But First, The Basics
We get it, you’re excited! We are too. However, if this is your first time testing out the gardening waters, let’s not dive straight in to breaking ground. It is important to consider sizing, location, and the soil.
Fruit and vegetable gardens can be tough to manage, so we recommend starting the size out small with a few plants here and there. Smaller areas are easier to manage and maintain compared to a large overfilling garden.
Don’t worry, you can still flex your gardening skills without feeling like it has become a chore. And once you have had a season or two of experience, feel free to broaden your gardening horizons.
Deciding location is one of the most essential considerations as several edible ornamental plants need a lot of sunlight throughout the day. Plants like to eat too!
If your location is either full sun or partial shade, you will need to cater your garden plants to fit that area.
Lastly, the soil needs to be fresh and full of nutrients in order to receive a good crop. Compost, mulch, and other soil amendments can help with keeping it that way.
Knowing the soil fertility is a good idea to start and you might want to check with your local extension office to see if they do soil testing (usually a nominal fee).
Our Favorite Edible Gardening Designs
Raised Beds
The most obvious form of edible gardening is conducted by having raised beds. They help correct several of the most cliche garden mistakes such as poor soil, overgrown weeds, and even uneven slopes.
While the classic raised beds have wooden borders, they can actually be made out of any garden safe material to match your wanted outdoor decor! They remind us of mini kitchen gardens.
If you are looking for more than enough crop each season for your fruits and vegetables, garden beds allow you to easily monitor the soil that is rich in nutrients.
Additionally, you’ll never need to step on the soil, so the roots will continue to thrive. Soil compaction is one of the biggest problems with home gardening.
A few tips for success that we suggest is to size them properly, so that you don’t have to strain yourself to reach every plant. And be sure to pick a location with lots of sun that is sheltered from strong winds.
You’ll want to fill them with quality soil as well to ensure that you get the most out of your gardening experience. Last but certainly not least, get inspired with your raised beds to create a truly unique experience!
Garden Delicious Apple (Malus pumila 'Garden Delicious') trees are natural dwarfs allowing them to be grown in larger raised beds where you can easily pick a couple or more of those crisp, sweet, apples. Oh and you’ll love their beautiful spring blossoms!
Fruit Bushes are a hit when it comes to raised beds whether it is blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries! They each make a sweet snack when you snag a couple. Plus, you don’t have to break your back when bending over to pick berries!
Garden Trellis
For your vining fruits and vegetables, as well as added spice to your garden, feel free to add in a trellis or two. It is no question that they will be the focal point of the garden!
Your trellis can be as high or as low as you wish; they can be homemade or bought from the store too. Any size, shape, color, and design can be picked out to fit your style. Just make sure that the tops are reinforced to ensure they don’t tend to bow in.
Our favorite aspect of this edible gardening design tip is you can enjoy a good book under the shade supplied by your tunnels while being entertained by hummingbirds and butterflies!
Even more so, a garden trellis can be appreciated in either the front yard or space in the backyard.
Containers
A variety of edible plants can easily grow in all types of containers, which adds to any outdoor plant design! Not to mention, they make it easy to save space in gardens, on patios, and elsewhere.
If you’re new to planting in containers, a quick tip for success is to pick the correct plant varieties and keep quality sized containers. You’ll want to use high quality soil, compost, and mulch!
Wondering which plants give you the best shot at large crops? We have provided a few choices right here in this blog!
Sunshine Blue Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum 'Sunshine Blue') is round and compact making it the ideal choice for a container fruit! Since it needs a higher pH soil, the container makes it simple to control the quality of the soil. This self-fruiting blueberry even provides a healthy breakfast choice during season.
Both our Dwarf Meyer Lemon (Citrus limon 'Meyer Improved') and Pix Zee Peach (Prunus persica 'Pix Zee') trees can be grown in larger containers for an edible ornamental in your landscape! Enjoy sweet tasting fruit in a pretty pot sitting right outside on your patio, balcony, or porch.
More Edible Gardening Favorites
The Double Delight Nectarine (Prunus persica var.nucipersica 'Double Delight') is very popular in home gardens for its richly flavored nectarines and year round attractive foliage. It loves to be in the sun and is a lovely backdrop for the landscape!
Red Baron Peach (Prunus 'Red Baron') is both ornamental and self fruitful, making it one of the best edible trees to have in a landscape. This tree doesn’t fret when you give it a small trim either!
Lapins Cherry (Prunus avium 'Lapins') produces some of the largest and juiciest sweet tasting cherries, which is exactly why it should be included in an edible garden. This tree is self fruitful and can be pruned to be any size you wish!
The Warren Pear (Pyrus 'Warren') is a semi-dwarf tree that is able to grow pears where it is normally hard to do so. Since it is medium sized, this tree works wonderfully inside containers.
The York Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis 'York') produces one of the largest berries that is perfect for both feeding birds and your family! It can also double as a flowering privacy screen in any landscape. Enjoy its large harvests within the edible garden.
Regent Saskatoon Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia 'Regent') is a native shrub that loves to produce delicious berries and grow attractive Spring flowers! It will even attract pollinators to your garden too.
Edible gardening continues to be wildly popular and working edibles into the landscape is still all the rage these days. Join the trend and start building the garden of your most wonderful dreams!
