Giving Vegetable Gardeners a Bad Name Since 1996
by Colleen Vanderlinden • March 19, 2010 • Miscellaneous • 40 Comments
There has been some discussion in the blogosphere of late about garden design as it pertains to vegetable gardens. Yesterday on Garden Rant, guest blogger Robin Ripley admonished those who don’t pay proper attention to design principles in their vegetable gardens to start doing so. She says:
“All of these ugly vegetable gardens are giving us respectable vegetable gardeners a bad name. Frankly, it’s no wonder that homeowners associations have banished vegetable gardens in their neighborhoods. If gardeners are going to approach grocery gardening in that lackadaisical way, I suggest they find another hobby.”**
Hmm. I have something to say. (Surprised?)
I want everyone to grow a vegetable garden. Everyone. I don’t care if you grow it in orange Home Depot buckets, classic potagers, old tires, terra cotta pots, raised beds, iron urns, or plastic kiddie pools. I don’t give a crap how your vegetable garden LOOKS. All I care about is that you are growing food, connecting with the Earth in a way that can only be done by eating the fruits of your labors. All that matters is that your kids know that potatoes do, in fact, grow below the ground, bugs abound in healthy gardens, and that worms rock. If you understand the work that goes into growing one perfect, juicy heirloom tomato — that’s all that I can ask. If you have one sunny spot on a shady lot, plunk a container there. If you can only garden in gutters attached to the side of the garage because your landlord won’t let you dig up the yard, go for it. If you’re running an illegal fire escape farm, if you push the limits of your gardening season, if you would do just about anything for some real, flavorful goddamn lettuce — you’re doing all you need to do. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks of your garden. It is beautiful.
Now I’m going to show some photos, taken yesterday after a day of pea and spinach planting, that will undoubtedly have the potager ladies clutching their pearls. At the very least, I will have earned my due as one of those gardeners who give vegetable gardening a bad name 
One of the newest beds, which is where we were planning to put a patio eventually. We decided to make it a garden bed area instead because it gets good sun here on the southern side of the garage.
These are our original garden beds. Note the mismatched trellises, freestanding greenhouse for hardening off seedlings in a few weeks, and plethora of kids toys in the background.
This is the side yard garden, which went in last spring. It gets decent sun and more than doubled the space we had to garden in.
The side yard garden, in full jungle mode, in August. I’m sure some would consider it messy
What’s the point of showing these photos? To say that we each do whatever it takes to make our garden work. If growing food is the goal, then you do whatever you have to to take advantage of the sunniest areas of your yard. If your soil is crap, or laden with tree roots (as mine is) you grow up instead of flat on the ground. You do what it takes, because it’s worth it. Don’t let anyone discourage you from gardening if that’s what you want to do. Life’s too short, and the food’s just too good to miss.
**Robin has said that this post was written tongue-in-cheek. However, judging from the comments, it rubbed several people (including yours truly) the wrong way. We should be encouraging new veggie gardeners, not making them second-guess themselves.
***Clarification: Robin emailed me to let me know that she never said it was written tongue-in-cheek. I must have gotten that idea from a couple of people who were defending the post over at Garden Rant. I apologize for the misunderstanding.
Update: Celebrating Our Ugly Gardens
Gardenbloggers who have posted about their “ugly” gardens:
Gina at My Skinny Garden wrote an awesome post about her “ugly garden” today. Check it out!
Jessica from Dig It Yourself wrote “I Love My Ugly Garden Too!”
Mr. Brown Thumb discusses the back-and-forth on “ugly gardens” the past few days, and raises some questions about using a rant that alienates potential readers as a marketing ploy (hint: not the best idea.) Read his post, “Gardeners with Ugly Gardens Strike Back.”
Julia at Snarky Vegan (who has a killer garden, by the way): My Most Embarrassing Ugly Vegetable Garden Photos from 2009
Carri from Read Between the Limes: “My Ugly Garden”
Jodi from bloomingwriter: “I May Have an Ugly Garden. Depends on Which Day You Look.”
