Ornamental Vegetable Garden

This is an ornamental demonstration vegetable garden containing about 80 species and varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers suitable to Berkshire gardens. The charming rustic bench on the left offers a sunny spot to rest and watch the gardeners work.
Gardeners in the vegetable garden The vegetables are grown organically, without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. In the fall the soil is enriched with manure and planted with a cover crop such as winter rye to increase its fertility.

Showing the decorative qualities of the garden

Each year the crops are rotated. Vegetables such as corn, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce and squash are heavy feeders and take large amounts of nitrogen out of the soil. Following one of these crops, legumes will be planted on the site as they supply nitrogen to the soil.
Companion planting is based on the traditional belief that certain plants repel pests. Thus lavender, marigold or tansy is planted near the eggplant to keep the aphids at bay, while beans next to eggplant deters Colorado potato beetle. Conversely, onions, garlic and potatoes should not be planted alongside eggplant as they may discourage its healthy development.

A number of vegetables in this garden are grown from heirloom seed, handed down through generations of gardeners. Heirloom plants are grown from open-pollinated seed, meaning they will produce seeds that duplicate their parent. The only way to preserve these varieties is to keep growing them to produce more seed. The heirloom seed for this garden was donated by the Eastern Native Seed Conservancy Inc., a non-profit group based in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

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