There are a few things I like about the end of summer: the sound of crickets at night, eating tomatoes, saving seeds, and rethinking my garden design.
To me, that’s the best part about growing a kitchen garden – it is always changing, evolving, and transitioning. I’m not a person who likes change of any kind, yet somehow I appreciate the way the garden allows me to try new things each year.
Planning for change is different than dealing with change, and one of the few things I can control is the design of my garden. It started this month when I began creating the new designs for my new book.
Like my other book, there will be design themes and recipes, and this time the focus is on heirloom plants. I love taking old-fashioned varieties and giving them a new spin. I was fortunate to work with friend, author, and film maker, Margot Page, who stopped by one rainy afternoon to capture my process:
My method usually involves three drawings – one that is logical and geometric, another with curves, with the final drawing resulting in something completely unexpected, as if the other two were simply warm-ups.
It’s a great time of year to reflect and take a closer look at your garden design – figure out ways to improve, change, redistribute, reduce, or simply acknowledge that it perfect just the way it is.
With so much change going in our backyards, and in the world, maybe you will find refuge in your garden. When we put time and thought towards the design at the onset, the garden will always give back.
Best,
Ellen O.
