While enjoying a stroll through the gardens at Thanksgiving Point, I came across these fabulous combinations of annual plants Dusty Miller and Snapdragon. Don't they look lovely together?
Is it possible to grow a portion of your own food even if you have a small yard, kids and a dog, an apartment with a deck, ravenous neighborhood deer or nothing but lawn? YES!! I have lived with all of these scenarios and love to find ways to fit edibles in my yard. Here are some strategies to use as you examine your yard to find places to fit in more edible plants.
1. Think layers
An existing shrub or tree with lots of mulch around it could host an understory of strawberries or herbs used as a ground cover. Consider filling your existing beds more fully with plants. My garden philosophy: the earth was created to grow things, either you choose what to grow in each space, or nature does (weeds).
This 3 foot wide bed surrounds our pergola-covered deck. It holds 4 grape vines, 1 Issai hardy kiwi vine, & 6 artichoke plants. The edge around the bed grows alpine strawberries. In the empty space behind the posts are Walking Egyptian Onions, which are my perennial supply of green onions. I allow my children to plant flower seeds in the empty spaces between plants. This bed is all about layering plants from high to low, and not leaving any bare ground.
I grow fennel for this one reason: to make fennel apple salad! I am sure there are many great recipes for fennel, but this is my absolute favorite!
Fennel Apple Salad
1-2 fennel stalks, sliced thinly across
A small amount of finely chopped fennel frond
1 apple, diced
2 tsp balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
1-2 tsp agave syrup, to taste
Dash salt
Combine all in a bowl. Let sit for 5-10 minutes (or as long as you can stand to wait!!) to marinate. Eat and enjoy! This recipe makes one main dish salad or two side dish servings.
My mom took the rest of the fennel fronds for her green smoothie. I bet that will make a delicious hint of licorice smoothie. Can't wait to hear back!
Even two to three generations ago, many American families owned a larger plot of land and grew the majority if their own food, preserving much for winter. I have an average 1/3 acre lot, and don't pretend that I can come near my grandparents in home food production. However, I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I can fit on my 1/3 acre lot, including the equivalent of 15 4x4 raised garden beds, herb garden and 35+ fruit trees, bushes and vines.
Gardening soothes me. It allures all my senses and I am drawn in by the textures, colors, smells. I garden for pleasure, for beauty, for the love of nature, for sustenance. I appreciate the beauty of all of God's magnificent plant creations, and I intend to grow as many of them as possible! The typical American yard with lawn, shrub, tree has never appealed to me. The view that always draws me in is a thickly planted, texture and color filled grouping of plants with lots of movement in it.
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