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FrontRangeLiving.com -> Garden -> Kitchen Garden
 THE
COLORADO KITCHEN GARDEN
By Niki Hayden
The American kitchen garden may have reached its zenith with the victory
gardens of World War II, but it's on the upswing again. This time taste and
unique cultivars, rather
than survival, rally the troops.
Gardeners around the world plant a kitchen garden reflecting their
cultures—ginger and bok choy for the Chinese, radicchio and garlic for the
Italians. Consider the French kitchen garden--the potager. Marigolds nestle alongside
Marmande tomatoes
and Genovese basil. Zinnias parade next to leeks and fennel. Thyme billows
through the cracks of a brick walkway. The tendrils of green peas reach out to a
border of nasturtiums. A fence offers the chance to espalier fruit trees and
strawberry plants drape from terracotta pots on stone steps.
In a plot no bigger than a patio, there’s enough to feed a family of four
and present fresh flowers for the table. So important is this backyard garden to
French families that government officials estimate nearly 23 percent of French
vegetables and fruits originate from the potager.
But besides providing basic foods, the potager is designed for companion
planting. Marigolds, tomatoes and basil are long time associates. Marigolds are
beneficial to tomatoes, organic gardeners say, because they attract destructive
nematodes away from the tomato roots.
There’s anecdotal and some scientific evidence to give credence to these
long held truths, even so, a potager is not a large farm where horticultural
experimentation could produce evidence. It’s usually a small patch with a few
well-chosen plants and flowers. Not everything French will grow well in
Colorado, but we have vegetables and annual flowers of our own that deserve to
be paired.
There are some restrictions. Vegetables and flowers must be chosen for the season—cool-loving
vegetables with cool-loving flowers, for example. Companion plants must be
amenable to the same soil, water and fertilizer conditions which allow each
to thrive.
 THE SPRING GARDEN
Spinach is spring’s eager vegetable. Planted in the fall, you’ll have
jade leaflets jutting through the snow. New spinach leaves are as crisp as
taffeta and they’ll be up before any other vegetable. You can pair
spinach with velvety pansies.
Nature’s most cheerful flower not only is perky in cold weather, but
edible, too. Plant potted pansies in the fall with spinach and they’ll be
companions when they mature in April until each bolts from hot weather.
You can plant them in the early spring, too. Pair them with larkspur and
lettuce. Nearly every form of lettuce likes to be planted in the cool spring
weather as soon as the soil can be worked. That’s true for larkspur, but all
of the larkspur is poisonous, so it won't serve as an edible.
Lettuce and larkspur will grow at nearly the same rate, under the same
conditions—cool weather, dampish soil with plenty of humus. Cloudy weather is
perfect. Here’s a planting calendar and suggested companion plantings. All the
flowers are annuals. You can till them in after the fall frost.
But not all the vegetables are annuals. Rhubarb, asparagus, garlic, leeks,
strawberries and raspberries last for more than one season. If you want to plant
flowers with long-lasting vegetables, choose perennials.
SEEDS AND ROOT STOCK TO PLANT AFTER MARCH 15
Vegetable seeds: spinach, turnips, radishes, peas, parsnips, lettuce,
kohlrabi, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, chard and kale seeds.
Root stock (perennials): garlic, onions sets, rhubarb, shallots, raspberries and
strawberries.
Flower seeds: alyssum, larkspur, cleome, calendula and annual candytuft
Herb seeds: parsley (all kinds), chives
AFTER APRIL 15
Transplants rather than seeds: broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.
Root stock: Asparagus (perennial) and potato roots (annual).
AFTER MAY 1
Seeds: beans, corn
AFTER MAY 15
Seeds: melon family such as cucumber, pumpkins, squash
THE SUMMER GARDEN
It’s not until after the frost date of May 15—or even May 30 to be
cautious--that you’ll be able to set out tender transplants such as tomatoes,
marigolds and basil. These time-honored companions have grown alongside for
generations. Each is tender to cold, and adapts to the same amounts of
fertilizer and water. Marigolds originate from South Africa, tomatoes from Peru
and basil from the South Seas. Despite such geographical distances, they thrive
under similar conditions and marigolds are beneficial for tomatoes.
But there are other winning combinations, too. Plant zinnias and cosmos with
eggplant, peppers and beans. Both zinnias and cosmos germinate quickly and adapt
to garden soil conditions. About the same height as eggplant and
peppers, they'll provide strips of bright color.
For plants that trail, like squash and cucumbers, consider nasturtiums. Chefs
will tell you that these peppery flowers are the tastiest of all edible flowers.
They, like the squash plants, are as fast growing as they are tender. Both must
be planted after the last frost.
Nasturtiums are best planted as a border around
the squash. Since squash will sprawl in all directions, nasturtiums, in a tidy
row around the squash, won’t get in the way. Nasturtiums come in bright
red, orange and yellow colors that complement the yellow squash blossoms. You
can get them in pastels and also striped white with reds and orange in a
cultivar called ‘Alaska.’
Native Americans planted corn, beans and squash together. Called the
"sister" plants, the corn provided a stalk for the vines of beans. The
sprawling squash shaded the roots of the beans and corn. But there’s another
American stalwart flower that grows well with corn. The sunflower is as tall and
majestic as corn. Planted together neither competes for the sun or soil. They’re
perfect "sisters," too.
Herbs that grow well in your potager are parsley, basil, dill and cilantro.
These herbs will benefit from the soil amendments, water and fertilizer of the
garden. Many other herbs will not. Thyme, mints and sage are perennials that
deserve a garden of their own. They’re from the Mediterranean and like lean
soil with less water.
AFTER MAY 15
Transplants: cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, squash, peppers, celery, eggplant,
pumpkins, marigolds, basil, dill, cilantro
Seeds: nasturtiums, cosmos, sunflowers, morning glory, zinnia,
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