Kat from The Kat’s Garden: “Ugly is in the Eye of the Beholder”
Tina from Happy Hobby Habit: “Ugly Garden Silence” (this one nearly had me in tears — words have power, and people should think before they run their mouths (or keyboards, as the case may be.)
***This has sparked quite a Twitter/garden blogosphere discussion. To follow the discussion, follow the #uglygarden hashtag on Twitter.
I’m with you, Sistah! How arrogant to even suppose that there are “respectable vegetable gardens” and “ugly vegetable gardens”! What possible difference does design make if the outcome is the same, either way. Some of us have limited space in which to garden, and some of my vegetable growing efforts have been tangled at best, but I’ve never EVER thought of them as being ugly! If they’re thriving, green, and producing, they’re respectable enough to me! Geez.
Nice post Colleen.
When I read Robin’s post I was surprised by the elitist tone. I don’t know her that well, but she never struck me as that kind of gardener. Some people who have come to the defense of the post well…
What’s funny is that people don’t understand why there’s been such a negative reaction to the post. I think the tongue-in-cheek defense was thought of after the fact. When you read something written with a tongue firmly planted in a cheek you can usually tell, or the author makes it clear at the end, for those who don’t get it. The whole rant goes against what kind of garden Garden Rant says they’re supposedly in love with in their manifesto. That Robin’s post went over like a lead balloon shouldn’t really be a surprise.
Also, I’m not a marketing expert but when you have an advertisement for a book disguised as guest post it probably isn’t a good idea to offend potential buyers of your book.
WORD!
aka: I totally agree with you. Thanks so much for voicing such a great response to the GardenRant post.
I couldn’t agree with you more. GROW a garden friends and don’t worry about the rest. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and beholding a garden ripe with fresh veggies and fruits for your family is indeed beautiful…no matter what!
I think it’s hard enough to get some people to garden to begin with
We don’t need perfection. I would rather people put any sort of veggie garden than the huge swaths of grass that have to be tortured into submission 
I just want to get people eating healthier. Enjoying better produce than they can buy at the grocery store. Learning there’s more to apples than Red Delicious
Just plant and enjoy! If you have time and inclination to make it all neat and designed, go for it. But don’t let that factor stop you. Have fun and eat better.
A garden is a personal thing and it can take many forms there’s no reason to attack gardeners like in the post. Not everyone has the time, resources, or the knowledge to do it all. I’m not really sure the article was very tongue in cheek, it didn’t come off that way. Like MR Brownthumb said you can usually tell if it’s meant to be that way. I’m a fan of amazing gardens that look nice but to each his or her own when it comes to the garden. I agree with you Colleen!
I commented on fb already, but will say here that I always enjoy the different ways in which people create gardens. Someone doesn’t have to have my same style in order for me to appreciate their effort and love of gardening. Regardless of Robin’s meaning, the sad truth is, there are gardening elitists, which is a shame and a pity, and I’m not surprised the post hit a nerve. Not everyone has the same resources (money, time, strength) and no one should look down their nose at those who have less (or more).
P.S., Grrrl, is that your Ford Focus? I have one, too. Mine’s rusting to hell–it gives the garden that look of class we were talking about! (As does my pink flamingo, I must add.)
I haven’t read the article and don’t plan too, but I suspect it was written tongue and cheek. Sometimes things on blogs don’t come off that way but the post must have surely generated some traffic for the blog. Probably the intent?
Gardens are beautiful if they are functional and if the gardener thinks their garden is beautiful. Your veggie gardens look most functional and wow-what a jungle indeed. Very functional though and it looks beautiful to me.
I agree 100%. I haven’t read the post on GR yet but don’t understand why anyone would discourage someone from gardening! I know when I first started my garden I dug up the grass, mounded up the dirt, added cow manure and planted seeds. It was pretty ugly. I had a bathtub planter, I cut my lawn with reel mower (when I cut it) and I LOVED IT!
I’ve evolved a little since then but have very fond memories of my beautiful first garden. I would’ve been CRUSHED if someone I looked up to discouraged me or said it was ugly. I can’t imagine any gardener having a perfect garden on day one. Is that even possible?
