Nibbling Around the Edge

Or Growing an Edible Border from Seed

I don’t have a big garden, it’s oddly shaped and therefore most of it ends up in shade as the sun moves round.  I do find growing my own plants satisfying, not just veg but herbs and flowers too. So I am learning what grows best in my soil and position in the garden. I do grow things in pots but these needs watering and can be boring once the floral display or crop is finished. 

Fortunately I don’t need a huge amount of space to grow a reasonable crop. By growing things I like to eat, I can supplement the basics bought from the supermarket. As that means sacrificing the sunniest spot in the garden to achieve the best, most flavoursome results it needs to look attractive too. So here is my plan for my edible border or patch.

Obviously, the taller items need to go at the back. Climbing French or Runner beans have pretty flowers and pods of various colours depending on the variety. These will need some sort of support, mine will grow up a trellis supported along the fence. Sunflowers can provide height too, or the branching varieties reaching 60cm can provide cur flowers as well as crunchy seeds. Next, in my little propagator I have grown chillies (Early Jalapeno and Prairie Fire) and tomatoes (Sungold and Black Moon) from seed, varieties suitable for growing outdoors in the UK. Underplanting lettuce such as salad bowl to harvest a few leaves at a time and left to grow on. Dwarf green kale crinkly leaves give foliage texture against the more colourful varieties of chard. 

Herbs are essential – sage, chives, parsley, thyme and basil.  Many annual flowers attract pollinators and being short lived make good companions for crop plants. Calendula or pot marigold known as poor man’s saffron adds colour to cooking not just in the garden. Nasturtium, poached egg (Limnanthes douglasii ) and cornflowers are more choices.

If you don’t like beans then grow peas. For stunning looks globe artichokes are a more unusual vegetable. Fennel fronds make lovely foliage, green or bronze. Lavender provides scent and attracts pollinators, add the flowers to lavender scones. Other edible flowers include night scented stock, borage and Love -in-a-Mist (eat in small quantities, use as garnish). Do you prefer coriander to parsley, or maybe oregano? Mix and match to your preferences.

Some things do not grow well together and some thrive. Sue will explore this a little more in a later blog next month