Photography by Kayla Haupt.
The winner of the 2017 Gardenista Considered Design Awards Best Edible Garden is Kayla Haupt of Under a Tin Roof in Kalona, Iowa.
Haupt s project was chosen as a finalist by Gardenista editor Michelle Slatalla who said of the project The family that gardens together eats delicious salads together and this...
...beautiful edible garden is proof of that Organic growing methods a greenhouse made of reclaimed windows and free range chickens are on my own edible garden wish list as well
“An overview of our kitchen garden, overlooking our many edible plants including various squashes, heirloom tomatoes, peppers, greens, brassicas, potatoes, onions, and herbs.”
Under a Tin Roof’s Design Statement: “The Under A Tin Roof residential homestead was started after a family passion to grow their own food began early in the year. With a collection of creative engineering, design, and love of plants and sustainability, the homestead grew into a garden and greenhouse.”
“Our greenhouse is a seasonal greenhouse and was built using reclaimed windows. Designed by Kurt, the father and husband behind our family, it was constructed in the early months of this year. We grew all of our vegetables from seed inside and are now using it to house succulents and flowers.”
We see a lot of inspiring farm settings and landscape design daily, so it was a no-brainer to try a hand at it ourselves.
“Our garden houses many edible plants and vegetables that we grew from seed inside our greenhouse. We often go out to weed and care for the plants as a family. Our main goal is grow only the plants that we need to eat as a family of four, and for those plants to be grown organically.”
A: We knew that we wanted to change our lifestyle to one that was more sustainable, and the garden was truly the first step in that process.
“All of our vegetables are being grown organically from seed. A large passion is to grow better food over all and source as much of our food locally as possible. When our family decided to try growing our own food, we never expected these magnificent results!”
A: Most of our design problems stemmed from trying to keep a budget, like building our greenhouse out of reclaimed windows.
“This is where we now house various succulents and other flowering plants. All of our vegetables were started here from seed. The greenhouse is seasonal and not heated. We will use it in the spring and summer months, and we are hoping to try growing cold-hardy vegetables inside in the winter.”
I spend a majority of my days researching all I can about how to work our garden; if that passion did not exist, neither would our produce.
“Each of our beds is planted with organized chaos in mind. This year, we decided to try companion planting. We have twelve beds, and every single bed has a mix of vegetables, flowers, and herbs. Each of these plants has a way of helping its neighbor either by providing nutrients, shading, or flavor.”
“These begonias have been absolutely striking this year!” Both have amazing quality plants of all kinds; that’s where I head when I have need of a new succulent.
“We are trying our best to use organic methods to keep pests and other critters away from our precious harvest. Marigolds act as a deterrent to many garden pests including rabbits, deer, and insects.” Our greenhouse, with the reclaimed windows, has a great antique vibe.
We loved the idea of the picket fence, but were scared that if we painted it white, everything would look too perfect.
“We love colonial and Americana-inspired decor, so we thought a touch of history was welcome in the garden. We hope to add on to this theme with some wooden tomato cages and other structures as the garden grows throughout the season.”
Every time I step in, I feel like getting to work on something, whether that’s planting new seeds or tending to my succulents.
“We love our garden and walking out to see this view in the early morning as we let out the chickens to roam. It’s a beautiful and peaceful sight!”
At first, we were going to line the entire plot with marigolds and other flowers to hopefully prevent their entry, but decided that we would eventually need everything to be fenced in.