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FrontRangeLiving.com -> Garden -> Potager
 When Flowers Invade the Vegetable Garden
by Niki Hayden
Vegetable beds traditionally come in rows, a timeless design intended to weed
and harvest as efficiently as possible. But as suburban plots shrink so do wide
open spaces for vegetable gardens. That’s when it makes sense to look at
vegetables in a different light—as ornamental plants as well as practical food
producers. We plan flowerbeds to buffer a sidewalk, surround a building or line
a path. Those places may be the sunniest, or best drained. Why not locate
vegetables where they will be happiest, even if it’s among the bearded iris or
roses?
I’ve discovered that eggplant grows vigorously in my south-facing garden
next to a blistering sidewalk. They love the heat and exposure nestled among my
drought-tolerant plants. Eggplants are among the most ornamental of vegetable
plants themselves, so their purple-tinged leaves and lime green veins appear
exotic tucked between centhranthus and penstemons. What eggplants don’t
appreciate is the lean soil and lack of water--the hallmarks of a
drought-tolerant garden. But a generous handful of compost and hand watering can
make up for that shortfall. Since I need only a few plants to provide plenty of
perfect globes for ratatouille, tending to them is easy. No other garden can
guarantee such warmth throughout the day, which is of prime importance to this
finicky vegetable. My conclusion: find what is most important to the vegetable
you love and make up for what may be lacking.
 Lettuces are a study in contrasts. They prefer a bit of shade in mid-summer
and bolt quickly once summer arrives if left in the spring bed. But plant new
romaine seedlings in a shade garden alongside columbines and Johnny-jump-ups in
the heat of summer and they’ll happily extend the season for you. Consider the
lettuce bed for loose-leaf lettuces that are easiest when the seeds are planted
in neat rows. Add beautiful head lettuces here and there among the shade
perennials, and plant the head lettuces in seed trays rather than directly
seeded into the garden so that you can tuck each plant wherever you choose.
 I’ve taken a closer look at planting an extra tomato vine or pepper variety
in other places throughout the front and back yards. Tomatoes and peppers grow
well with roses, requiring similar soil, water and fertilizer. As they set
fruit, ease away from water and both tomatoes and peppers develop flavor.
Tomatoes may vine up a climber rose. Peppers, like eggplants, have beautiful
leaves and fruit that mix well in a sea of flowers.
Even green beans, which never shine as individual plants, can be an effective
border along a pathway. They offer an additional boon by adding nitrogen to the
soil. Carrots, too, with their feathery-fringed leaves decorate an ornamental
border in front of perennials or annuals. Carrots will need more water than
beans so it’s best to match carrots to your delphiniums, beans companioned
with bachelor buttons, or cosmos.
For many gardeners, it pays to rethink placing vegetables in unexpected spots
because it opens up the vegetable garden for plants that take up room. The
sprawling winter squash or melons, both top choices for gourmet gardeners, often
are deleted from the seed list simply for lack of room. These larger and more
expansive vegetables may gobble up space, but are worthwhile.
 Other fruits and vegetables can double as ornamentals, too. Raspberries might
be great as a hedge you’ve been intending to plant against the garden wall.
Small cherry tomato vines climb up a grapevine. Strawberries make a fine
groundcover. Once you’ve moved the vegetables into the flowerbeds, it only
makes sense to move some of the flowers, especially annuals, into the vegetable
beds. Pansies enjoy the same rich, moist, semi shade characteristics that we
save for spinach and lettuces. Nasturtiums, always a favorite edible flower,
will sprawl happily among melons and winter squash or cucumbers. Sunflowers and
corn mix well for height. Marigolds are the classic accompaniment for tomatoes.
Zinnias, cosmos and calendula germinate quickly alongside your rows.
By this time, vegetables and ornamentals no longer require rigid boundaries.
Just keep one thing in mind. Many vegetables need to be rotated each year so
that pests and diseases don’t build up in the soil and return the following
year to lay waste to your eggplants or tomatoes. With this system, it’s far
easier to prevent disease build-up because you’ll be moving the plants around.
Make sure you don’t continue to plant eggplants and other vegetables in the
same family (tomatoes, tomatillos, potatoes, peppers). Perennial vegetables and
fruits escape this requirement, so leave your strawberries and asparagus as long
as you like. Experiment with your new garden approach each year and before long,
you’ll forget what it was like to banish all the vegetables to only one area
of the garden.
Toward a new garden: Planting vegetables among the flowers
 Sunflower family (Asteraceae): lettuces, chicories, calendulas,
artichokes, celtuce, endives, marigolds, and tarragon
Flowers: violas with early lettuces, larkspur, poppies, forget-me-not,
sunflowers with artichokes
Cucumber or gourd family (Cucurbitaceae): melons and winter squash,
cucumbers, summer squash, pumpkins
Flowers: nasturtiums with sprawling squash, morning glories on trellis with
sprawling squash
Nightshade family (Solanaceae): peppers, eggplants, potatoes, and
tomatillos
Flowers: marigolds, zinnias
Goosefoot family: beets, chard, orach, spinach
Flowers: violas and pansies
Mint family (Lamiaceae): basil, mints, oregano, rosemary, sages, summer
savory, and thyme
Flowers: lavender with oregano, rosemary, sages, thymes, cherry tomatoes with
basil and mints
Lily family (Liliaceae): onions, shallots, garlic, asparagus, chives,
leeks,
Flowers: ornamental alliums
Mustard family (Brassicaceae): arugula, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower,
collards, cresses, kale, kohlrabi, komatsuma, mizuna, mustards, radishes, and
turnips
Flowers: ornamental kale, cool weather bloomers like pansies for broccoli,
hot weather bloomers like zinnia for collards
Parsley family (Apiaceae): carrots, celeriac, celery, chervil, coriander
(cilantro), dill, fennel, lovage, parsley, and parsnips
Flowers: Cosmos
Pea family (Fabaceae): beans, cowpeas, fava beans, lima beans, peanuts,
peas, runner beans, soybeans, sugar peas
Flowers: snapdragons and sweet peas
Fruits: grapes, strawberries, raspberries
Flowers: consider tiny spring bulbs for strawberries like snowdrops or
species tulips
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