Very nice Southshore! Is that water I see in the background? I absolutely love my Potager even if it is brand spanking new!

Southshore,

your potager is gorgeous! you know, its really not fair, its way past the season to have snaps down here and now I am hungry for them!!

That is beautiful! How the heck did you get everything so perfectly spaced??? Did you plant transplants instead of seeds? Because all my seeds got lonely and formed a group in the middle of the squares I planted them in!

Wow, southshore, how can you bear to harvest your veggies! Everything is just perfect. Would you mind giving some details about the size and did you DIY the fence? This is exactly what DH and I need at our new property. Love the stone, so tidy and the raised beds--delightful. Please post pictures later in the season. I can never get enough pictures!

yeah, we are all trying to figure out how to space our plants as well as Southshore. I'd also like to know how she keeps her gravel paths so neat too!!!

Myone, if you click on my name, Gardenweb will take you to my members page and if you scroll to the very bottom there is a link to my "home page" - you have to join as a member (it keeps out the spammers) but there is quite a few pix tucked in there of Southshore's potager from the past few years. Enjoy!

Thanks for the kind comments.

luvbocelli: No water in the background (I wish!)

Alys: I start everything from seed so I can space everything evenly. If the seeds are large enough, I direct sow them. I use a dowel to make evenly spaced holes and then drop in the seed.

Myoneandonly: The potager is appoximately 36ft square. My DH built it for me along with the raised beds. I just drew the plan. It is hard for me to harvest. I generally harvest the lettuce by leaves rather than cut out a head.

Manzo: The gravel paths have landscape fabric underneath. I get some occasional weeds but the pull out easily.

How about showing me yours?!

OK, Southshore - here it is - my junk potager (and yes, it really is mostly junk - the "gazebo" is a salvaged jungle gym and even the paths are jsut broken marble countertops flipped over!)
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Manzo,
Your junk potager is very cool. I love your ideas. People must have fun discovering your unique finds. Is anything going to grow on the "gazebo"?
SSG

Oh yum, it all looks so good! I always enjoy looking at your pics. : ) What types of lettuce are you growing?

Enjoy those snap peas. Ours are long gone so I've resorted to frozen. And the blueberries are bearing so I can't complain to loudly. I am drooling over your strawberries and dreaming of homemade sorbet.

TFS your lovely space!
Diana

southshore,

there was supposed to be hyacinth bean and climbing melons. Unfortunately, we had a really wet, cold spring and most of the plants sulked and died. sigh.

hey now that angel is posting, I think she needs to post of her space - come on, we want to see whats growing right now in that darling space you got! (course,you got to include pix of the borders outside your fence and the new bed too - we are very demanding!)

Manzo, too bad about the sulking plants. Maybe it's not too late to replant since you are in the deep south. I struggle with wet springs here in New England but it's great for lettuce and other greens.

Angel, you need to post too! I love your garden. I am growing Boston Bibb, Red Sails, Romaine and Oak leaf lettuces. Still tasty! No suger snaps yet but flowering is occuring. The strawberries are forming. I can't wait for them. I don't have enough left for sorbet...they are too good on their own!

SSG

Manzo, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your garden! I love using found materials to add to my garden! Also hidden "collections" throughout.
I'm still starting my pottager, but my backyard has gnomes hidden all around, I have several stadium speakers planted, old fashioned scales holding plants and just odd containers everywhere.
Nancy

Southshore and Manzo----I LOVE both your gardens!!!! Thanks for the glorious pictures! I am laid up right now with back problems and my poor garden is suffering. I have a "Charles Darwin" garden...survival of the fittest and the weeds seem to be winning right now. Seeing your pictures gave me a real lift though!

Southshore and Manzo,

I love both your styles. One so neat and formal the other so whimsical. Love 'em, Love 'em!

Here are some shots of my gardening attempts....

shellva, that is gorgeous! and yep, much neater than mine, that is for sure!!

is that tomato cages on the side? I am curious to know what tomatoes do well for you up there.

Here it quickly gets too hot for most tomatoes, they flower but won't set fruit - Celebrity, Porter, and Juliet are the best for shrugging off the heat. I am trying C. Genovese (italian heirloom) for the first time this year - its supposed to be another one that soldiers on. That is, if it doesn't get mugged by Juliet before it produces - Juliet is definitely trying to push Genovese out of the tomato bed this year -guess it resents the competition from another italian tomato?

Shellva, what is that blooming in the teepee? It's beautiful!

