Fresh Veggies Grown in Your Backyard!!

Wish you could use the freshest produce in your evening meals? Do you dream of walking outdoors to pick delicious vegetables off the vine? Have you always desired a backyard garden, but know you don't have the time?

Now you can have that home garden, without the work! Val's Veggie Patches will till, plant, weed and water the vegetables of your choice, right in your own backyard. All you have to do is harvest the vegetables when you're ready to use them.

Imagine garden-fresh salads with baby leaf spinach, warm zucchini bread, and easy-to-make home-canned pickles, all from ingredients right on-hand. See how cherry tomatoes and snow peas entice children to pluck and eat them when they're most nutritious and delicious.

Val's Veggie Patches uses green growing practices including digging compost into the garden, eliminating the need for other fertilizers. Weeds are hand-pulled, not sprayed, and garden pests and diseases are controlled with natural measures to the greatest extent possible.

Val's Veggie Patches puts you in control. You select from a variety of vegetables, and how much of each you'd like grown. Val will work with you to find the best garden site and will design a layout based on the vegetables you choose. We can work within exisiting garden space, too. The initial at-home consultation is free!

Contact Us

Val's Veggie Patches is located in Rochester, MN.
Call 507-281-8988 or email us at valkiger@gmail.com.

Vegetable Selection

Here's the fun part! Look over the selection below, and try to narrow your choices to 6-8 vegetables, unless you want to contract for a larger garden. You can read up on each variety by entering the name in the search box at www.burpee.com, the Burpee seed company website.

Val, an experienced Minnesota home gardener, has selected these varieties based on her own positive experience growing them and on Burpee customer reviews.

GREEN BEANS:
*Bush Bean Heavyweight II
*Kentucky Blue Pole Bean

TOMATOES:
*HoneyBunch (cherry)
*Brandy Boy (full size)

SQUASH:
*Zucchini Burpee Hybrid (summer squash)
*Winter Squash Early Acorn Hybrid

PEAS:
*Snow Pea Oregon Sugar Pod II

CUCUMBERS:
*National Pickling (pickling spice packets also available)
*Sweeter Yet Hybrid (burpless variety, salad cuke)

BROCCOLI:
*Green Goliath

CARROTS:
*Purple Dragon (deep purple outside, orange inside)
*Sweet Treat

SPINACH:
*Baby Leaf Hybrid
*Bloomsdale Longstanding

LETTUCE:
*Black-Seeded Simpson

BOK CHOY/CHINESE CABBAGE:
*Pak Choi Joi Choi

FAQs, Pricing

Q. What are the benefits of having my own home garden?

A. You will have access to vegetables at their peak of ripeness, nutrition and taste. You'll enjoy varieties not always available in grocery stores, and can select vegetables that are higher-priced in stores to get more value from your garden. You'll know exactly where your food came from, and it travels just a few feet from the garden to your door -- no sitting on trucks. The benefits of your home garden go beyond top-quality, best-tasting veggies: Throughout the growing season, you can enjoy checking in on your vegetable patch and share the wonder of growing things with your children.



Q. When will Val's Veggie Patches start coming to prepare my garden?

A. We will arrive in early spring to dig or till the space, laying down compost to improve the soil for the growing season.



Q. When will Val's Veggie Patches stop coming to weed and water?

A. We will stop coming at the end of the growing season for the vegetables you select, or sooner if the plants still producing are well-established, don't need watering and aren't threatened by weeds, pests or disease. You can always call if something changes.



Q. How often will Val's Veggie Patches come to work on the garden?

A. We will visit the garden at least once per week throughout the growing season, more often if watering or attention to pests or disease is needed.



Q. How much does a garden by Val's Veggie Patches cost?

A. A 12' by 12' garden is priced at $1,500 and includes all seeds, labor, compost and incidentals. Growing structures such as tomato cages, bean poles or pea and cucumber fences are available at cost.



Q. Can you use my tomato cages, or tie tall plants to my fence?

A. We are happy to make use of your cages, etc.



Q. How do you water the garden?

A. We will use water from your outside tap. Please have a hose long enough to reach the garden, or let us know we should bring our own hoses.



Q. What if frost is forecast?

A. We will cover your garden in case of frost risk.



Q. What if the garden is damaged?

A. Damage by deer, rabbits, people or storms is not covered, though we will do our best to help plants recover when possible. We will replant when possible for a nominal fee. If it is too late to replant a certain vegetable, we will offer a substitute that can be planted in late summer for a fall harvest.



Q. Can I help in the garden to learn more about growing plants? Can my children participate?

A. Absolutely on both counts! We are happy to help you and your children get your hands dirty and learn about growing your own food.