Growing vegetables in front garden

aylithuk

Afternoon all

My back garden is NE facing for the most part. I get a lovely amount of sun in the morning and down the left hand side of the house and some across the bottom of the garden. 

I will be growing vegetables down the left hand side but my front garden sits SW (more or less) and would be perfect for growing sun loving vegetables. 

I live in a mid Terrace, in a cul-de-sac and for the most part, everyone has a really nice front garden. I do sometimes sit out there in summer and it’s nice to speak to my neighbours ( we all exchange Xmas cards etc) but I’m worried about turning my entire front lawn into a kitchen garden and making it look good. 

Has anyone done this with their front garden or seen it done well by other people at all?. Or would you even consider it? 

Farway

I would without hesitation.

And as you sit out there and chat to the neighbours I bet it would not be long before they ask about how the tomatoes were doing, what's that purple plant over there? etc

My granddad did, he had asparagus as a "hedge" and as a centre island bed with tomatoes against the house wall

He never did but I could imagine a centre island bed using maybe beetroot as outside ring with a centre wigwam of runners, white flowered maybe?

Plus herbs like sage & rosemary, lovely bees attracting flowers, and let neighbours know they are welcome to a sprig or two for the pot

No doubt others will add to this

twopenny

Yes, I've thought about it and on evening walks I watched someone make theirs . It has flourished, loads of veg.

You can do it straightforward as that's easy or you can make it attractive. I saw some lovely purpley kale on an allotment and thought that would look nice in a flower bed.

There are so many pretty veg old and new varieties, red, yellow, orange, purple tomatoes, runner beans come with different colour flowers. You could grow them over an arch. All sorts of things to make it interesting. Or not.

You've given me the idea of growing some veg like runner beans in my front garden as I'm short of space at the back.

My only thought is if you have neighbours who may help themselves

aylithuk

Thanks guys - Your ideas are really inspiring also. I am going to do it. 

I am sure if I plant it well it can be productive and pretty! 

Have to admit. Last year, I scattered bright lights Chad seeds into my flower border and it was very pretty when mature. I didn’t eat much in the end as I liked it growing like a flower. 

Silvertabby

Pop some marigolds in between the veggies for extra colour.

greenbee

If you mix fruit, veg and flowers like a traditional cottage garden it should look pretty as well as being productive. And attract lots of pollinators! 

RAS

A couple of thoughts.

Think potager as well as cottage garden. 

The space likely to be quite small, so think vertically; climbing runner and French beans, very tall peas, mangetout or snap peas. There are some of all these with coloured flowers and pods. Just use a very sturdy wigwam and nip out the tips when they get to the top and wind in the lower regrowth to avoid autumn storms wrecking your structure.
Try Golden Sweet mangetout late in the season for example, they are frost hardy, purple flowered and the yellow pods keep colour better in the cool weather. They will get wrecked by a storm sometime round December/New Year but an August sowing will give you a small weekly harvest. I find Shiraz get stringy quickly, though.

For the same reason tall rather than bush tomatoes may be better option. Consider training smaller squashes vertically as well.

Mediterranean herbs like lavender, sage and rosemary will prefer the heat, not parsley.

You might transplant an early sowing of lettuce or beets as a catch crop to cover the ground before the beans take off, and tuck in some coloured mustards when you strip them out. 

Enjoy, just make sure you keep the spot for your seat.

silverwhistle

RAS said:

Consider training smaller squashes vertically as well.

Try to get hold of the variety Tromboncino d'Albenga. A productive climbing variety which I grew on my allotment last year, and guaranteed to be a talking point and cause a few giggles!

twopenny

The old fashioned pot marigolds, violets, pansies, borage petals can be used in salads.

https://theconsciousdietitian.com/all-recipes/lunch-recipes/edible-flower-salad-with-rose-petals-chive-flowers/

Also Chives flower for ages and the Garlic Chives I have flower late summer with tall white flowers. I've now put some in the flower  border. Bees absoloutely love them.

Different flavoured Thymes too make a nice edging. Standard, Lemon & Silver. The Silver is mild flavour and good in stews.

Farway

Reading through the suggestions it looks like OP's front garden could be real stunner this year

A second for garlic chives, mine self seed [not wildly super spreader though] and look after themselves

twopenny

Farway, tons of seed produced from Garlic chives but seldom see them germinate. I've tried. The only time it happened the darn things grew in the middle of some flowering plants.

You're the first person I've come across who;s heard of them.

I used to have some ginger Rosemary too. Useless but very pretty and lovely smelling.