I had a few to offer but there are sooo many great ones here already.  i always put marigolds and nasturiums around the border of my veggie bed   they liven it up until the real show stoppers arrive  plus all of the benefits from keeping the bad bugs away and bringing the beneficials     I hunt garage sales for plagues and goodies to put in the garden   I have found some nice ones that brighten up the garden and some are even informative  LOL  (that's always a bonus)   you can read about rotating your veggies  and what veggies take from the soil and what they leave behind and rotate accordingly      I put large boulders in the nooks or the unused space to give it some decor    and you can always use pots around it with flowers or put your herbs in them      I use 7 foot stakes to support my tom and form a large c pattern with them  so I have a seperate entrance for the tom  the kids LOVE hiding in the tom patch  (I always leave it open enough so that don;t hurt anything) and it makes it easier to harvest when the time comes  Good luck on your veggie garden  Best of luck  Becki    

In my garden at the end of the rows I have a small flower bed or put a shepherd's hook with a hanging basket or a bird feeder.

Dale, Photo Manager & Good Will Ambassador

The design of my garden does not really pay much attention to appearance.  I have broken it down into three sections and I call the sections A, B, and C.  Pretty original, huh?  Section A is made up of 3 rows of pole beans (Blue Lake) that are 4' apart.  Section B is made up of 5 rows of sweet corn, but th rows are shortened to about 18 feet long.  The area that is left in that section is for bush plants; squash, melons, pumpkin, etc.  Section C is for row crops; carrots, beets, broccoli, spinach, and peppers.  Each year, the sections are moved over one spot so that the same plants will be planted in the same area every third year.

Im so sick of mint.. maybe bee balm, I can do that I dont mind if its invasive its so pretty.. lol.. I was out raking up the leaves today, and raked over a bit of Thyme that I forgot that I planted there.. oh.. the smell.. it was AWESOME.. so I might break that up and plant some with the veggies since I use it for cooking too it would be nice for it to be in the same area.. marigolds are a good idea, I can already picture where they will go in front of the tomatoes probably.. weird. I have to plant the tomatoes up towards the front I think, I figure the further I keep them from where the birds will be the better, last year I had a heck of a time with ground hogs and rabbits. I nurtured two itty bitty watermelons last year thats all i got out of the vines, and I was just waiting for them to be ripe enough to pick.. So was the GROUNDHOG!!! I come outside and they are smashed and eaten.. this year I am going to triple the chicken wire. Nasturtiums are a good idea I grow those anyway, but I can see them looking nice with the veggies.. I have the worst luck with sunflowers, I had one grow where a seed accidentally fell.. but all the ones I intentionally planted didnt grow. I suspect birds dug up the seeds.. anyway, when I figure it out a bit more I will update you guys, these were all great ideas.

I like your idea of segregating by colors, but just make sure the plants you put together are compatible. There is some information on this in one of the other veggie threads - Companion planting.

There are always little things, such as planting sunflowers with your vining beans and using the sunflower stalks for stakes/trellises for the beans - could do the same thing with tomatoes or other plants which need staking too.

 

DizzyD %-}                   

  Lavender Poppy

That is good advice Susan.  I always plant marigolds at the end of my tomato rows.   Also put pots of mint around in the garden.  Mint is said to be repel a bugs but invasive so I keep it contained in the pot.  Also have a bench in front of the area just beside some of the flowers and a small banner flag to decorate the area.  

My advise is to start small and work into the project.  Dale

What about planting wildflowers that have herbal or medicinal properties along with the veggies. When you plant tomatoes, for example, nasturtiums and marigolds will repel bad bugs and lure in beneficial ones. You can plant calendula and yarrow. Chamomile has beautiful little daisy like flowers and makes a great tea -- provided you use German chamomile. Use garlic as a border and you'll get some really interesting flowers called scapes. They are edible, too. Create a nice border using rocks....I've been making borders for my beds by hunting for large or small pieces of rocks. To my surprise, it looks kind of rustic, but not at all out of place.

Susan, the Texas Yankee, the Texas Rangerette and the Assistant Administrator

SKBeal's Snazzy Tra