Mass- Does anyone know anyone who designs and plans vegatable gardens?

[EloisetheChicken]

I definetly apprieciate all the do it your self pointers. It's still nice to have someone point you in the right direction after seeing your garden area and seeing what you have for light and space. I feel someone may be able to come out and say if you take those trees down............ this will grow better there.......or give me some concrete direction for a plan. Not to sound like a jerk but I don't want to read a book or do tours to see others gardens. I don't really have the time for that. I want someone who knows gardening to come out and share their knowledge with me so I start smarter from the get go. I am willing to pay and there must be someone qualified near Brookfield, MA that might be willing to spend some time with me for cash.

 

[SewingDiva]

When we did our renovation we hired a landscape architect, and it was money well spent. We used him mostly for the front yard and driveway, but he did give us a preliminary plan for our veggie garden, which we did change but his first pass was still helpful.

His name is Mike Immel .

Our house is the second photo from the left on his web site. Mike is a great guy, very talented.

He's in Mattaspoisett, but he works all over the state.

~Phyllis

 

[patandchickens]

Not to sound like a jerk but I don't want to read a book or do tours to see others gardens. I don't really have the time for that. I want someone who knows gardening to come out and share their knowledge with me so I start smarter from the get go.

Well, not to sound like a jerk but if you don't have time or interest for reading 'a' book or looking at others' gardens (which IS people sharing their knowledge with you so you start smarter from the get go), then you might want to reconsider the scale of your vegetable garden and plan a very, very small one for now, and with only the lowest-maintenance fruit trees/bushes. Things honestly don't grow themselves, not by a long shot.

Fruitwise, I would suggest sticking to no more than a few gooseberry or currant bushes (no fruit trees - blueberry bushes would be ok if you have wild blueberries growing in the area already, otherwise soil management will be a big headache) and several rhubarb plants. Veg-wise, you might do something like 10' of asparagus bed, and nothing bigger than a 10x15' veg plot in which you can plant store-boughten transplants of tomatoes, squash/zucchini/melons, and any lettuce or basil or annual herbs that you choose to start in the house or buy transplants of. Just a couple plants of each! If you really feel ambitious, plant a row of pole beans or runner beans to grow up a row trellis (they will look pretty, too)

Put the berry bushes somewhere that is decently drained, gets most-of-the-day sun, and sheltered a bit from winter winds. Put the rhubarb and asparagus beds somewhere towards the back of the yard where you don't have to look at them (they want at least most of a day of sun, and decent drainage). Put the veg bed in a sunny decently-drained location that is close to a faucet and close to the house (if you do not walk past it every day or have it sock you in the eyeballs when you look out a window, it will get neglected and overgrown). Your annual veggies NEED sun - if full sun is impossible, put it where it gets the most hrs of sun possible, especially in the months of july and august, and you may need to be careful what you plant.

For pretty, you can plop a white picket fence or sumpin' around it if you want

There, I have saved you some hundreds of dollars <g>, and the result will be PLENTY much of an education in garden management for one year. More importantly it will give you a chance to decide how much garden you really have the time/energy/interest to deal with.

Once you have done that for a year or two, THEN you will have a much better idea of what sort of garden you are going to be comfortable managing, and if you still want to hire a designer at least you will have a good idea what exactly you're hiring him/her *to* design

THink of it as designing/constructing the garden in phases (of which this is the first), which is what your better types of garden designers or landscape architects often recommend ANYHOW.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[simple life]

I agree with Pat.
To have someone else come out and tell you what they think you should do, while it can be helpful, its what they would do.It may not be what you would do, and the only way you will know that is to read, go on the internet and get ideas or pick other people's brains.

I am not against hiring someone to come out and give you ideas, especially if you don't mind spending the money.
They can give valuable information regarding the gardening conditions in your region and what would do well.
My concern is that you will end up with a garden that is not your taste and not overly thrilled with the results.
If you don't go out and get some ideas of what you like in regards to style, formal, not formal, cottage style etc.and if
you don't have any specifics on what type of trees, shrubs, or plants you would like to have, you are going to end up with a garden that is foreign to you.
I think if you at least make a list of things you would like to have in your garden, along with the size you have in mind its a good starting point for when you do meet with a designer.
I think its a wise decision to get your feet wet first with a small scale garden and they see what you like.
A garden is not something you can do if you don't have some time to tend to it. They are not work free.
Unless you are planning on hiring someone to maintain it for you.
Alot of the times what you have in mind isn't what you really end up with after a while.
I have planned things out only to change them several more times as I got more into it and.
Its a good idea to do this in progressive steps.
I love looking at other people's gardens to get ideas.
While you say you don't have the time for that, you could make a day out of it and have some fun.
Bring a friend and sign up for a garden tour. That is a fantastic way to get ideas and then you can actually talk to the owners of these gardens and get a wealth of information.
You see several gardens in one day and that may be enough to give you a starting point.
Bring a notebook, take notes and then share them with the Landscape Architect that you hire.
Most of these Landscape Architects are going to want to know what you like and what you have in mind for style and size. They are going to want to have something to go on.