How to Incorporate Edibles into Your Landscaping

There are many different ways to grow vegetables and herbs. Some gardeners like to create large vegetable gardens with long rows of specific edibles, and it’s certainly one way to do it, but you can also mix it up. Learn how to incorporate edibles into your landscaping in this video by P. Allen Smith:

Edibles are very versatile and will grow in a wide variety of conditions, and the possibilities are practically endless if you know what you’re doing. Mixing vegetables and herbs with ornamental plants is more appealing and efficient, particularly if you have limited space. You’ll get both beauty and great tasting flavor.

Just about anything you can grow in a garden will grow in a container, which makes it really handy right outside your kitchen door. Plant a tea garden container with herbs like lavender, mint and rosemary. You can create any type of themed garden, but go with larger containers and dwarf or patio varieties of vegetables when you can.

There are practical reasons for mixing edibles with ornamental flowers in your garden. It’s all about diversity. Flowering plants attract pollinating and other beneficial insects, so having them close to your edibles increases the chances of them lending a hand.

The main thing is to have fun and get creative with the space you have. A deck railing can be used to support a tomato plant. Another great place to use edibles is along a path as a border, like parsley, strawberries, blueberries, oregano and thyme. Just remember the conditions of your site, as most of these plants need at least six hours of sun each day and require consistent moisture. If you focus on herbs, one of the great things about them is many of them are drought tolerant.