This post reminded me of something I heard earlier this week on “garden design.” They were showing an example of a back yard design with a screen between the patio and veggie garden – because veggie gardens are messy and you won’t want to look at it from your patio! WTF! I love my messy veggie garden soo much we’re putting a great big patio right next to it – it’s the best view in the back yard!
Thanks again for the thoughtful post. Let’s hope more people find the beauty in all gardens.
Colleen – consider yourself high-fived! (is that a word? ha ha)
The bad thing is that when I read that post on Garden Rant, I immediately started thinking about my so-not-tidy vegetable garden. For a minute I was a little embarrassed. Oh, the pictures I’ve posted flat out admitting letting mine go to shit! But then I came to my senses. No matter how ugly some of those women (and maybe men, too) may find my garden, I grow some bad ass tomatoes. One even won me a trip to vegas! I suppose my garden is more of a you-can-sit-on-my-couch garden than a couch covered in plastic garden.
I’m starting to realize that there are two types of garden bloggers. I can’t decide how each ought to be labeled, but there are definitely two distinct types. I’ve met Robin. Like MBT, I didn’t find her to be overly elitist or anything even close. Still, I was kind of offended by that post. Sorry, I just was. The post did not come off as tonge-in-cheek at all. And if I was a new gardener already intimidated about gardening, surfing the web looking for info and encouragement, I might not be so inclined to try gardening.
Well said!
Shawna
I agree with you and firmly believe that any garden is a good garden and any time someone plants something it is a positive force for good.
Everyone should have the right to their own aesthetic as well as tidiness quotient.
By the way, your gardens look gorgeous to me – that new raised bed? Lovely.
I’ll post here the same follow-up I posted at Garden Rant.
I may have been over-the-top with my rhetoric about some gardeners giving other vegetable gardeners a bad name. I feel badly that I’ve clearly offended so many people.
But a lot of people have missed my point altogether—that vegetable gardens need care. There is a whole range of maintenance (or lack thereof) between the finely manicured potagers you see in the magazines and the type of garden I’m talking about—the one that was planted and never given another thought. It sounds like most of us, myself included, fall somewhere in the middle along that spectrum. Unfortunately, people interpreted my post as criticism of anyone who isn’t “clutching at pearls in their potagers.” That’s not true. I’m talking about abandoned, ugly gardens that have had no care.
I agree that the movement toward growing our own food and reconnecting with the earth is a good one. I am involved in my local foods group and support all types of sustainable practices. I would be surprised if anyone who has met me and seen my garden really thinks I’m a snob.
Our instant gratification society has led us to believe that any effort is a good effort and everything should be as easy as pushing a button. But no one will convince me that growing a vegetable garden is for everyone. It can be damn hard work, depending on how ambitious you are. We do no service to would-be gardeners by pretending that it’s easy and won’t take any time at all and that the rewards are tremendous without lifting a finger. It’s darned discouraging to a would-be gardener to over-extend and end up with a weed patch that requires bushogging to tear down. It’s also not very inspiring to would-be gardeners to see examples of vegetable gardens that look like little more than large patches of weeds.
Okay, that said, I apologize for offending so many people. But hey, if we really want people to connect with the earth and grow food, let’s all pull some weeds and inspire with our results.
Robin Ripley
I agree, – I happen to think any veggies growing in the garden are beautiful. I especially like the old-fashioned ones in rows.
I mean we don’t all have perfectly manicured lawns or foundation beds with the perfect curves and the hip plant of the year. A lot of us don’t want than and can’t afford it.
Since when did gardening have rules?
I love all gardens. I love all gardeners. I also love pretty much all garden blogs. I love it that we all enjoy plants so much, and we’re literate, and we have such varied personalities and ways of expressing ourselves. I love it that most of us don’t live in communist countries, so we *can* express ourselves.
I love gardening ladies clutching at pearls, and people growing in paint buckets, and my friends with a new house and no clue. I love people who chop their shrubs into meatballs, and people who let their gardens run wild.
