Go for edible landscaping

If the idea of growing edible plants alongside ornamentals sounds a little far-fetched, it is understandable.

We have become accustomed to ornamental gardening where herbs, orchards and vegetables are segregated to separate spaces within a site, away from the “garden”.

Yet edible landscaping dates as far back as ancient Egypt where flowers, grape arbours, vines and fruit trees were incorporated into the garden.

However, during the renaissance era, things changed as gardens became more formal and food crops lost their place in the front garden.

Today, however, edible landscaping is fast regaining popularity as people are striving to do more with their land. Many also realise that with innovative planning, edible landscapes can just be as attractive as purely ornamental gardens.

Whether you are starting from scratch or planning to add some edible plants into an existing garden, here are a few tips to take the guess-work out of edible landscaping.

Understand your plants

There are numerous edible plants that you can incorporate in your garden. Perennial herbs can be used as ground covers while smaller fruiting plants can be used as shrubbery.

Many trees function in multiple layers as shade, bloomers and edibles. These are favourite candidates for your edible landscape.

Take some time to understand the plants you want to use. This will help you to know not only where to plant but also how to mix and match with other plants. Many (but not all) fruits and vegetables do best where they receive at least six hours of full sunlight a day. Most of them like well-drained soils. Parts of your yard that satisfy these conditions are good places to have edible plants.

Find out the optimum growth conditions of each plant, their preferred soils and climatic conditions. Such information can be obtained from your nearest nursery.

Interplant

Start with the more permanent trees and large shrubs. Then move to the smaller shrubs and eventually fill in with the herbs and ground covers.

Avoid the temptation to plant in shamba-like rows. Where space is limited, consider container planting or go vertical using climbing herbs such as passion fruits. You can also put in an arbour or some other structure to support your climbers.

Whenever you can, interplant edibles with ornamentals for a richer and more diverse plant mix. This way, you also control pests by confusing them.

However, for the more seasonal edibles that are harvested frequently, it may be necessary to plant in a garden solely devoted to their production. This allows you maintain and harvest them without interfering with the more permanent plantings.

Maintenance

Edible plants, just like ornamental plants, require maintenance. To reduce maintenance requirements, plant the “right plant in the right place”. In other words, be sure to match a plant’s growing requirements with your garden’s conditions.

When growing vegetables, consider the season as well. Some only grow at specific times of the year.

Overall, all plants require some pruning, fertilising, and watering, as well as monitoring for pests.

Take special care to select pesticides and fertilisers that are appropriate and safe on plants meant for human consumption.

—The writer is a landscape architect