Potager...

Inspired, a little, by some of the potager gardens of medieval and Renaissance Europe (and even more by the idea of having fresh organic produce for use and sale at the park, we have started to put in our potager garden.

The garden is enclosed by a Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) hedge. We decided on Hornbeam because it is faster growing and hardier than Beech (Fagus sylvatica), and produces an excellent hardwood for use in carving and turning. Both are pleachable, and provide a good windbreak for around the Orchard and Potager. They also keep their Autumn leaves on until the following Spring, when they are pushed off by the new growth. Holly (Ilex aquifolium) was a consideration, but was going to take too long to establish, and will be reserved for around the Chapel Garden.

As you can see from the plan, the potager consists mainly of 16 raised beds, each 6m x 2m and surrounded by a Box (Buxus sempivirens) hedge. There are also 4 small lawns, each 14m x 5m. These could be turned into further raised beds down the track if more were required.

Around the garden, there are several benches, carefully placed to give one a nice vista over your work at the end of a day of gardening (while enjoying a much deserved G&T). They are styled on the setup below of boundary hedge, with smaller box-hedged flower beds in front, on either side of the bench:

The beds are designed for grouping similar plant groups together, and allowing a 3 year crop rotation between the various plant groups. Some will have the charming architectural elements of trellises and obelisks for the likes of beans and berry canes to climb up:

There will also be a functional glasshouse in the middle of the garden, where it will get most sun, and prevent one having a full vista from the Chapel garden through to the Orchard, drawing one in to see what might lie beyond...