For some reason I really like having garden in front of The House instead of the backyard. A lot of people tell me that having my garden in front will makes my area messy but I have seen lots of houses with their garden in front of their house and they all look really nice. I think it really depends on what type of vegetables or flowers we plant and how tidy we keep it at all time. How about you?
Your garden will need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight every day. Typically, gardens are on the south side of the home because that side receives more light. If you plant on the north side, allow for enough room away from that the shadow from the house won't block the sun. You can plant some flowers and vegetables together to make the garden more appealing to the nosy people who think your garden should look a certain way. As long as it isn't attracting unwanted wildlife (like a bunch of rats), grow your garden wherever you will get the most benefit and enjoyment.
The location of the garden largely depends on the purpose of the homeowner and the available land area for gardening. If the garden functions mainly for aesthetics, then the front would be the best location. Most homebased vegetable growers would plant their vegetable garden plots behind the house if there is available space. Front gardens are high maintenance because of the demands of the so-called curb appeal. If you have a lot of time to attend to your front garden then this is best; otherwise hire a gardener to keep it in tiptop shape.
My garden is in my backyard. It's the place I like to spend some time alone so having it on the front and having to wave to people passing by on the road wouldn't be beat the purpose of my retreat. In any case, I have a small basketball court on my front yard where the neighbors kids always come to play so for their sakes I can't use that space for a garden.
I'm going to be all smug by announcing that I have two gardens, one at the front and an even bigger one at the back. The back one has a patio part, a grass part and a shed, the front is completely patioed over, but we have put some giant plant pots out there to grow things in.
I like my garden in the back of the house. I need some intimacy when I work so a front house garden wouldn't cut it, except maybe if I had a really tall fence so no one could watch I also find a front house garden impractical. I want to grow veggies and other useful plants, to eat and save some money, but that's not possible in a front garden due to city regulations. The city wants me to grow flowers and other pretty things. Really city? I can't eat those!
I have never seen anyone's garden in the front yard. However, I would not consider putting one in my front yard just because my front. I prefer my garden to be in the backyard, considering that my backyard is fenced in. That's where I spend most of my time at anyways so it's in the perfect spot.
Unfortunately, I don't have a front nor a back yard big enough for a garden. But I really love gardening, my mom and I used to plant a lot of vegetables when I was young. I still have some potted herbs at the corner of my small balcony. But for the sake of the discussion, if I do have a front and back yard, I will use both for gardening. I will plant flowers and decorative plants on my front yard while at the back I will plant vegetables, lots of it.
Eppie, you really are reminding me about my mum. She planted so many flowers with different colours and species in front of our house in the village, and different kinds of vegetables at the back. Though it requires a lot of work in order to maintain them but I guess she just loves it so much.
LOVE this thread. There is a whole ton of stuff on FaceBook that talks about this. One is Grow Food, not Lawns. I have seen a lot of things people are doing in their front yards. There may be some city restrictions, for example I know that many places can't have an enclosed area such as a fence or courtyard type area because of EMS people not having the ability to get in thru the front door, ect. It all depends upon the yard, and what you want to grow, assuming it's legal, lol. I don't see why a front yard could not be used in any way you wanted it. After all, how messy are veggies? lol, that was rhetorical. The only problem I see is having people eat them, as in stealing them and you come home and food is just not there. But can't they also do that in the backyard? I had a book once that was called Landscaping With Herbs that was wonderful. Talk about beauty and function. i I think using a front yard too could have some style and functionality all at once. That way a person could have more than one type of thing growing. Say the fancier more showy thing in front, and the veggies in the back. Just an example. I think this is a great question and thread because lawns are wasteful things, just for show and I for one (and apparently there are a lot of others too) that would love to see the function part come up a notch too. Gardens are very empowering. I have one. Even if a few people did this, we could feed so many people.. And even if it's not about growing food but other things, still a great idea!
We actually have a garden both in front and in the back of our house, my dad actually maintains it, and I think having 2 gardens is just ok as long as you diligently maintain it and sweep it often and remove the weeds that grow from it. He waters the plants everyday too. I think having a garden is not for me though, lol.
We do the front and the back, the front is only flowers but the back has more vegetables and herbs. I like having the flowers in the front because I think they look great and smell so good. The veggies and herbs ended up in the back garden because it is closer to the kitchen so when cooking I can just pop right out and grab what I need.
My garden is in the back of the house for a couple of reasons: * There's more space in the back. Therefore, there's more room to plant a huge variety of things. * We do not own the house. Instead, we live in 1/2 the house and pay rent. We get to use the back of the house while the other people use the front. * We grow a lot of vegetables that can get huge, and they would not look right in the front of the house.
I'd much prefer having the garden at the back of the house because I think I'd like to hang out in my garden a lot if I had one so it would be much better for me to be able to relax out back where there's more privacy. I'd probably also like to barbecue in it fairly often, and having to barbecue up front just isn't that appealing to me since everyone will be passing by and seeing your event and smelling your cooking. I do think gardens in front look much more appealing and attractive, though.
I have mine in the backyard, since I spend a great deal more time out there compared to the front yard. I like being able to see my vegetables grow and get bigger each day. Plus if I had in the front yard, I think I stand a better chance of coming home and finding everything gone because a deer ate it.
I do have a flower bed in the front of the house which I would have no problem but in vegetables if I needed to plant in a sunny area. The back has several large trees that block out some of the sun but the side yard is full of sun. I can not see the side yard without going out side so that is a bummer. How much sun you need for the plants you want determines where you put your garden front. back or even side.
