Themed Vegetable Gardens
Mediterranean
A Mediterranean garden is very similar to a salsa garden. You will want to include vegetables like tomato, onion, garlic, peppers, summer squash, and broccoli. Do not forget to plant the right herbs such as parsley, basil, oregano, lemon balm, rosemary, marjoram, and fennel. However, if you prefer Italian food to Greek, you might consider planting a spaghetti garden or a pizza garden that would be heavy on tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, oregano, thyme, and basil. Spaghetti squash, artichokes, and spinach can also be part of either of these themes, depending on your tastes.
French
For a French garden, your garden would need to include mostly herbs such as basil, sage, parsley, sorrel, coriander, thyme, summer savory, and marjoram. A few other possibilities might include tarragon, dill, chives, watercress, and leeks.
Snack
A snack theme will provide you with nutritious homegrown munchies. You might consider planting popcorn, strawberries, peanuts, and sunflowers. However, no snack garden is complete without a few potatoes that will allow you to make your own homemade chips.
Soup
If you have children, read them Stone Soup and then make your garden a fun activity for your whole family by planting a soup garden. Vegetables for this garden might include onions, carrots, peppers, parsnips, rutabagas, beans, potatoes, and corn. For flavoring, consider planting garlic, rosemary, summer savory, thyme, parsley, sage, cilantro, and chives.
Tea
While it is not feasible to try to grow your own tea, you can grow a variety of ingredients that can add a little zing to it. Almost any of the mints are good additives to tea. You might also try growing a few other herbs like lemon balm, chamomile, cinnamon, and anise hyssop. Of course, if you live in a tropical area, consider adding a couple of lemon trees to this mixture.
Specialty
Specialty is of the simplest themes to grow. It consists of growing several different varieties of the same vegetable. For example, you could plant varieties of ox heart, beefsteak, and cherry tomatoes. Another alternative is to plant different varieties of popcorn, peppers, or even pumpkins.
Planting vegetable gardens around a theme is a great way to add some pizzazz to your garden. It is also a great way to teach children about the cycle of nature: planting, growing, harvesting, cooking, and eating. There is one major drawback to it. You might find that your garden becoming so popular that you will be forced to expand it. Luckily, this problem can easily be remedied.
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