Fifteen years ago I moved from an apartment in the city to an acreage on Gabriola BC, one of the Gulf Islands. Once there I was able to indulge a growing interest in gardening.
I was lucky with our first property on the island. Soil, not deep, but good, plenty of water and sun. I learned to grow vegetables, fruit & herbs for us and for market. Then we moved and I was not quite so fortunate in the property’s gardening potential, but I made the best of it. Then we moved again. I assessed our new home with a heavy heart, wondering why we had purchased such a barren place. We had no sun, no soil and no water which didn’t bode well for a garden. But a year later there was a garden. And sun. And soil. And water.
Without realizing it, I established my gardens in the style of a traditional kitchen garden or potager–a garden in which vegetables, fruits and herbs are grown together in an esthetically pleasing design and frequently utilizing raised beds.   While my first and subsequent gardens don’t come close to being true potagers, using a potager structure has enabled me to overcome shortcomings in the landscape while also satisfying a need for creativity.
So the purpose of Potager Way is very simple. I hope to encourage others to garden making the best of what they have and to have fun doing it within a relaxed kitchen garden structure. I sincerely believe that everyone can grow some of their own food and herbs, and benefit in many ways from doing so.
Happy planting. And thanks for visiting Potager Way.
ailene