Why everyone doesn’t have an edible garden, I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because they have husbands, similar to mine, who feel vegetables belong in the vegetable garden, herbs belong in the herb garden, fruit trees lined up in neat rows, orchard style out back, and well, you get the point. Everything has its place. Much like his tools (a lesson my son is still trying to master).
However, I’m the creative type who likes to think outside the box. Okay, “like” is a relative term here. I think outside of the box, period. “Box?” my brain asks. “What box? I don’t see any box around my head.”
You get the point. I’m odd that way, but that oddity tends to lend itself to GREAT ideas. Awesome! Like my homemade herb sachet for the dryer, and my wonderfully tasty rosemary lemonade. Basil lemon ice chips, anyone? Oven-made sun-dried tomatoes? Why not? There are a ton of creative things you can do with your vegetables and one of my favorites is edible landscaping. I mean, why banish the vegetables to a faraway garden where you have to trot off to collect every meal? Why not place it right outside your door? We are a convenience-oriented society these days. Makes sense to keep your herbs and veggies close.
Besides, vegetable plants are simply beautiful. Take this gorgeous cabbage. It looks more like a flower than a head of chow.
Lettuce is gorgeous, whether it’s located outside your front door, or in a container on your patio table. And I don’t know about you, but a hydroponic tower layered with lettuce really makes a statement. Eco-minded individual lives here.
Ask Fleet Farming and they’ll tell you. Fruits and vegetables are a MUST when it comes to locally sourced food. It’s a totally environmentally conscious way of living, and if you live in parts Orlando, they’ll do it for you!
Awesome. But if you must do it on your own, it’s really easy. Simply use your existing planters and fill them with herbs, lettuce, cabbage, carrots–you name it! So long as the space receives enough sun, you’re in business. “Six hours” is the magic calculation when it comes your “full sun” designation. It’s the difference between kinda great growth and awesome growth. To measure the amount of sun shining over her yard, my friend Mandy conducted a sun study for her home to determine exactly where those “hot” spots were and planted accordingly.
If you have a chain link fence, beans and peas love to climb. Why not plant a line along the fence and allow them to provide a beautiful lush wall of green? Beans and peas are super easy to grow, perfect for the beginner gardener.
However, if you decide to incorporate an edible garden into your landscape, be sure you’re not the only one who knows about your new endeavor. If you are, you may emerge from your home with the same great disappointment as I did one sunny afternoon. My husband sprayed my bright tender greens with insecticide. Seems he thought the little gems were weeds and not a salad garden in the making. But it’s not his fault. I didn’t label the area as “edible landscape” in progress, nor did I advise him to stay clear: organic only. Lesson learned.
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