A cottage garden should be well planned: from the arrangement of the beds and paths to the selection of plants and the demarcation. Below you will find ideas and tips for suitable types of vegetables and fruits as well as instructions for planning your farm garden step by step.
How do I plan a cottage garden?
To plan a cottage garden, you should measure the area and sketch it on paper, create beds and paths, select fruits and vegetables, identify shaded and sunny areas and add flower beds for colorful variety. Well-thought-out planning enables a year-round harvest.
Plan a cottage garden
The most important thing when creating a cottage garden is planning. It's best to do this on a piece of paper, the larger the better.
- Measure the area intended for the cottage garden and transfer the dimensions and shape to the paper.
- Draw trees, bushes, walls and other existing, non-movable elements.
- Mark shaded areas and very sunny areas.
- Now lay out the individual beds on your sketch. In the classic structure of a cottage garden, there is a fountain or a tree in the middle and beds and paths are arranged symmetrically around it.
- Think carefully about how many and which beds you want to use for growing vegetables and fruit. Consider the shade and sun spots. Most vegetables and fruits grow better in the sun.
- Do you perhaps want to create a raised bed? Raised beds make gardening easier and are easier to protect against pests.
Fruit and vegetables in the farm garden
Fruit and vegetables are just as much a part of the farm garden as colorful flower beds. If you plan your cottage garden well, you can harvest all year round. Here is a brief overview of the most popular fruits and vegetables and their sowing and harvesting times.
Vegetables
| Vegetables | Sowing | Harvest time |
|---|---|---|
| Cauliflower and broccoli | May to June | June to October |
| Beans | May to July | July to October |
| Chinese cabbage | June to July | September to October |
| Peas | March to June | June to August |
| Lamb lettuce | October to March | April to June and September/October |
| Kale | July | October to March |
| Cucumber | Mid-May to June | June to October |
| Carrots | March to June | July to November |
| Potatoes | April to June | July to September |
| Kohlrabi | March to June | June to October |
| Pumpkin | Mid-May to June | June to October |
| Chard | April to August | July to October |
| Spinach | March/April | March, May to June |
| Tomatoes | May/June | July to October |
| Zucchini | Mid-May to June | June to October |
Fruit
| Fruit | Sowing | Harvest time |
|---|---|---|
| Blueberry | March to April | July to September |
| Strawberries | April to May | June to October |
| Wild strawberries | April to May | May to September |
Herbs
| Herbs | Sowing outdoors | Harvest time |
|---|---|---|
| Basil | May to July | July to October |
| leaf coriander | May to July | July to October |
| Savory | March to June | June to September |
| Dill | May to July | July to September |
| Garden cress | March to October | All year round |
| Lavender | May to July | Mid-May to September |
| Liebstock | May to July and September to November | March to November |
| Marjoram | May | July to September |
| parsley | April to May | May to December |
| Pepper | June | August to October |
| Rosemary | April to June | May to September |
| Arugula | Mid-May to mid-July | April to October |
| Chives | Mid-March to mid-May | July to November |
| Thyme | May to mid-June | Mid-April to mid-November |
You can find the complete harvest and sowing calendar here. Be sure to pay attention to crop rotation when planting your vegetable beds. Heavy feeders can only be planted in one place every four years and certain vegetables should not be planted in the same place, e.g. cabbage. Tomatoes, on the other hand, always grow best in the same place.
Colorful flowers in the farm garden
It should be colorful in the cottage garden. But you should also plan something for sowing the cottage garden flowers. Plant shorter plants at the edge of the bed and taller plants further back. Here you will find information about the growth height of the most beautiful cottage garden flowers. You save a lot of work when you plant perennials. We have put together a selection of the most beautiful cottage garden perennials for you here.
Tip
Enclose your cottage garden with a self-built fence. You can find instructions for building it yourself here.