year and availability, we can’t guarantee that you will have every vegetable your heart desires, but we can guarantee that you will have a garden full of healthful edibles. You may also find that there are some things in your garden that you didn’t ask for: These plants are there for the health of your garden and will help your other plants flourish.

To keep your garden growing you’ll probably want our Maintenance as well.  If you prefer to maintain yourself, you can feel free to call us at the next season just to replant.

Fun Ideas for Consideration
Front Yard Makeover
Want to be really radical? Want to make a statement about growing your own food? Turn your front yard into a vegetable garden!
Front yards are often very sunny (perfect for veggies) and not used for much. Your front yard makeover can be in the style of a large kitchen garden or an edible landscape. Check out our gallery to see what it might look like.