If just one vegetable were chosen to symbolise the output of the kitchen garden, it would surely be the enormous, ribbed, deep orange ‘Rouge Vif D’etampes’, known in some quarters as the Cinderella pumpkin. Where kitchen gardens exist at all, they often play second fiddle to more obviously decorative and even haughty ornamental gardens, but given a chance, these valuable spaces can be every bit as beautiful and deserving of appreciation.
Creating a good working kitchen garden requires, however, a special attentiveness. Most vegetables we grow are annuals and so must be sown and planted each year; each has its own set of idiosyncrasies that must be learnt; and for a constant supply of vegetables all year round, year in and year out, you’ll need to become adept at succession planting. But don’t let that put you off creating your own private Villandry or Versailles. Thinking creatively about layout, paths, borders, focal points and planting will elevate a vegetable patch from
