When most people think of landscaping they think of making an outdoor area look better. Rarely do they think about loading up their dinner plate or filling their larder. But it’s possible to make your yard look great while stocking your fridge with edibles at the same time. To provide some ideas on how to go about this, we’ve come up with an article describing the top four plants for edible landscaping.
Herbs
Herbs are a great addition to any backyard because they’re quick growing, look great in the garden and are useful in the kitchen. There are hardy versions such as sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary or more delicate variants like basil, cilantro and parsley. Some herbs, such as mint can grow quite aggressively and quickly take over the plot, so make your choices dependent on what you would normally use in the kitchen.
Beans
Beans are extremely fast growing and you’ll soon have the entire area covered in a tall, deep green foliage. They also have richly coloured flowers that will eventually yield a continual crop of edibles. The more beans you pick the more you’ll get. You can make bean plants grow as tall as you want them if you provide them with trellises or sticks to climb up. For an easily grown plant that yields both flowers and a quick bumper crop, you can’t go wrong with beans.
Raspberries
Although you won’t be picking baskets of berries in your first season, once you’ve got these plants in the ground they don’t take much tending at all. By your second season you should start getting tasty berries – and the yield will only increase with each subsequent season. You should get a good month and a half of berry picking each year. And although raspberry bushes are well known for their thorns, these tall green plants look great year after year.
Alliums
Onions, chives and garlic provide their own natural protection against insects and other pests while setting you up for the winter as necessary additions to almost any dish you can think of making. Alliums also work well for protecting other plants that are susceptible to pests. Chives will spread quickly if allowed to go to seed, so keep them clipped to keep your garden tidy.