Ever try an edible landscape? Edible gardening is a great way to provide ornamental, decorative color in your yard, as well as integrating food-based plants throughout. While the design principles are the same as with any garden, you’ll substitute lavender, lettuces, herbs, blueberries, vegetables and fruit trees for some of the shrubs, landcover or flowers you’d normally plant. The result of your carefully designed and planted edible garden can mean owning a beautiful yard with added health benefits—food from garden to table!

The first thing to do when planning your edible garden is determine the sun exposure. No sense planning sun-loving tomatoes or peppers in the most shaded part of your garden. Almost all fruits and vegetables prefer the sun. Some can tolerate partial-shade.

If you have an area that gets less than six hours of sunlight each day, consider planting evergreen huckleberries or alpine strawberries in these areas. Or, you might try herbs, lettuce, chives, kale, Bok Choi, spinach, or Swiss chard. These leafy or root-based plants can tolerate two to four hours of sun.

Peas, potatoes, carrots, beets, broccoli, cabbage, basil, and strawberries prefer at least six hours sun.

For areas with all day sun, melons, tomato, squash, pepper, eggplant, cucumbers, corn, and beans will thrive.

Choose a well-trafficked area of your garden for integrating edible plants. You’re more likely to take good care of an area outside the window, or one you walk past on a regular basis.

Once your area has been selected, have fun with the planting. Integrate your edible plants with other edibles, or with ornamentals. Try a border of lettuces, spinaches or other salad greens interspersed with dwarf nasturtiums. Colorful peppers provide a bold contrast when combined with marigolds or the cardinal flower. In shady areas, plant alpine strawberries near fuschias. Try arranging your dwarf fruit trees in patterns, in and amongst a border of culinary herbs. Or, line your driveway with lavender plants.

We hope you love your new edible garden!

Pro tip: Let Levy’s Lawns and Landscapes build a hardscape patio, surrounded by raised beds. Relax on the patio with friends and family, while being surrounded by flowers, fragrant herbs and vegetables.