Most gardeners know how rewarding it is to harvest ripe, sun-warmed tomatoes or pungent herbs straight from the garden. But those pleasures can be multiplied a hundredfold by creating a garden that is not only productive, but also a beautiful, well-integrated part of the home landscape. In this handsome volume, Jennifer Bartley shows how the traditional features of the classic kitchen garden, or potager, can be adapted to contemporary American needs and conditions. The book is informed by her conviction that the nurturing, preparing, and eating of fresh, home-grown vegetables contributes enormously both to our ties with the natural world and our ties to each other. Copiously illustrated with photographs and with the author's delightful watercolors, "Designing the New Kitchen Garden" offers the perfect blend of inspiration and practical guidance.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Designing The Kitchen Garden:
For centuries kitchen gardens have produced meals that are seasonally fresh and simple. A kitchen garden can be a tiny house-yard space or a spacious estate plot. Jennifer Bartley's DESIGNING THE NEW KITCHEN GARDEN offers a survey and history of both the small and the large, from ancient origins to contemporary design. As a gardener, designer, and teacher of landscape design students, I found this survey straight forward and instructive. The illustrations and photographs are chock-full of ideas a kitchen... more info
book review:
I recently purchased a used volume of Designing the New Kitchen Garden: An American Potager Handbook. The page views were very helpful in helping me decide the content was what I was looking for to help me redesign my current garden. The photos and description of the condition of the book ( which was very accurate)also aided in helping make my decision.
The book arrived in the described condition and in a timely manner. I was extremely pleased with this transaction and the book has indeed met my... more info
Beautiful, enlightening AND practical:
Like other "potager" books (formal, French-style kitchen gardens), this has beautiful photos of gardens artistically planted in geometric designs, which are unrealistic for those of us without at least fairly large properties and larger bank accounts. It also has the best-researched history, which is interesting in itself and will give you fodder for entertaining conversation. The unexpected bonus that sets this one apart from the others is that it's useful, too, because there are many detailed how-to... more info
Something I've wanted for a while...:
As a horticulture student, I bought this on a field trip at Pennsylvania's Longwood Gardens. And though I had to truck it with me across 5 states and 2 countries, it's defiantly worth the buy. Not only does Bartley discuss the history of the potager, but she offers insight into both traditional and American gardens as well as helpful hints for the beginning designer. A must have for any kitchen gardener.
