Cottage-Style Vegetable Gardens in Zone 8

What Vegetables

• The types of vegetables you grow in your cottage garden are pretty much up to you. Choose vegetables that your family enjoys eating. Cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, beans, tomatoes and peppers are all good vegetables to choose from. These are easy to grow and do not take up a lot of space around your cottage garden, especially if you use some type of support for vining vegetables. Most vegetables grow well in USDA zone 8.

Herbs

• Herbs are a must for a cottage garden. Herbs are versatile -- you can either plant them around in your garden plots or you can plant them in containers. When you plant them in containers, they can become part of the decor of the house. Containers also give you the option of moving them around from place to place if desired. Many herbs are a great natural bug repellent. The stronger smelling herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, dill and chives, add to the look of your cottage garden while keeping pesky insects away. They will work to keep insects from eating vegetables in your garden and they will also help to keep insects away from you when entertaining on a porch or patio where herbs are growing. Planting herbs in containers also allows you to bring them inside if you want to use them for cooking throughout the winter months. Bring them inside in the beginning of November to make sure you miss the first frost date.

Supports

• The types of supports you use can dramatically add to the look of your cottage style vegetable garden. Supports add height and dimension to an otherwise flat garden, making even a vegetable garden look beautiful while remaining functional. Choose arbors and trellises made from cast iron or wood to keep the cottage theme going. The design of these supports can also make an impact in the design of the garden. Arbors can highlight an entryway as well as support cucumber or pole bean vines. Set up some of these supports against your cottage walls to make the best use of your space.

Planning

• Since cottage gardens have a tendency to be on the smaller side, plan to grow multiple crops of some vegetables. The length of the growing season in zone 8 allows for plenty of time for spring and fall crops of cooler weather vegetables. Vegetables that you can plant twice include peas, broccoli, spinach, kale, carrots, beets and lettuce. Start these seeds indoors and plant transplants in among already growing vegetables at the end of summer or plant other seeds among these vegetables just before harvesting in the spring.