Edible Landscaping What is Edible Landscaping? Why is it a Good Idea? Viability and Vision Getting Started Feel Inspired! Questions Resources 1 Edible Landscaping Incorporating food-producing plants into an existing landscape Promotes sustainable gardening practices Using foodproducing plants within a landscape design 2 Edible Landscaping is The use of food-producing plants in the constructed landscape whether in ground or containerized Principally fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers 1 to 100% edible plants in combination with ornamentals 3 1
Why Plant an Edible Landscape? Economy help feed your family and save on the grocery bills Increase food security Quality fresh, fully ripe food, flavor Variety unusual plants or kinds not readily available New textures, forms and colors 4 Why Plant an Edible Landscape? Locally Grown know what you grow Safety control chemical usage Relaxation pulling weeds can be therapeutic! Interaction with the natural world and FUN! Kid Friendly 5 History of Edible Landscapes History of Edible Landscapes Ancient Persian gardens contained both edible and ornamental plants Medieval monastic gardens contained fruits, vegetables, flowers and medicinal herbs 19 th century English suburban yards were modeled after manor gardens with edible plants 6 2
Soil test Soil type Getting Started 7 The Beauty of a Garden You Can Eat. 8 Planning Your Edible Landscape Most edible plants require at least 6 hours of full sun Most prefer well-drained soil Test soil to apply fertilizer and lime appropriately Begin with one-to-one substitutions Choose multiple cultivars to extend harvest 9 3
Getting Started Amount and quality of sunlight 10 Maintaining Edible Plants Know potential pests and treat them correctly for edible plants Perform basic care to ensure healthy plants Perform seasonal pruning to ensure good yields Use mulch to reduce weeds and decrease watering Make sure to have cross-pollinators for plants that require them 11 Family Kids Pets Things to Consider Time, Money, Restrictions Budget Space available Zone restrictions 12 4
Getting Started Proximity to house/kitchen Proximity to water Reasons: 1. Easier to gather the harvest 2. Accessibility for weeding, cultivating, & staking plants 3. May deter vermin 13 Getting Started How do you want the plant to function in the landscape? Shade Tree Small Tree/Shrub Hedge Ground Cover Vine Perennial Annual Impact 14 Edible Plants Guidelines Size Consider growth habit of plants both width and height (dwarf, semi-dwarf, etc. Form (shape) Round, upright, vase shaped natural form Texture Big/bold, small/hairy, course/fine Color Endless possibilities 15 5
Size Matters http://www.rosalindcreasy.com/toma toes-and-peppers-in-the-ediblelandscape/ 16 Size Consider growth habit of plants both width and height (dwarf, semi-dwarf, etc.) 17 Form Round, upright, vase shaped natural form Image by: Rosalind Creasy 18 6
Texture Big/bold, small/hairy, course/fine Asparagus 19 Color Endless possibilities armstronggarden.com www.finegardening.com 20 Delicious Design Tips Select Edibles for their Color, Texture & Form Create Balance & Repetition Think Pathways & Seating Areas Choose Focal Points that Please You Add Vertical Structures such as Arbors, Trellises and A-Frames 21 7
Espaliered pear Chives 22 23 Selecting Plants Factors in selecting edibles Design intent: Accessibility for harvest Aesthetic appeal Size Form Color Texture Hardiness Taste Aroma 24 8
Annuals Artichoke Parsley Basil Dill Fennel Carrots Tomatoes Peppers Cabbage Summer squash Eggplant Okra Cilantro 25 Annuals Basil Carrots Cabbage Eggplant Okra Peppers 26 Annuals/Biennials Swiss Chard Lettuces Corn Kale Alliums Nightshades Squashes Celery Pumpkin Pole Beans 27 9
Perennials Rhubarb Horseradish Chives Sage Anise Hyssop Lavender Globe Artichoke 28 Perennials Horseradish 29 Flowers Bachelor Buttons Bee Balm Calendula Chamomile Chicory Mums Dandelion Daylily Dianthus Marigold Nasturtium Pansy Passion Flower Rose Sunflower Violet Squash Pumpkin 30 10
Flowers Chamomile Scented Geraniums Sunflower Pumpkin Dianthus Daylily 31 Trees Walnut Wild Cherry Plum Chokecherry Apple Pear Peach Cherries Dogwoods Pawpaw Figs Citrus Persimmon Mulberries Pine 32 Fruit Trees Plum Dwarf/Semi Dwarf Apple, Pear, Etc. Mulberry PawPaw Cherry Peach 33 11
