Will Ground Covers Work in Vegetable Gardens?

Strawberry plants make great, edible ground covers.

Ground cover plants make a good addition to vegetable gardens. Besides traditional ground covers, you can also use edible plants that grow close to the ground while also providing fresh culinary delights your whole family can enjoy.

Vegetable

Various ground cover plants offer good sources of vegetables while filling in bare areas of the vegetable garden. Melons, cucumbers and squash produce spreading vines that quickly cover dirt patches. Cucumbers and beans also make good ground covers when left to grow without stakes.

Herbs

Several herbs make good ground covers. Sage, mint and oregano offer good choices for low-growing ground covers that easily spread. Chamomile and thyme also work well. Snipping away the fragrant, tasty leaves for use in your kitchen provides a natural pruning that helps keep the plants at ground cover size.

Fruits

Strawberries make a great perennial ground cover that produces delicious fruit in the summer. Creeping Oregon grape, lingonberries and American cranberry also make attractive and edible ground covers. Wintergreen offers both edible leaves and berries that thrive during winter when the rest of the vegetable garden starts to fade away.

References

• Gardening ABC; Vegetable Garden Ground Cover
• "Mother Earth News"; Plant Edible Ground Cover

Resources

• "Fine Gardening"; Ground Covers