Edible Landscapes

More and more people are starting to forego traditional lawns and get creative with their yards. From xeriscape for water conservation to native meadows for low maintenance. People are beginning to choose edible landscapes instead of lawns, especially now with rising food costs and supply issues. Instead of watering a lawn that does not always get used, you water something that will produce food for your family. You can even get creative with the design layout and mix in flowers with crops that will make your yard look nice while attracting bees to your garden to help pollinate the plants. There are so many different options to choose from when designing.

Planning

When planning what you want to grow, keep in mind harvest times, and what food you will actually use and eat, so there is little waste. Some berry plants now have the option to produce more than one berry crop per year. Among other great options for growing, tomatoes are a staple for gardens as you can preserve them for use over the winter when the gardens have finished for the year if you are in a climate that becomes too cold to grow over the winter. If you are looking to add shade to your yard and are thinking of planting a tree, you could choose a fruit tree that will produce food for years to come. These options help put the power back into your hands to grow food for your family and will help with your household budget. If you are interested in growing food all year long, consider looking into a greenhouse. In warmer areas like Vancouver Island, there are many options that can be grown in a backyard greenhouse.

Growing Success

If you are just getting into gardening, or have struggled a bit in being able to grow things, you may want to do some research into growing conditions, and find out the type of soil you have in your yard. Things like soil testing will help you determine if your soil needs amending, as well as being able to identify the type of soil you have, like loam, clay, and sandy. This will help determine what you need to add to it to give fruit and vegetables the best chance of growing strong, healthy crops. Adding compost can be one of the best ways to add nutrients to your garden. As the organic material breaks down, it will add beneficial nutrients and microbes to your soil that help feed plants and give them the best growing conditions.

Choosing Your Plants

When planning on what you want to grow, consider how much energy you want to put into tending to your garden. If you want a little more low maintenance, and want crops to return, consider growing perennial plants like rhubarb, berry plants, asparagus, and artichokes. These will give you yearly yields and are relatively low maintenance, only needing weeding around the plants and the odd pruning. 

If you plan to grow a large edible garden, knowing which plants grow well together and which plants don’t will help with the success of your garden. Certain groups of vegetables will compete for the same nutrients from the soil, and one, if not both plants will struggle to grow. Carrots and tomatoes grow well with asparagus, but onions and garlic do not.

Things to Keep in Mind

If you are wanting to make the switch from a lawn to gardens in your yard, start small. This will give you a chance to see how much food you will end up eating and preserving, and not wasting, as well as how much effort you want on the upkeep. You can always add more garden space each year. Crop rotation each year will also benefit the crops you grow, by adding nutrients back to the soil and helping avoid pest and disease cycles. Alternating deep and shallow root vegetables will draw nutrients from the soil at varying depths. If you choose garden boxes, or a bunch of small garden plots and do not want to be mowing a lawn in between the gardens, laying down landscape fabric and creating a pathway out of woodchips or stone is a great option, and looks great. By being in charge of the food you grow, you know where your food comes from and what has been used on the plants while growing, avoiding harsh pesticides. It is also a way to get creative with your yard and have fun planting and harvesting.