How to Design Edible Landscaping

Add herbs and flowers around fruit trees in your edible landscape.

Turning your yard into one large food supply defines the term edible landscape. To design an edible landscape is to create a plan that allows food-bearing plants to grow naturally within the confines of your property. It goes beyond gardening in that your landscape becomes a sustainable plot of land that mimics the natural growth cycles found in your environmental region.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Make a sketch of the property, including the location of the house and other buildings on the property, and any existing trees or shrubs you may wish to keep. These plants may provide needed shade or privacy and may be integrated into the design. Make several copies of your sketch.

2. Make a list of the types of fruit trees, nut trees, fruit-bearing vines and berry bushes you want to include in your edible landscape. Select trees, vines and bushes that are indigenous to your region or have adapted to the regional climate conditions.

3. Note the required growing conditions of each of these plants and include the information on the list. These conditions include the type of soil needed, amount of water required, and sun and shade exposure. Also note such factors as final size of grown plants, potential yield, and planting and harvesting dates.

4. Create a list of vegetables to include in the edible landscape. Categorize the vegetables by their planting seasons. For example, in spring, you may plant lettuces and greens, tomatoes and summer squash in your region. These vegetables are listed under Spring Planting. Continue to categorize all the vegetables you wish to grow throughout your growing season.

5. Note the required growing conditions for the vegetables as you did with the trees, vines and bushes.

6. Begin placement planning using a copy of your sketch. Place trees and bushes first, grouping those together with similar requirements whenever possible. Mark locations for vines as well, noting that these require trellises or other means of support such as pergolas or fences.

7. Mark locations for several vegetable beds within the landscape, making note of sun exposure and the availability of a water source for each bed. Allow for enough beds within the landscape so you can practice crop rotation throughout the growing season. One or two beds may be left to lie fallow (left empty or contain a cover crop such as alfalfa to be turned into the soil) to maintain soil health.

8. Use the copies of your sketch to revise the landscape plan as needed. The goal is to create a final plan that groups plants together with similar water, nutrient and sun requirements, and allows you to plant and harvest according to season.

Tips & Warnings

• Add borders of perennial flowers and herbs around vegetable beds and tree trunks.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish