Someone once described a kitchen garden as the shortest, simplest path between the earth, the hands and the mouth. I think that is a good definition of a kitchen garden.  A survey in France found hat about a quarter of the produce consumed by the population is home grown fruits and vegetables.

The French potager is their version of the English kitchen garden. There is an emphasis on beauty as well as practicality. Herbs often play a large role in the potager both because many of them are quite attractive while growing and because fresh herbs are an essential ingredient in much French cooking. One of the wonderful things about a kitchen garden is that it can be as organized as you want it to be. In general the kitchen garden mixes fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs, How they are mixed and in what proportions is largely a matter of personal preference. It can be large or small, manicured or loosely managed.

Thomas Jefferson kept meticulous records of his gardens at Monticello and the gardens are still one of the biggest attractions. Jefferson was passionate about peas. He grew 22 varieties, and challenged his neighbors to a competition every spring to see who could get the first English pea to the table. His orchards held 170 varieties of fruit. He knew that native species had a much better chance of surviving and he favored them in his plantings even though he also tried many new varieties of plants from other locations and countries.

A typically informal kitchen garden.

There are not really any rules about what you can or cannot grow in a kitchen garden other than what you can grow in your local climate zone. For a fascinating read from an avid gardener, Jefferson's garden books remain in print - (don't forget to try the library or your favorite used book store). Perhaps among the most famous gardens are the gardens at Versaille. The gardens were planted in blocks rather than in rows, with the vegetables filling in geometric patterns that sometimes were surrounded by low hedges. By grouping vegetables in blocks rather than in rows, their texture, color and structure became an integral part of the overall garden pattern. Blocks of flowers were often used to help create the tapestry-like patterns.

Versailles.

The gardens at Versaille are huge, covering hundreds of acres. In contrast, most of us could supply enough produce for a family of 4 in a normal back (or front) yard. Using small space gardening techniques can mean growing an amazing amount of food using little space.  Container gardens can be very productive as well. Window boxes and roof gardens are all possibilities.