The Kitchen Garden at West Dean

Walled Kitchen Garden

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.

A Vegetable Cornucopia

The warm, south facing border is reserved for bringing on early spring crops, heat lovers like herbs for summer, then late crops in the autumn. The central flower border was a common feature of the Victorian Garden layout, being both decorative and another source of material for the voracious demands of the house. At West Dean it is known as the "hot border" with its full pomp of scarlet crocosmia, orange dahlia and yellow kniphofia in mid-summer.

The pear tunnel and the espaliered apples and pears at the rear of the border give height and structure to the site in the early part of the year.

Map of the Walled Gardens at West Dean

Gallery

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    Rows of salad vegetables at West Dean Gardens
    Rows of salad vegetables. Image credit Trevor Sims
    Walled Kitchen Garden at West Dean Gardens West Sussex
    The Walled Kitchen Garden at West Dean
    Redcurrants growing in the Kitchen Garden at West Dean
    Redcurrants in the Kitchen Garden. Image credit Trevor Sims
    Vegetables and parsley in the Kitchen Garden at West Dean
    Vegetables and curly parsley growing in the Kitchen Garden
    Swiss Chard in the Walled Kitchen Garden at West Dean
    Swiss Chard in the Walled Kitchen Garden
    Terracotta pots in the Kitchen Garden at West Dean Gardens
    Terracotta pots in the Walled Kitchen Garden
    Onions growing in the Walled Kitchen Garden at West Dean
    Onions growing in the Walled Kitchen Garden
    Sweets peas in the Kitchen Garden at West Dean near Chichester
    Sweet peas and apples in the Kitchen Garden
    Brassicas in the Kitchen Garden at West Dean
    Brassicas in the Kitchen Garden
    Raspberries in the Kitchen Garden at West Dean
    Raspberries in the Kitchen Garden
    Espalier crop in the Kitchen Garden at West Dean
    Espalier crop in the Kitchen Garden. Image credit Trevor Sims

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    West Dean Gardens is part of a registered charity and its upkeep and care are only possible with the support of generous donors, friends and legacy gifts.

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