The Creative Vegetable Gardener 60 Ways to Cultivate Joy, Playfulness, and Beauty along with a Bounty of Food

For decades, gardeners have approached vegetable gardening the same way: planting in square or rectangular beds or in straight rows, keeping vegetables separate from flowers, and definitely not mixing perennial plants with annual ones. According to these old rules, every insect must be killed, the garden must be tidy, and nothing should ever be allowed to go to seed. It’s time to break the rules! Today’s gardeners are re-envisioning the vegetable garden as a creative, playful space where the beds may be circles or spirals, beneficial insects are invited to the party, flowers for cutting grow right next to annual vegetables (which might be chosen for their curb appeal as much as their flavor), and a bit of “untidiness” simply creates a garden that more closely mimics the natural world.

With The Creative Vegetable Gardener, lifestyle editor and master gardener Kelly Smith Trimble encourages readers to widen their focus, be playful, and imagine a vegetable garden that reflects their own unique aesthetic and offers a meditative sanctuary as well as a source of fresh, homegrown food. From seed selection to garden layout and regenerative gardening practices, gardeners of all levels will find Smith Trimble's liberating advice a pathway to making the garden a place of nourishment for the soul and creative spirit, while also feeding the body.

Kelly Smith Trimble is the author of Vegetable Gardening Wisdom. She has been a lifestyle editor for nearly 20 years, working for brands such as HGTV, Southern Living, Lowe's, Bonnie Plants, the National Park Foundation, and more. A master gardener, she grows vegetables, herbs, and flowers in her suburban backyard and loves cooking and preserving. She lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her web site is Kellysmithtrimble.com and her Instagram handle is @kellysmithtrimble.