How to Design Your Own Edible Garden

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Edible gardening allows you to create a space that’s functional as well as fashionable. Plants such as peppers, tomatoes, and aubergines add a spectrum of color to your yard that can rival that of any flower bed. If you’re looking to spruce up your outdoor living space this coming year, you can add some flavor to your landscape by designing an edible garden.

The Plants

The first step to planning any garden, edible or otherwise, is to figure out which plants to grow. You should make sure to choose fruits and vegetables that grow well in your region, as certain species require warmer or cooler climates in order to thrive. Here are a couple of plants that flourish just about anywhere and are relatively easy to produce even for beginners:

• Salad greens: Romaine, butter leaf lettuce, spinach, and more grow quickly and require relatively simple care.
• Tomatoes: There are countless varieties of tomatoes that you can grow either in the ground or in a pot.
• Cucumbers: With enough water, cucumbers grow quickly and can reach an impressive size.
• Carrots: Delicious and healthy, carrots grow underground and can grow in both shade and sun.
• Radishes: A popular salad garnish, radishes reach their full size and are ready to harvest in under a month.
• Green beans: Not only do green beans produce a healthy yield when properly cared for, but you also get to enjoy the plant’s attractive flowers.

There are plenty of other plants that you can include in your garden, but you may want to consult with other local gardeners to find out what grows best in your area. Nurseries can also point you in the direction of native species that will thrive in your yard. You should make sure to draw up a planting calendar so that you know when to start your sprouts, transfer seedlings, and harvest fruit in order to get the best-tasting produce.

The Layout

How you plan out your garden will depend primarily on the space that you have at your disposal. Whether you have a sprawling yard with ornate flowing water features and an attractive fire pit, or are limited to an apartment balcony, it’s not difficult to start an edible garden. If you don’t have a lot of space available, you may want to stick to pots and planter boxes to ensure that your plants don’t grow too large. You can even grow certain herbs on your windowsill, provided the area gets plenty of sunlight.

Including fruits and vegetables in your landscape design can add a fun twist to your garden and help to make your meals taste even better. Whether you’re new to gardening or have two green thumbs, it’s not hard to create your own edible garden so that you have year-round access to fresh produce.