I STILL agree that vegetables do need more care than flower gardens. I don’t get vegetables unless I really pay attention to them.
This seems to be the spring freakout, much like the “Gen XY” topic was the fall freakout. In the fall, it was getting too cold to garden. I’m sure we all felt it. Now, we’ve been cooped up for so long, and it is the first day of spring, and we’re feeling our oats, too.
Go out and garden! Y’all will feel better.
Katie – so you’re basically saying we’ve all got our panties in a wad because we are having gardening withdrawals? Wow. Your dismissive/oversimplification of this is as insulting as the original article was.
It’s cute that you’re all over the internet coming to the rescue. What gives? Are you being paid to do this? ha ha
Colleen,
Will you marry me? Oh wait! I’m already married.
Love the article, dead on, right on sis, you go grrl, and all that shit.
Seriously tho, I am now struggling with the urge to NEVER post another fracking photo of my garden or my recycled earth buckets again so as not to further embarrass myself or other gardeners. And what about those ‘nasty looking’ urban gardens in alleys and in buckets on rooftops? Surely we’ll not HAVE to deal with the likes of THOSE photos anymore no matter how functional those gardens are ;-]
[tongue-in-cheek, sarcasm for those who don't recognize it]
Or, maybe we just need to collect photos of all the ‘ugly’ gardens out there to help inspire ‘the REST of us’.
[Thanks for having the courage to write your post!]
Cheers!
I suspect it’s difficult to get a garden rant exactly right, and that’s what has happened here — the writer hasn’t quite understood the audience, or is not quite sure of what she wanted to convey, which is why readers were offended rather than stimulated. Literary rather than moral failure!
I’m enjoying the discussion! I comment on lots of people’s blogs. Geeze. Aren’t we supposed to discuss? Or are we supposed to agree?
As for the “being paid to say that,” wow, that’s harsh. Isn’t being paid a goal of writers? I write and garden to LIVE. But, if you want to know what I’m paid for, just email me. If I’m promoting something, it is because I’m ENTHUSIASTIC about it, but because I’ve never MET most of you in person, you probably don’t know that.
I have been enjoying the fray. I do think it is funny that something so innocuous as gardening gets people so worked up!
My backyard is a WRECK. FYI. I’m out of town, or I’d post a pic. I’m trading website design work for a designer’s time to help me get it out of a MESS. Not because I’m ashamed of the mess, but I’d rather have something that isn’t messy back there, and I don’t have the skills to accomplish that. I’m good at taking care of plants, but I’m not great at placing them,most of the time. And, I’m not doing it because I think my garden has to be “pretty.” I’m doing that because I WANT my garden to be pretty. Who cares?
It is so weird that we, as garden bloggers, etc, can come together for one cause, and you know what I’m talking about, but rip each other’s throats out for another.
Wow there is a lot of heat on this subject. I read Robin’s post and didn’t get offended but I’m glad that there are so many veg gardeners who have defended the other side.
Last year I tried growing vegetables in a potager in my front and back garden beds. They looked lovely and decorative and very creative – but it’s a good thing I only have to feed 2 people because I got a very very very (3 verys!) low yield. Especially compared to all those backyard veggie gardens I drool over in my ‘hood that seem to feed a family of 10 in a quarter of the space.
Last year I also joined my local community garden to grow veg specifically. Again I put a creative flair on my veg garden, trying to pick the most decorative plants, interesting techniques, etc and guess what? It was a huge flop. Yet all the ‘ugly’ gardens had so much left over they would share with me (out of pity maybe?)
So I wasn’t offended, but I do say that my perspective has changed for this year and that a beautiful garden to me is a productive one.
Katie, I’m sure Gina can and will speak for herself but…you have three comments on two posts in the span of two days. In each of them, one could argue, you’re trying to stifle criticism and discussion. Hence Gina’s comment asking if you’re being paid to post. She didn’t mean it literally, she was pointing out that you seem too involved in this over something that didn’t really affect you. It is understandable that you would find the need to defend a friend and business partner of yours. But your friend is also a grownup who can speak for herself.
