Edible Landscape Design
Requires a Different Approach

While you might think that edible landscape design would be the the same as any other -- just landscaping with edible plants -- there are some things you might just want to know while drawing up the layout of your garden ...

When we bought our first home, we found a black mulberry sapling in our yard and planted it next to the back porch. It shaded the stone walkway my husband built, the concrete porch, and the patio. Our children grew up climbing it, and after a while it began to bear lots of delicious fruit.

And then we learned what "will stain concrete" meant in the descriptions.

Not only do mulberries stain concrete, but the juice stains rock, clothes, and brick. And since birds love mulberries, we had their "gifts" on the patio as well.

I loved our mulberry tree, but if I had thought the matter through, I would have planted it somewhere else.

Something to consider as you plan your edible landscape design!

Here's more:

Access: How are you going to get to your plants? You'll need to weed, water, and harvest. Planning access to each plant will help a lot later on.

This might include using raised beds, steps, walkways, or paving tiles, depending on your situation.

Watering: Think about the placement of your spigots. Do you have hoses (and water pressure) to reach your plants, or if not, are you willing to water by hand?

You might consider installing sprinklers if needed, or (better yet) a drip irrigation system, depending on your location and garden layout.

Plant placement: Edible plants that require more care should be put closer to the house, while those that don't require much care can be planted further away. This will save a lot of time!

Color: When does each plant look its best? Interspersing ornamental edibles that bloom in the spring and summer with plants that have showy fall foliage and interesting greenery in winter will make your edible landscape design look good all year long.

Don't forget the fruit! Some edible plants have gorgeous fruit colors.

Harvesting: When will you need to harvest? If you plant a lot of a particular fruit or vegetable that requires harvesting all at once, you'll either need to be home with the time to harvest, eat, and preserve it, or else it will go to waste.

Consider what you will do with the food you grow. If your family doesn't eat a particular food, either consider another plant or think about donating the excess to your local food bank or shelter. Make sure there is someplace that accepts fresh food (if this is your solution) before you plant.

If you really like the look of a plant but don't know how to prepare it, take a look at other readers' best recipes from their gardens.

I want to tell you about the step by step process I went through in order to create my own edible landscaping.

I've put it into a workbook for you called "How to make your own garden landscape design plans", so you can print it out, put it in a binder, and get to work right now!

Click here to learn more.

Would you like to talk more about edible landscape design with people who love edible landscaping as much as you do? Consider joining the Tasteful Landscape community. It's free! Just fill out the form below and follow the instructions:

Learn more

What would you like to read about next?

Flower Garden Ideas - Herb Garden Design - Perennial Gardens