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Planting A Pet Friendly Vegetable And Herb Garden

 

Gardening is one of my favorite things to do in the summer, spring and fall!

I love planning out my vegetable garden in the spring and then after the last freeze, planting all the delicious vegetables.

I’m a raw veggie kind of girl so my favorites are always cucumbers, tomatoes (all varieties) peppers and carrots. 

Other members of my family are big lovers of green beans, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini so I always try to add at least a few of those options too.  

Of course, I always plant things that my dogs can enjoy with us too!

It’s super easy to add dog-friendly vegetables into your garden and it doesn’t matter if you have a huge space in your yard for a garden or you like to grow veggies on your patio in a planter, there are many choices for you and your dog!

dog-friendly vegetables for garden

Adding Dog-Friendly Vegetables To Your Garden

We snack on a lot of veggies here throughout the day so I know what veggies my dogs love and which ones that they could do without so that makes planning my garden a lot easier. 

Their favorite raw veggies are green beans, broccoli, cucumber, and carrots. 

For cooked veggies, they really dig sweet potatoes which I either smash up or bake into treats.

They also really like pumpkin but so far I haven’t been successful growing that in any of my gardens!

Before you decide which dog-friendly vegetables your going to plant in your garden, it’s always best to check with your vet and then do a little taste test to make sure your dog is going to like it. 

Next, if you’re going to do a pet-friendly garden in your yard. you’ll need to pick out the perfect spot. 

Create a Dog-Safe Garden Space

Our garden is on the side of the house. 

Not only is this the area that gets the most sun but it’s also an area outside of our fence so the dogs don’t have access to it. 

If they had access to it, I would never be able to grow anything because they would constantly pee on it and dig it up!

If you’re going to plant a garden that your dog is going to be around a lot you’ll want to make sure that you have a proper fence around the perimeter. 

If fencing isn’t an option then consider putting your pots or planters out of reach. 

You’ll also want to make sure that you’re not using any harmful fertilizers, pellets or sprays. 

Now it’s time to plant!

I always like to plant dog-friendly vegetables that are easy to grow and what’s easy to grow for me might be different for you depending on where you live. 

I’ll list some of our most successful and dog-approved vegetables below. 

Green Beans 

For the past 5 years I’ve been growing green beans.

These are dog-approved by my dogs.

They prefer their green beans frozen and crunchy but they won’t turn them down if they’re cooked!

I’ve grown both pole green beans and bush green beans and have had the most success with pole beans. 

Green beans are the perfect addition to a dog-friendly garden and they can be planted in the ground or in containers.

Pole beans will do best with a trellis or stake to climb.

Carrots

dog holding a carrot planted in a dog-friendly garden

I was nervous to grow carrots my first time but they did great!

I purchased mini carrots and it was so fun to dig them up in the fall!

The dogs would always want one right away but I had to scrub them first. 

Carrots can be planted in the ground or in a container as long as they are at least 1 foot deep. 

Brocolli

Even though I’m not a fan of broccoli, I’ve planted it twice with semi-decent results so I’ve recently switched to letting my sister grow our broccoli since she lives on a farm with great soil for growing this veggie. 

Brocolli does best planted in the ground but it can grow successfully in 5-gallon containers. 

Sweet Potatoes

I don’t eat sweet potatoes and only plant them for the dogs so that I can make easy sweet potato chews

I’ve tried once to grow them and failed so this another vegetable that I leave to my sister to grow on her farm.

These do best planted in the ground.

Zucchini

So easy to grow and even though I don’t like it, I do like zucchini bread so I plant it and give it to my mom to make bread. 

I also save a few to give to the dogs because they like it in moderation. 

Cucumbers

cucumbers in a dog-friendly garden

Cucumbers are my favorite vegetable and I could eat them all day long!

The dogs love to crunch on them too and I use them to make tons of frozen dog treats in the summer. 

Cucumbers will grow in the ground and they do well in containers.

Bell Peppers

Red bell peppers are my favorite!

I love to crunch on them all day and dip them in a side of ranch dressing. 

Dogs can have bell peppers in moderation and they easy to grow in a garden or in containers. 

Peas

Ewwwww, peas. Not one of my favorite vegetables but my daughter and husband love them and peas are a great addition to add to your dog’s food. 

Peas are easy to grow in most areas and do well when planted in the ground or when planted in well-drained containers.

Spinach

planting spinach for dog-friendly garden

I used to hate spinach but now I enjoy it in salads and mixed in with some of our dinners. 

It’s also a great addition to many homemade dog treats and can easily be added to frozen dog treats as well.

I’ve also grown spinach in wide containers on our patio but it also grows great in gardens.

Spinach is a cool-weather vegetable so it’s best to plant it in the fall. 

After my garden is planted, one of my favorite things to do is bring the dogs to it every evening. 

They watch me tend to it and when the vegetables are ready to pick and eat, we share them right next to the garden!

Their scent around the garden also deters the deer.

Sometimes I’ll bring a brush up to the garden and brush the dogs and leave their hair around the perimeter too. 

I also always plant a small pet-friendly herb garden on our upstairs patio that has parsley, basil, sage, lemon balm and wheatgrass. 

 

 

 

So what about you? What are you planting in your dog-friendly garden this year? And don’t forget to leave me any tips that you have! I always look forward to learning new things about gardening!

**I’m not a vet! As always, it’s best to check with your veterinarian before adding any new foods to your dog’s diet and all new foods added should be given in moderation. 

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Shadow & Ducky's Mom

Wednesday 11th of April 2018

Like Monika, we have tree rats - and a certain little black dog - who would just LOVE to eat whatever we might plant, so no garden. I'd love to grow some rosemary and lavender, but have no window ledges to sit pots on. Oh well.

Jen

Wednesday 11th of April 2018

I'm gonna try lavendar this year too! It's one of my favorites!

I'm surprised that the squirrels and chipmunks haven't done more damage to our garden. We have tons of rodents around here but for the most part they leave the garden alone. Maybe it's the dog pee. Hahahahaha

Kelley Gray

Wednesday 11th of April 2018

I’m so jealous!!! Illinois weather has not cooperated with my plans for a garden. We are expanding the garden this year from a few tomato plants to sweet corn, peas, lettuce and green beans as well as herbs after we fence it in to keep the big brown fuzzy menace from digging everything up faster that I can plant it. Moses loves loose dirt and can churn it up almost as well as the garden tiller!

Jen

Wednesday 11th of April 2018

I haven't actually planted anything in the ground yet. We're suppose to get snow next week so I'm thinking late May is when the actual plants will go in. Hahahaha

Good luck with the corn! I did some last year and while we didn't get any that was edible,( I don't think it was warm enough last year) I was SO surprised to see actual cobs grow! I'm gonna try again this year! I've been wanting to do lettuce too but was thinking of doing it on some type of table set up!

I hope your garden goes good! Let me know!

Monika & Sam

Wednesday 11th of April 2018

All best wishes with your Victory Garden! I'd love to plant a few things but have such a problem with the neighborhood thugs...aka squirrels that the single $500 tomato (tally after water, etc. for the one that didn't getting eaten by them) that survived from a few years ago really didn't make much sense for me to flush that kind of cash down the drain...er....up to them.

Jen

Wednesday 11th of April 2018

Ugh! That stinks! The first year that we did the raised beds I had some issues with the squirrels digging in there but nothing since! I do catch them on our deck and the chipmunks always dig up my sunflower seeds!

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