If you weren’t offended by the OP, that’s great. Some people obviously were. It does everyone a disservice when you try to silence people from speaking their mind or you try to brush away people’s feelings by attributing what they’re feeling to cabin fever.
It’s interesting how much passion this has generated. I was puzzled and irked by the original post too, & then wondered how much of it was self serving. (Buy my book! where i’m a co-author given a ‘with’ rather than a ‘by’ I’ll show you how to be a perfect veggie gardener!) Sorry, that was bitchy of me.
But I’m really annoyed at any sort of writing that intimidates and discourages newer gardeners, or those thinking about planting a few peas. None of us started out as expert gardeners. In fact, I’m still not one. I cringe when anyone tries to introduce me as an expert. Experienced, yes. Expert, maybe in another 20 years or so.
I just want people to plant, learn about the wonders of seeing seedlings emerge or bees getting drunk on pollen, or savouring a homegrown tomato. It’s okay with me if they have messy gardens. I do too. Big time!
So I think this post, and Gina’s, ought to be bronzed. I’m sure the original ranter didn’t mean to offend, b
I can’t believe all of the comments this post generated! I was actually kind of nervous posting it, like I’d be laughed at or something for my “ugly garden,” or called oversensitive or something (wasn’t far off on that one, I guess!)
For me it basically comes down to this: no one should be scared away from gardening out of fear that their garden just isn’t good enough. There’s no such thing as “not good enough.” It bothered me that someone might read that original post and quit before they’d even started. Gardening is not some exclusive members-only club that you only get to join if you’ve got the right look. That attitude pisses me off, as you can probably tell.
Also — I edited the post to include a link to Gina’s awesome post today. If you haven’t read it, do it. Now!
Hell yeah! I am so with you on this. I think that the post on gardenrant was silly. I can’t design at all, but I will definitely still be encouraging everybody that will listen to plant a garden. If it’s one sunflower in a styrofoam cup, that’s just fine.
You and Gina inspired me to do my own post. Here it is if anyone is interested. http://digityourself.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-love-my-ugly-garden.html
Shame is all about feeling “not good enough” or being told one is not good enough. Western culture has spent the last 50 years in a perpetual state of shame over our gardens. A garden must look like this. A garden must have these plants. A garden must happen in this space. And on and on.
A lot of that shame speaks to class biases — the food garden was hidden out back behind the garage for the last 50 years as a result.
I’m so proud of the strides we are taking culturally to bring the food garden out from behind the shed and out into the open. The repressive nature of that shame is what I would refer to as the “dark side of grocery gardening” not a few weeds.
The thing about aesthetics is it’s a subjective judgment. It’s a mistake to assume that what I think is ugly or messy IS in fact, ugly or messy. Someone else might find it whimsical and wild. I’m not saying we can’t speak or value our own aesthetic opinions… I do it too! I’m just saying that we need to be mindful that they are what they are. And maybe look inside ourselves a little when we rush to judge someone else’s garden.
With so many new gardeners out there, it’s bound to take some time for people to get their footing. Many will. Some will give up because they don’t have the time or energy to commit or they just get bored and move on. And hopefully we will have lots of gardens of all styles filling up our cities.
As an urban dweller I can tell you that many of us are so excited to see any green space that we rarely have a bad word for even the most unkempt spaces. Some of my favourite places to explore and enjoy have been fallow lots and so-called waste-land that no one has touched in decades.
I’m with you! Growing and enjoying is the only important thing….looks just don’t matter (to us cool people!
I think “Miss Tidy-Pants” needs to hush up!
Just my 2 cents…
I read the post Robin wrote after reading your post. I was prepared for some sort of hoity-toity diatribe, but it seemed to me that she was mostly arguing for good gardening practices (weeding, pest management, proper staking, etc). What’s wrong with that? I guess her tone was a little off. Instead of insulting people who don’t weed, it would be nice if she had been more encouraging and educational. And when she got into how much better flower gardeners are than vegetable gardeners, I thought that was kind of weird. I see just as many hideous gardens that don’t have a vegetable growing in them, as I see those that do. But all-in-all I don’t think her post wasn’t nearly as bad as y’all are making it out to be.
