Planning your edible landscape for success. There may be hundreds of growing parts to our yard, but including edibles in the mix is worth it. Get planning tips here.
When you have decided that an edible landscape is a project you wish to embark on, there is a lot of planning you will want to do in order to give it the best outcome possible. Edible landscapes can be a lot of work, but they are great fun and highly fulfilling.
Edible landscapes are becoming quite popular, and for good reason, as they combine beauty and functionality. Here are some tips for planning an edible landscape that you will treasure for years to come.
Collect Ideas
You will likely have a great number of ideas that you have seen and like – whether actual landscapes or photos on websites and in magazines. The first thing you will want to do in regards to planning your edible landscape is to collect all these ideas.
Use Pinterest for inspiration. Here are a few board ideas to get you started: Jacquie Radford, J Bird NY Design, and Garden Gate Magazine. Making clippings, create a new Pinterest board, or prepare a folder on your computer with all your favorite plants and landscape designs.
Decide on a Visual Goal
Think about what you love to look at. What are your favorite colors? What plants make you feel happy and relaxed when you see them?
Make a list of all the plants you wish to have in your plan, and decide upon your must-haves and your simple wish list. Choose plants and themes that will improve your health and wellbeing. Create a place that inspires you and that you will want to visit every day.
Decide on the Desired Edibles
Do you have certain ideas about what fruits, vegetables, herbs, edible flowers and other plants you want to be able to harvest in the end? If you love berries, be sure to add some berry bushes into the plans. If you like to use fresh herbs in your cooking, be sure to grow a variety of them. Even perennial vegetables are an option.
Never forget that one of the best things about an edible landscape is its harvest.
Consult Local Nurseries and Landscapers
You may wish to have a cherry tree, but is it feasible in your geographic area? When you make your lists of desired plants, do some research and find out what is likely to grow in your area. Your local nursery will know about all the options for the best fruits, vegetables, shrubs, and herbs for your area.
Don’t overlook the local library and the county extension office as other places to do research. Be sure that you don’t set yourself up for failure and risk losing time and energy on something that is doomed from the start.
For every geographic location, there are many plants that will beautifully thrive, so consult friends and garden center staff to find out which plants are likely to do well where you live.
Make a Design
Now that you have put together your wish list, decided on your goals and have done your research, it is time to make a design out of your final ideas. You will want to get the exact dimensions of your yard and draw up a simple outline of where you will plant everything. This can be done on paper or online.
If you need a more visual aid, you can get graph paper and cut small pieces of each photo you have collected and then paste them onto the design page in the appropriate section.
Online options include the Free Interactive GardenPlanner at Better Homes and Gardens or try one of these ideas for free garden planners from Small Footprint Family.
Now that you have gotten everything in order to prepare for your edible landscape, you are ready for the next and final step of making it happen. You have planned your landscape and are ready to physically put it together.
Just a little planning goes a long way, and soon you will be enjoying the fruits of your labor.
Jennifer Cook says
Great information! Thanks!