An inspiring area within the Walled Garden, heaving with fruit,
vegetables and cutting flowers. Beautifully laid out in a classic
Victorian design.
This was the original "top ground" or upper kitchen garden, with
the current layout developed in the 1990's. A classic Victorian
design is used with two cross paths bounded by a perimeter path
producing four central beds and a series of borders at the base of
the surrounding walls. The central beds are the main growing areas
for annual crops and operate on a four course rotation of potatoes,
brassicas (cabbage family), legumes (pea family) and salads and
root crops. The potato quarter is manured and double-dug each year
as it moves around the rotation. The wall borders accommodate
perennial crops with soft fruit in the westernmost; asparagus,
rhubarb, seakale, and globe artichokes etc in the easterly; and
auriculas, lily of the valley and cordon currants and gooseberries
in the southern.