It’s strange that Robin’s comments on what she feels to be good practice in vegetable gardening are getting such an extreme reaction.
OTOH, I think it’s good that garden bloggers get excited about this kind of stuff once in a while.
And you never really know what people are going to get excited about. That’s what makes it fun.
Pingback: 5 Ways to Create an Ugly Balcony Vegetable Garden
Wow… I’m totally jealous of your garden in full jungle mode.
This is a fun discussion. I, too, have an “ugly” veg garden, and it rocks! It’s tucked away from public view only because that’s the sole sunny spot in my yard. I realize my comment might cause some to say, “See? That’s what I’m talking about,” but here goes.
I will use just about anything in my garden. Tomato cages? Oh yes. And in a pinch, I’ll use a golf club to stake a plant. Also, I have a number of experimental self-watering pots, a dog kennel panel, pvc pipes, part of a backyard hockey rink (just a small part), and lots of chicken wire and fishing line (keeps peacocks and turkeys out). And this year, I’m putting up (gasp) black plastic fencing to deter the deer.
This part of my yard may not be pleasing to the eye, but the food is awesome.
Regardless of how you do it, happy gardening, everybody!
Here’s my take on this debate:
http://mynortherngarden.com/2010/03/23/are-ugly-gardens-a-feminist-issue/
Wow. I love the ugly gardens. As I live in an apartment and can’t have a giant garden like I want, I’m jealous of people who have the opportunity.
Pretty gardens are nice, and I know I’d -try- to make it nice, but if it flops all over the place in my first few attempts, does that mean I should find a new hobby? What’s a hobby all about if you can’t learn as you go and get better eventually?
Last I recalled, a hobby was something fun you did, and it didn’t matter how other people did it. Didn’t think you all needed permission from other people to do what you love!
Ugly gardens rock!! I grow my veggies right in my front yard and just do not care what anyone might think about it! (I attribute that to getting older and wiser but then I never have really cared what people thought about what I did which helps!)… I agree with the above posts – gardening should always be encouraged and if someone doesn’t like how we tend our gardens (especially the potagers and veggie gardens) then they don’t get any of the feast!
I know I’m late to the party but I just can’t stop laughing at the very idea that a garden could be ugly. Think about it…ugly nature?? The oogiest of swamps in curious and wonderful and, yes, beautiful. I am only a second year gardener and I can guarantee that my garden will not very well designed. However, if it is 1/2 the garden I had last year then I will be one happy lady. Ugly garden… absurd.
Pingback: Being Neat And Tidy Not Always Good In The Vegetable Patch | Glenns Garden
Pingback: How to Vegetable Garden in MayHow to Vegetable Garden
Thank you Colleen for your post and hey Fern? I want to say you inoculated me wonderfully, (except in a “WTH??” sort of way), because I had JUST read your blog saying basically “cram it all together on a balcony and just GROW IT!” It made me WANT to go out and try, even on a 4′x4′ space w/ EARLY morning sun only!
But I do have to say, because of this backlash, (and after feeling quite ashamed myself, because of her RANT, knowing anything *I* did would be heavy on getting it to grow and non-existent on the aesthetics), I have seen so many gardens w/ ideas I can use! Hallelujah!!
Thank you Miss Rude-y Pants, I’ve learned more from those not ashamed of their gardens than I EVER would have from you!! Books or not! You, however, can go sniff a stick of sage right up your dainty little nose. Oh! Unless it ruins the symmetry of your plantings, then you’re excused I guess. No point in damaging your psyche further. (I’m actually saying this truly, not to be funny ->) It must be something IN you that has to compensate for some shortcoming you feel, that you have to scare off newbies like me, because they struggle to get weeds to grow, much less actual food. If it wasn’t for Fern, and all the rebuttals after your rant, I might have backed off terribly!
Thank you Colleen and Fern, “et al”, and “bug off” (HAHAHA) Miss Robin Nose-In-The-Air Ripley!