Gotta--
Yes! I've seen them circular. The large ones were divided into quadrants for easy access and then each section had a wonderful design, theme, or color. With your talent you could really go crazy. Why don't you start... then I'll copy off of you.

I have some whispy (vague) ideas for several potager islands, working in an outdoor room, and tying it in to the baby garden maze which is now about "bootie high".

But then my mind tends to get ahead of my shovel. All in good time.

georgeanne

This is what I am working on. I did this much last fall. Basically a rectangle with arches on either end with paths intersecting the rectangle area. It doesn't look like much yet, but I'm optimistic. The one arch will be aspargus and rhubarb and I'm not sure how I will plant the other.

{{gwi:1151734}}

That's going to be great!

I'm sorry, I forot to share this title with you. I did get it from the lib: "Kitchen Gardens: How to create a beautiful and functional culinary garden." by Cathy Barash. c1998, ISBN 0395827493. I found a lot of useful info here including an at-home soil test in a mason jar. They did soil prep the way you described for your red garden. They also had list of flowers and veggies that were compatible. If it's not out-of-print I'm going to see if I can get B&N to order it.

Love visuals...georgeanne

I have put in a circular potager. It is brand new this year. I posted some pics earlier and I have not had time to take pics of the 'finished' product.

Of course it will never really be finished but at least I can say it is ready for planting. I have four small apple trees planted, some oregano, mint, rosemary, rudbekia and have seeded some other things that I have forgotten already - I have a list somewhere. All of the plants are teeny because they are all things I bought on sale for about 50 cents. So at the moment it just looks like a empty garden bed with a small water feature in the middle and a path running down the center.

I will post updated pictures the next time I can be home during daylight hours to take some. I am working a two week stretch with no days off at the moment. I really hate those. My peach and plum are blooming right now and I have to rush home to get to see them for about 10 minutes before it gets dark.

Georgeanne, did that book have a lot of photos of garden designs? I'm going to order Designing the New Kitchen Garden and have been looking for another book along the same line.

Harper

Here is a link that might be useful: Designing the New Kitchen Garden

Hi Gurley - yes, I saw the posted picture of your potager -very nice!!!! I think that's what helped get me thinking along these lines. What is the diameter of your circle? I like the water feature in the middle. I'd love to see some new photos when you aren't so working so hard. It's going to be wonderful.

Georgeanne and Harper - thanks for the book suggestion. That is exactly what I'm looking for! I'm off to the library today.

Michelle, I really like your brickwork. You've got a big headstart on me. Hoping I can get some veggies in this year, even if the whole design isn't done. Part of my yard is always in a state of construction like this.

Today I'm going outside to draw designs in the snow. Just tromp around where the edges are going to be. The next snowstorm gives me a blank slate to design again.

Thanks for your ideas. Love to hear more :-)

I believe circular potagers are a traditional pattern, and fairly common. I've seen designs for them in a number of books.

I had a sort-of circular potager in my front yard many years ago. There was a center circular bed surrounded by four arc beds that formed an outer circle. It was framed with beds that were arced on the inside but straight on the outside to fill in the square yard, which was fenced. It was very pretty.

At a place I used to live here in Vermont, a friend had a large production garden in the field below our houses, and a smaller round potager style garden in the little meadow between our houses. There was a center circle, with long beds radiating out from it that were narrow on the inside and wide at the outside edge of the circle. She planted it in a mandela pattern. It was beautiful and so productive that she encouraged me to take anything I could use from it!

Dayle Ann

This is a potager that is not exactly traditional. It is very pretty, and has times when it is flower heavy, times when it is vegetable heavy. The people who own it don't care, they just want it to be pretty.

The thing is, this is someone's back yard. The potager idea just played around in my mind for the longest time, and finally, this is the result. They wanted a 'romantic garden', this was the best I could do for them.

Janie

Janie- did you design their garden?

Edna

Yes, I did design their garden.

As I said, they wanted a 'romantic garden', and more important, they wanted something that was not the same old thing.

So, what could be more uncommon in South Texas than a potager. And it is very romantic. Very calm.

Janie

Janie that is beautiful! Inspirational! I'm not planning anything that fancy, but it sure is fun to see what others are doing.

Here is my first design - snow tracks are great. Wait for the next storm and try again.

How big is your garden there? Where is North? What is that little building?

