A Veggie Patch Should Be a Natch For Any Hamptons Green Thumb

With corn as “high as an elephant’s eye,” it’s time to start thinking about cool-weather, edible crops, even if all you can bear to maintain is a beat-up whiskey barrel (perfect for arugula, by the way). “My favorites this time of year are the classics,” says April Gonzales, a Southampton-based garden designer who tends a sizable vegetable patch at her home. “String beans, corn, tomatoes, and blueberries. But every year I try new things, like Peruvian purple potatoes, gunsho—a Japanese broccoli relative—and a bean variety from El Salvador that can be eaten fresh or dried.” When it comes to keeping predators away, Gonzales insists on organic prevention, adding, “The thing about any vegetable garden is that you’re going to share it with everyone and everything around you—friends, family, and critters!” Need more inspiration for your own veggie patch? Check out Guild Hall’s “Garden as Art” tour on August 21 and 22. Sponsored by HC&G, it features a special emphasis on organic vegetable gardening.

A version of this article appeared in the August 1 2015 issue of Hamptons Cottages & Gardens with the headline: Home Grown.