Front garden veg patch - yay or nay?

houseyhouse

Hi folks. I'm thinking about using my front garden as a veg patch. We'd install raised beds and gravel in between. It's south-west facing and fairly protected so it gets good sun and is relatively warm. We're a semi-d in a mature housing estate though so wondering if it can be done in a way that looks reasonably attractive. Has anybody seen this done in an attractive way? Should we screen it from the road a bit with hedging - maybe crab apple trees or other fruit trees?

There was a totally overgrown bush blocking a lot of the sun when we bought so the ground is a bit soggy and seems to have been overgrown with moss etc - grass barely needs to be cut. Do you think we'd need to do something to it before making the raised beds or can we proceed as normal?

hirondelle

houseyhouse wrote: »

Hi folks. I'm thinking about using my front garden as a veg patch. We'd install raised beds and gravel in between. It's south-west facing and fairly protected so it gets good sun and is relatively warm. We're a semi-d in a mature housing estate though so wondering if it can be done in a way that looks reasonably attractive. Has anybody seen this done in an attractive way? Should we screen it from the road a bit with hedging - maybe crab apple trees or other fruit trees?

There was a totally overgrown bush blocking a lot of the sun when we bought so the ground is a bit soggy and seems to have been overgrown with moss etc - grass barely needs to be cut. Do you think we'd need to do something to it before making the raised beds or can we proceed as normal?

100% yay- there is this idea that veg patches need to be hidden from view and I have never understood it. You are obviously houseproud (otherwise you wouldn't be asking) so you will want to keep it tidy. Raised beds are a great way of keeping everything in order and with gravel in between it will look well. You might want to think about what it will look like in winter assuming that even if you grow winter veg (like brussels sprouts) the bulk of the bed will be empty.

zell12

Just do it with pride

Supercell

I have, often have neighbours stopping by when i'm mucking about with it all full of complements. If you put fruit/trees in there the neighbourhood kids will steal the fruit before you get a look in and before its even ripe

houseyhouse

hirondelle wrote: »

100% yay- there is this idea that veg patches need to be hidden from view and I have never understood it. You are obviously houseproud (otherwise you wouldn't be asking) so you will want to keep it tidy. Raised beds are a great way of keeping everything in order and with gravel in between it will look well. You might want to think about what it will look like in winter assuming that even if you grow winter veg (like brussels sprouts) the bulk of the bed will be empty.

Ooh, good point! I hadn't thought about winter. Will need to think if there's something we could do to make them a bit less grim in the winter. Thanks.

CoBo55

The good life... Have you got Margo and Jerry next door?

wildwillow

Go for it but inter plant with some flowers. I mix veg and flowers everywhere and it looks very pretty.

Have encouraged friends with tiny gardens to use salad bowl type lettuce as foliage and purple sprouting broccoli in the winter and early spring. Chives onions garlic and thyme look great too.

Use a few bulbs and wallflowers to see you over the winter but lots of greens and herbs will survive the winter.

Only problem I could see is if you are on a busy road you will need to wash veg very well from traffic dust.

looksee

Where I lived previously there were a number of apple trees overhanging footpaths or readily accessible without going into gardens and the fruit was ignored. We concluded that it was the 'fruit doesn't grow on trees, it comes from the supermarket' syndrome.

Tree

I'm growing artichokes in my raised beds out front, they look great all year. Raised beds w/ gravel looks great, and trelises and obelisks to grow climbers up.

Wouldnt be that worried about the winter look, some stuff will be leafy long term, you can plant brassicas or garlic or green manure either, or just accept that no one looks at ppl's front gardens in the winter.

lukegriffen

Go for it. There are 2 houses near me that grow veg out the front & I love checking the progress. In one the front is screened with raspberry canes, & then small olive trees down the side The other has no screening at all.