Edible Landscaping Basics

Who doesn’t love getting a two-for-one? That’s one of the benefits of growing edible plants: Many vegetables and herbs do as much for your landscape as they do for your dinner table. Steal these expert tips to create your own edible landscape, no matter where you live.

Edible Landscaping Basics: garden with paths

Who doesn't love getting a two-for-one? That's one of the benefits of growing edible plants: Many vegetables and herbs do as much for your landscape as they do for your dinner table. Steal these expert tips to create your own edible landscape, no matter where you live.

Tips for Your Edible Landscape:

  1. Edge with your collection. Keep beds tidy by holding back soil with half-buried wine bottles, vintage pots or dishes, slate roof tiles, or seashells.
  2. Repeat a good thing. Create rhythm in the garden by planting in a series of over-sized pots or trellises placed in the center of the beds.
  3. Take the high and low road. Turn a steep slope into a productive paradise by terracing with raised beds. Add paths between for easy access.
  4. Make a splash by the pool. Cluster pots in various heights near the corners of a pool or water feature. Mix a combo of vegetables, vegetables, and flowers for show.
  5. Do fence me in. Create a garden within a garden by surrounding part of yours with a fence that complements your home's architecture. A potting shed at one end is both practical and pretty, and becomes a focal point.
  6. Reclaim and re-use. Turn cattle troughs, galvanized tubs, or oversized pails into container gardens or raised beds. Make sure they have several drainage holes for water to escape.
  7. Embrace formality. Create the perfect postage-stamp parcel for herbs and vegetables. Edge it in brick or stone, and finish with a classic armillary, urn, or statue in the center of the space.
  8. Hoe a long row. Planting in the ground like Grandma and Grandpa did is hip again. The twist: Mulch paths to keep shoes clean. Or, consider leaving an aisle of barefoot-friendly grass between the rows. Mow and edge regularly to keep in top form.
  9. Divide and conquer. Don't feel like all of your edibles have to be in one place. Put herbs in pots on the deck (near the kitchen), train tomatoes along a fence, and give summer squash the room it needs in a big bed.
  10. Mulch when all else fails. If company's coming and the garden's past prime, pull everything out and mulch. Then pour a glass of wine and relax while you and your guests brainstorm about what you should plant next!

Article written by By Rebecca Reed.

These cabbages add delicious decoration to a balcony box. Image source: iStock.com/danishkan
These cabbages add delicious decoration to a balcony box. Image source: iStock.com/danishkan
Well-tended rosemary bushes in pots are a vibrant, aromatic accent to any deck or patio. Image source.
Well-tended rosemary bushes in pots are a vibrant, aromatic accent to any deck or patio. Image source.