The best vegetables and herbs to grow at a holiday house

Select and plant the following range of herbs and vegetables and enjoy the harvests when you visit. A holiday house vegetable garden can provide fresh ingredients for meals. This reduces the need to go to the shops as part of your settling-in period when you arrive, and less to pack and take with you from home. If you can arrive and have something to serve for dinner on the first night before needing to go anywhere, it is a great win.

For some simple recipe inspiration you can find my 10 recipe ideas for meals made with just a few ingredients from the garden here. They are all simple, tasty, fresh family meals made all the better for having the ingredient/s grown in your own yard.

This post was prompted by a friend who asked for some advice about what to grow at her holiday home. The home will be visited on average twice a year by the family and will be a rented on an ad-hoc basis in-between these visits. The image below is one she sent me of the garden at the moment:

Her aim is to have things they can collect from the garden when they visit to add to meals and for any visitors in between to have access to fresh herbs and anything else that is ready to harvest at the time.

She has a neighbour who can provide some basic care but overall the garden is to be self-managed. These are the tips I gave to her.

My tips are based on what I have learned from a garden installation I completed at a beach house last year. That home is visited approximately 1-2 a month. The garden is very productive and has been the source of many meals after a warm day at the beach.

Traveling anywhere with my young boys usually includes packing a heap of snacks. The packing activity can take more time that it does to reach the destination…I am not suggesting you need to plant a huge garden to feed the family while holidaying. A careful selection of plants can have a positive impact and help you to hit that magical point of relaxation much faster.

It depends on how often the garden will get some care as to what you can plant. The plants listed below include robust and low care options. If you will be on site more often than my friend is then you will be able to add other plants that will flourish with the care and water you give when you visit. If you have a neighbour they may be happy to water once in a while due high temperatures in exchange for some harvests.

Planting Tips:

Harvest as you need:

I recommend planting the following list of plants because they can be harvested by just by taking the amount you need. The whole plant does not need to be removed. Simply cut off pieces and leave the plant growing.

spring onion
celery
kale

Self seeding plants:

These plants below are good option for holiday homes as they will grow if the conditions are favourable and provide abundant harvests. If the conditions are not so favourable they will go to seed, self seed and re-emerge the following season/s stronger.

leek
parsley
rocket
silverbeet
spinach

Robust plants:

Artichokes and rhubarb will continue to grow through each of the seasons. Cut the artichoke back to the ground when you visit and it will return next season. Note: It can grow into a huge plant.

Herbs:

The following herbs are perfect additions to a holiday home vegetable garden:

chives
sage
thyme
rosemary
oregano

These will each grow all year round. The flowers they produce will encourage bees and beneficial insects into the space, assisting with pollination and pest control.

Slow growing plants for irregular visits

Capsicum have a long growth period and are then very productive, as is chilli. Both are suited to planting in mid Spring. These plants may survive over winter once they finish fruiting if the region is not too cold. They are well suited to low care and are abundant when they fruit and a versatile ingredient to have on hand for meals.

Plants such as onion and garlic have a long growing period so if you plant onions in July they are ready to harvest in 35 weeks. They will then be on hand for use when you next visit.

In December add tomatoes, capsicum and chilli and eggplant. If they go into the garden at a decent size they are generally fine with minimal care unless there is a sustained heat wave.

Miniature fruit trees, or berries – strawberries and blueberries are a good planting option. Note: Blueberries need an acidic soil so are best planted in their own area/pot/bed. They will not cope well in high heat with minimal water when young so only plant these if you are a regular visitor to the holiday house.

Gap fillers:

When you visit have a few seed packs on hand to top up the beds. Add carrot, beetroot and lettuce if you visit on a regular basis.

Soil and plant care:

The plants you choose to grow will do best if the soil is well maintained. Ideally the soil should have mulch added in Summer and compost added in Autumn. Create a compost pile and your food scraps can be re-used back on the garden. If you are unlikely to visit the home over the winter period you can consider adding a green seed manure to the garden beds over that period and dig it in when you return.

Take note:

Plant growth is influenced by many factors. These include soil health, plant variety, weather conditions and climate, position, water, pest control and pollinators.

I have found over the years that plants that do well in one home may not do well at all in another. make some brief notes about what did grow well for you, things that you did harvest and enjoy so that you can repeat these next time. After a few seasons of trial, starting with the above lists, you will come up with a routine and series of plants you like to grow and can enjoy when you visit your holiday house. With a small amount of regular planting, maintenance and care you can grow vegetables and herbs to enjoy when on holidays.

If you have a holiday house in the Geelong or Bellarine Peninsula regions and would like help to set up a vegetable garden please get in touch. I’d love to assist you with your garden. You can review my service and brochure here.

If you have a holiday house and successfully grow any plants I have left off the lists above please let me know what does well for you.