Fruit and Nut Maintenance Minimum Maintenance Butternut Chestnut Crabapple Currant Elderberry Hazelnut Gooseberry Hickory Pawpaw Persimmon Quince Strawberry Walnut 34 Fruit and Nut Maintenance Modest Maintenance Apricot Blackberry Cherry Raspberry Mulberry 35 Fruit and Nut Maintenance High Maintenance Apple Grape Peach Pear Plum 36 12
Blueberries Currants Gooseberries Elderberry Brambles Hazelnut Quince Shrubs 37 Shrubs Blueberry Elderberry Gooseberry Brambles Currants Quince 38 Raspberries Asparagus Hedges 39 13
Vines Grapes Hops Cucumbers Winter squash Melons Peas Beans Passion Flower 40 Vines Hops Grapes Cucumbers Melons Passion Flower Beans 41 Ground Covers Thyme Mint Catmint Oregano Strawberries Sweetpotato Cucumber Lettuce Alpine strawberries Chamomile Rosemary (trailing) Sweet woodruff Wintergreen 42 14
Ground Covers Sage Rosemary Mint Parsley Thyme 43 Groundcovers Substitute for turfgrass Use on slopes Between trees/shrubs where grass does not grow 44 Additional Ideas Grow herbs in pots Use basil as foliage in planters and beds Use lettuce and greens in beds for foliage Train fruit trees and shrubs in interesting shapes Try new and interesting things 45 15
Containers Avoids soil management issues (weeds, etc.) Select quality container media Leach soil after planting Container should have good drainage holes in bottom (no gravel) Many shapes/sizes/colors 46 Hanging Baskets 47 Design 48 16
Mildly Toxic CAUTION Alyssum American ivy Apricot (pit) Arrowhead Avocado (seed, leaves, stem) Birch tree Black walnut Bleeding heart Boston ivy Cactus Carnation Carrot (greens) Cattail Chrysanthemum Daisy Devil's Ivy Dogwood Dracaena (most varieties) Elephant's ear Fern Ficus Benjamina Fig tree Geranium Gladiola Dahlia Honeysuckle Inch plant Iris Ivy Lady slipper Lamb's tail Maple tree Narcissus Oak tree Oxalis Painted lady Pansy Peace lily Peach (pit) Philodendron Poinsettia Potato (all green parts) Rose Rubber plant Sedum Sensitive fern Snake plant Sweet pea Tomato (entire plant except the ripe fruit) Violet Weeping willow Woodbine 49 Amaryllis Anemone Arborvitae Bird of paradise Bittersweet Black locust Black root Buckeye Buttercups Caladium Castor bean Crown of thorns Crown vetch Cyclamen Daphne Delphinium Dieffenbachia Elderberry Foxglove Hedge apples Holly Hyacinth Hydrangea Jack in the pulpit Jerusalem cherry Jimson weed Jonquil Juniper Laurel Lily of the valley Lobelia Locoweed Maidenhair tree Mistletoe Moonseed Monkshood Morning Glory Mother-in-law plant Mother-in-law tongue Mushrooms (some varieties) Nightshade (all varieties) Oleander Peony Periwinkle Poison hemlock Poison oak Pokeweed Poppy (except California) Pothos Ranunculus Rhubarb (leaves) Rosary beans Rosary peas Sand begonia Snow on the mountain Solomon's seal String of beads String of pearls Sumac Vinca(all varieties) Water hemlock Wild parsnip Wisteria Yew 50 Added Insights Do not eat commercially available flowers from retail stores or garden centers Do not eat Roadside flowers Not every flower is edible! Research KNOW before you eat Pick flowers in their prime store in refrigerator Wash gently before using Remove pistils and stamens before eating Sunflowers and mums just use petals Mushrooms use a paper bag for storage 51 17
Book Resources Edible Landscaping Rosalind Creasy 2010, 2nd ed. Landscaping with Fruit Lee Reich 2009 Our Edible Landscape Sam Powers Edible Estates Will Allen, et al. 2010, 2nd ed. The Edible Front Yard Ivette Soler 2011 The Edible Flower Garden Rosalind Creasey 1999 Peterson Field Guide Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants S. Foster and R. Caras 1994 All in One Garden Graham Rice Creative Vegetable Gardening Joy Larkom Vertical Gardening Derek Fell 2011 The Edible Landscape Emily Tepe 2013 52 Web Resources Rosalind Creasy s Edible Landscape Page http://www.rosalindcreasy.com/ Ohio State http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1255.html Purdue http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ho-190.pdf 53 Contact Information Author: Andrew Holsinger Extension Educator, Horticulture Christian/Jersey/Macoupin/Montgomery Unit #1 Industrial Park Dr. Hillsboro, IL 62049 Phone: 217-532-3941 FAX: 217-532-3944 aholsing@illinois.edu 54 18