03/09/2019 / By Zoey Sky
Homesteaders prioritize self-reliance and the cultivation of organic produce, but this doesn’t mean you can’t make your home garden look pretty. If you want to beautify your property, start a practice called edible landscaping. (h/t to RockinWHomestead.com)
Edible landscaping represents a different take on how to design and interact with yards and urban green spaces. The practice prioritizes the cultivation of food-producing plants and native perennials, and it helps home gardeners create green space and provide healthy, fresh food to their family.
Replacing even just a fraction of traditional lawns with edible landscapes designed around locally appropriate plants offers various benefits.
These benefits require little to no irrigation or fertilizer and can increase food production potential in cities, as well as attract pollinators and improve ecological diversity.
Edible flowers are a common feature of edible landscapes. But flowering plants aren’t just pretty, they also attract pollinators that can help your fruit-bearing plants thrive. (Related: Edible Landscaping Ideas For Small Spaces.)
Popular options include daisies, lilacs, pansies, and sunflowers.
Edible flowers can also be used for food decorating and subtle flavoring.
Herbs are another staple in edible landscapes. You can plant the following herbs in your yard:
Another option is to grow herbal tea plants so you have access to ingredients for herbal teas all year long.
Shrubs are a nice addition to your edible landscape because they’re often of medium height. Shrubs can be used to bridge the gap between trees and shorter plants, like edible flowers. Additionally, shrubs can function as wildlife deterrents and windbreaks.
Plan ahead when selecting a shrub, and use a plant that produces something your family likes to eat. You also need to choose the right shrub for a site. Plant something that can thrive in your location so you don’t waste any of your resources.
You can plant the following shrubs in your landscape based on your needs and preferences:
If your yard is spacious enough, you can include fruit or medicinal trees in your edible landscape. Check which fruit tree varieties suit your geographic area.
Your options include:
If you already have a traditional vegetable garden plot but you still want to boost your crop yield, you can grow annual edibles in your regular landscape.
Listed below are vegetables that you can incorporate into your edible landscape:
You can also intermix these edible plants to make your landscape stand out.
Like with other aspects of home gardening, the only thing that limits your edible landscaping ideas is your imagination.
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