Louis XIV had a great kitchen garden planted at Versailles and Queen Victoria had her own 32-acre walled kitchen garden at Windsor palace.
With such regal beginnings, the Kitchen Garden has its roots in history and can be found as far back as the Middle Ages when farming was required for survival.

While different from a standard vegetable garden, Kitchen Gardens are viewed as outdoor extensions, as well as an essential part of the home and historically a well tended Kitchen Garden was seen as a sign of prosperity.
Focused on production in addition to beauty, Kitchen Gardens traditionally provided families with herbs, vegetables, fruit and various flowers that they would otherwise not have access to.

Location is as important as visual appeal, and Kitchen Gardens were usually located in areas that allowed for easy tending and harvesting, while always considering the overall aesthetic. The size of a Kitchen Garden was and still is determined by the needs of the household, and classic shapes such as rectangles and squares are frequently used.

*Potager du Roi — the kitchen garden at the Palace of Versailles*

Classic examples are of French potagers, which are both informal and romantic and Scottish kailyairds, which are generally kept separate from other garden spaces

Though dismissed throughout various times in history, often replanted as flower gardens or laws and impacted by the emergence of local and commercial food markets, the Kitchen Garden has a steady revival of appeal and importance.

In 2021 the need for equal and easy access to healthy food is as important as ever. Food sovereignty is something we all deserve and a Kitchen Garden is a step in that direction.

Ease of access to fresh, nutritious food and the mental & physical wellness benefits of growing your own food at home are some of the driving factors for the renewed interest in the Kitchen Garden, and I could not be more excited about it and for you!

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Sources:

https://foodsecurecanada.org/files/PFPPforJapan.pdf

https://heald.nga.gov/mediawiki/index.php/Kitchen_garden

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potager_du_roi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_garden

https://www.encyclopedia.com/food/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/gardening-and-kitchen-gardens

https://cdn.permaculturenews.org/resources_files/farmers_handbook/volume_3/2_kitchen_gdn.pdf