Vegetable Gardens


Feature Writer: Amy Urquhart
Amy Urquhart, Amy Urquhart

At Vegetable Gardens you'll discover ideas for planning a vegetable patch, raised bed gardening, reviews of gardening tools, seeds, plants and accessories, container gardening, and everything you ever wanted to know about vegetables from artichokes to zucchini!

We'll also cover planting and growing tomatoes, fertilizing the garden, heirloom vegetables, advantages to community gardening, herb gardens, container gardens and more.

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Vegetable Gardens, Photo Credit: Amy Urquhart, Bowmanville, Ontario
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Amy Urquhart

A Vegetable Gardener's Guide to Moving House

In: Vegetable Gardens (general)

Caring for a garden is a labour of love, and leaving one behind can be a sad occasion. With careful planning, however, a new house means a new garden to cultivate. more...

Install a Rain Barrel to Save Water

In: Vegetable Gardens (general)

Gardeners can save water and reduce the water bill by collecting rain water in a barrel or other container near the vegetable plot. more...

Hold a Plant Auction Fundraiser

In: Community Gardens

A plant auction is an excellent way to raise money for a local garden club, association of gardeners, or community garden. more...

Rabbit-Proofing a Vegetable Garden

In: Garden Pests & Diseases

Trying a combination of remedies for rabbits in the vegetable garden will prevent a season's worth of fruit and vegetables from being devoured by these annoying critters! more...

Locally Grown Food in Durham

In: Vegetable Gardens (general)

Many farms, orchards and farmer's markets call Durham Region, Ontario, home. Vegetable gardeners can buy locally those crops they don't grow at home. more...

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Amy Urquhart

Jul 12, 2008

Garden Plot Envy

As a member of a community garden, I have the privilege of seeing the creative plantings other gardeners are growing.


I try to visit my community garden plot every evening, especially if there has not been any rain during the day. At the garden there is peace. Sometimes I bring my mp3 player and listen to music while I weed, water and tend to the vegetables. Sometimes I enjoy listening to the simple songs of birds in the field, the far away drone of a lawn mower or the laughing of neighbourhood children.

Because my plot is in the corner furthest away from the garden gate, my visits to the garden begin with a tour of the other plots. Some of the gardeners who grow food in the plots surrounding mine are so fabulously talented and creative with their plantings that I almost want to turn around and go back home, I am so filled with envy. Other days their uniqueness is what inspires me to put more work into my garden.

This year I actually planned out a little design for my garden, placing a path down the centre of the space, bringing in rocks to edge the path. I’ve brought in lots of items for holding up the plants that need vertical support, such as tomatoes, peppers and cantaloupe. I’ve planted marigolds, basil and parsley along the edges of the path, to make harvesting these frequently used herbs easy.

I’ve mulched with straw so that my garden’s weeds won’t be quite as evident as they have been in the past. I’ve tried to plant vegetables that display an interesting blend of colours, shapes and sizes. Happily, a large sunflower arrived on the scene without any sort of help from me, and I’m allowing it to grow smack dab in the middle of the plot, adding an air of casual disarray that I’ve grown to love in a garden.

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