Manzo, next year add Sun Gold (cherry) to your list. They're incredibly sweet and fruity tasting tomatoes. I pull must of my tomato plants by mid July, but keep the Sun Gold through the summer. It'll continue to set fruit in the heat (although not as much as earlier in the season) and then again in the fall. I put in 4 plants this year and for the past week or so I've been harvesting about a pint and a half a day.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Natal,

I have heard that Sun Gold is pretty tuff in the heat. tried it last year (or year before? I disremember -got start that garden journal one of these days!) and it was not happy once it went over 90 here. I may have just gotten an weak plant though - looks like yours are having NO problems pumping out tomatoes! Man, if those taste 1/2 as good as I remember, you gotta be in 7th heaven!

Man, if those taste 1/2 as good as I remember, you gotta be in 7th heaven!

Me and most of my neighbors, LOL.

Thanks, manzo and SSG! I haven't taken any new pics of it this spring since things are still relatively small. We did have some nice broccoli but it's been decapitated. ; ) The outside beds look about the same except some of the roses aren't blooming. They aren't getting enough sun - the nearby sycamore tree is creating too much shade - so I am going to have to move a couple. Ah, it's always something. I did put the stock tank back in the middle and am using it as a pond again. I'll take pics soon!

I think Shellva's blue plant might be bachelor buttons? Gorgeous blue color!

Natal, those toms look scrumptious! I haven't tried Sun Gold but will look for a plant or two. Thanks!

Diana

Natal, Angelcub is right, the blue flowers are bachelor buttons. I threw them out in the fall and some were winter sown. I think the ones in the picture were winter sown. It's hard to keep track of what I did for where!

Some say they can be invasive but so far they have earned a huge spot in my heart. They have bloomed all spring and are still going. Also they seem to attract beneficials like ladybugs.

Manzo, yes, those are tomato cages. I have 12 different varieties going.

Brandywine, Early Girl, Arkansas Traveler, Boxcar Willie, Cherokee Purple, German Johnson, Lemon Boy, a grape tomato, beefmaster, German Queen, Moneymaker, Mortgage Lifter.

I'll have to let you know which ones wow me, if any. I know Brandywine isn't supposed to do well here but I couldn't help but give it a try. Arkansas, Cherokee Purple and Boxcar are supposed to do well in my climate with the last two being originally from NC and VA. We shall see! Though I did grow Arkansas 2 years ago and had good success with it.

Oh, and I hope you didn't take my meaning wrong about your garden style. From your photos your gardens look neat as a pin but with whimsical, planned chaos. I love the corn plants lending their presence in your garden.

I'll try to let you know how my tomato season ends.

Michelle

No problems - my garden starts neat but descends into chaos by mid summer. Every year I promise myself I will actually stake things and pay more attention to spacing, but.....!!
My friends keep saying they are going to buy me a machette for my veggie garden!

You should enjoy Arkansas Traveler - I grew Arkansas Traveler a few years back and it was very good eating, but I haven't found it at either of the local shops I get my 'maters from. You'll have to tell us how big Mortage Lifter gets - its a bit too hot and dry down here for us to grow the really big tomatoes like that!

Love it Southshore! I think I remember when you posted the pictures when you first built that garden. Summer of '05, right? I remember because I built mine the same year.

Are those roses climbing over the fence? They must look great when they're in full bloom. I have visions of roses climbing my fence too, but none of the climbers I've tried here in North Central MA have survived the winter. :-(

-Diggity

Well, whoever had the sungold.... Mine have started! The little ones are about the size of a pinky nail! SWEET!!!!!
A Master gardener at a local nursery suggested sungold for my first year with a greenhouse. Said the plant would keep producing well into the fall/winter as long as it was protected.
Looking at the ammnt of flowers on this plant scares me!
I've got a ton of maters already, not including this sungold plant!!!!!
Lots of mater saquce this year!
Nancy

Coming into this late...I love your potager. And the volunteer violas are so pretty. How do you keep the gravel paths clear of weeds? I have gravel paths too, but have started laying large stepping stones to cut down on the weeding. Eh, I wanted to post a photo within the message but can't seem to do it.

I love all these pictures. I am so ready for spring! It's so nice (and helpful) to see how other people design their potagers. So many good ideas! I can't wait to get started on my new garden this year :)

Lavender lass - Thanks for bringing these older posts to light again. I too enjoy looking at other peoples gardens.

Lavender lass-thanks for bringing these pictures up. I no longer live in that house and the potager is gone. I enjoyed reminiscing.
Julia3-we had landscape fabric under the stones but as you can see, it did not stop the volunteers.