I can't imagine gardening with snow. We are harvesting broccoli and cabbages now, as well as a lot of different types of lettuces and mesclun mixes. I have 2 dozen tomato plants in my garden now, along with peppers, squash, onions, peas, cardoon, artichokes, and corn. Later, we will plant okra, cucumbers, more corn, different types of squash.

Flowers in my garden include Laura Bush petunias, alyssum, snapdragons, calendulas, and sweet peas. oh, AND the biggest hollyhock that I have ever seen! We have a bunch of herbs, those that are perinneal, and many that reseed, and I will put basil in when we are sure there won't be any more frosts.

My husband is a good gardener, but he is a pepper grower, and he has a whole section of our garden for his peppers.

Sorry, I am sure that this is more than you wanted to know. I get carried away.

I do love your idea of a round potager. I am struggling with an enclosure on mine, otherwise, I am very happy with it. Usually. LOL

Janie

Janie, that's a lovely garden! And yours sounds equally impressive. Any pics to share?

My tomatoes & peppers are still in the cold frame. I'm watching the 10-day forecast and debating whether to start transplanting a few. I always grow extras just in case we get a late freeze. Our last frost date is March 15, but we've been surprised with 1 or 2 closer to the end of the month.

Harper

I keep a little cloud cover around to wrap my cages in case we have a cool spell or a frost. It is also great to use as a wind barrier, which they tell me is a real boost for tomatoes.

I will have to take some more pics. The last ones I took were real dark, as I took them right about sundown before we had our big freeze.

We have a good friend who lives in MN. Right now, she is blanketed with snow. But, as our friend in GA says, around June, when it is close to or above 100 degrees here in Texas and in Georgia, those in the North will be thrilling in the garden! It all evens out.

Janie

Janie, North is on the right. The little building is a kids playhouse that DH built in the fall. (when they're older it will become my garden shed, so I made sure the kids had a BIG playhouse ;-)

You're already harvesting, sigh . . . At least the weather is supposed to get much warmer this week and melt all the snow.

Janie,
That potager you designed is perfect. Very peaceful and calming.

Harper-- The book I mentioned has a potager from every zone and what is planted in it. It also has wonderful lists:
Veggies and flowers that like each other
Bloom times
Ready for harvest
Spring/summer/fall plantings
Edible flowers
Colorful foliage
"Salad in a box"

I need to find out if it's still in print so I can buy it. I've been keeping it way overdue at the lib!!

georgeanne

Janie, covering is something I'd like to avoid, but have

georgeanne, it's available new & used through Amazon. I think I'm going to order it. Thanks!

Harper

Michelle in zone 4, where is North in the pic you posted?

I like your foundation plan.

Janie

Janie, I have to tell you that the garden that you designed is fabulous.

North is on the left side of the picture. This area is full sun.

Michelle

Have you ever thought of doing a medicine wheel garden? I haven't done a lot of research, but you could possibly do a potager / medicine wheel combo...Kinda of French meets Native American. Do a search on amazon.com and they have af few books with pictures on the cover. I want to try doing a medicine wheel garden after I get my Potager up and running. But it will probably be awhile since I haven't even started my potager! Good luck with your project!

It's after midnight and I'm feeling a bit silly, so I thought I would show you all my "circular" potager. Unfortubeately, I have to wait another ten years or so until I can reap the benefits! It's a 30" play area that I plan on using to have an AWESOME potager someday! As for now my veggies are spread all over the rest of the yard wherever I can fit them in or dig through the rocks and clay.

Hey soggy6, I've got that exact same slide! And I know what you mean, I asked DH to build a "kids playhouse". So in 10 years or so I will have a garden shed :-) Everyone tells me it will fly by, so just keep sneaking veggies in wherever for now. At least you have plenty of time to plan, and you already have a nice mow strip.

You might be beyond the research phase by now, but there are a couple of photos of a very large circular potager in Kitchen Gardens of France by Louise Jones and Vincent Motte. If I recall correctly (it's been a few months since I checked it out) the text also contains comments about the circular design that might interest you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon.com link to Kitchen Gardens of France

Thanks for the book recommendation! That's what I need, pictures. It's still design and research time, because the snow only just melted a couple days ago, and more is predicted. Yesterday I was out with my orange flags and string, measuring and looking and dreaming. Can't plant for 2 more months, so I've got plenty of time.
THANKS