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Vegetable gardens can be pretty as well as functional

This undated photo shows a garden in New Paltz, N.Y. A sense of order, a welcoming gate, and a well-defined path are among the elements that make this vegetable garden both pretty and functional. (Lee Reich via AP)
This undated photo shows a garden in New Paltz, N.Y. A sense of order, a welcoming gate, and a well-defined path are among the elements that make this vegetable garden both pretty and functional. (Lee Reich via AP) This undated photo shows a garden in New Paltz, N.Y. A sense of order, a welcoming gate, and a well-defined path are among the elements that make this vegetable garden both pretty and functional. (Lee Reich via AP)

By Associated Press 4 min read

Considering the superior flavor of fresh-picked vegetables and the choices you get when you grow your own, it’s a wonder that more people don’t have vegetable gardens.

Even a local farm or farmers market can’t offer vegetables as fresh as those straight from the back yard.

Perhaps if vegetable gardens were more ornamental, they would be more popular, not relegated to the far corners of back yards. With a little planning, a vegetable garden can be pretty enough to set out in the front yard.

A SENSE OF ORDER

A vegetable garden that satisfies the eyes as well as the tongue must have a sense of order that is both pleasing and lasting. An expanse of dirt streaked with straight rows of vegetables – the traditional vegetable patch – does have order, but it’s more functional than attractive. And after autumn, it’s not much more than an expanse of dirt.