Are Edibles "cool" again?
Are Edibles “cool” again? We sure think so! We're going to talk about how to use easily grow and incorporate edible plants in your landscape since it's become especially popular — even more so during the pandemic. And, just to be clear, I'm not talking about the kind of edibles you can buy at a dispensary, but rather things you would grow and eat from your yard (duh!). Although, I have seen some interesting things in peoples yards….. ;)
I think a lot of people would like to grow some of their own food, more for convenience and fun than survival (but you never know these days). Some people think you need to be some kind of “dirty hippy” (I love that description. I mean, what makes them dirty?) Regardless, it's completely NOT true and anyone can easily create and grow an edible landscape, so let’s get to it….
Some simple ideas to start or grow your easy edible garden:
1) Think about what you will actually use. Why grow something you don’t like to eat? I think tarragon reminds me of a really bad experience I had with Ouzo in Germany; that has been added to my “never, ever, EVER, again” list (I mean, even the tarragon smell….)
*Think about what herbs and edible plants you typically cook with, let's start there.
2) Next, you want to think about how often you wish you had your edibles. One class of plants that fits this criteria is herbs. It's usually really easy and quite inexpensive to grow herbs, while they tend to be quite expensive to buy at the grocery store (for a small, crappy quality, tiny plastic container) — not to mention it takes time to go get them/remember to get them/remember to use them before they go bad. Some herbs are used in large quantities in cooking and take "some extra effort" to keep growing (such as cilantro and flat leaf parsley). You'll notice herbs like these are usually available in bulk at the store. However, if you’re looking for something easy, a bit of thyme/sage/basil/etc. is easy to have on hand anytime during the growing season as long as you plant them in the spring! We like to ask our clients if they like to cook and usually try to incorporate herbs into their landscapes or pots so they have a supply. Herbs can be decorative (not to mention convenient), and sometimes our clients don’t even notice them there until we point them out!
*Think about what herbs you use in your cooking, and how much effort you want to spend caring for your herbs, and let's start there.
3) You can also use other edible plants in your landscape beds. There is always a spot (probably not right next to the front door) for a cherry tomato plant, or some strawberry plants as ground cover. Most people are not trying to grow enough to can or freeze, they just want some to pick and enjoy. This can be accomplished in any yard, as long as the plant needs are met – water and sunlight.
*Make a list of plants you like to eat and come by to see if we can help you figure out where to put them! Or, you can always give us your list and let us do the work too. If Helmi's Gardens already creates your pots, ask us to incorporate some of your favorites and we will get it done — as long as it doesn’t involve breaking the law………!!!
Now, let’s get started with something easy: growing/planting your edible landscape!
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