Edible Landscaping

Edible Landscaping, or why you should “Eat your Yard”

Imagine… picking a handful of cherry tomatoes on your way in from the car… or gathering a handful of fragrant herbs from a garden patch beside the back door.

Edible Landscaping is the art of incorporating food-producing plants and trees into landscape designs. It gives you the convenience of fresh, healthy food, right in your own yard.

There are many benefits to landscaping with edible plants. You will be able to enjoy the freshness and flavor of home-grown, fully ripened fruits and vegetables. You can also eliminate harmful pesticides and herbicides by choosing to grow organically, and you can grow unusual varieties that may not be available in stores.

Another important reason for growing your own food is to save on grocery bills. From 100 square feet of garden space you can grow up to $600 worth of produce in a year! Consider the time, fuel, and money saved by mowing less lawn. And you can’t place a value on the benefits of exercise and fresh air.

Gardens don’t have to be rectangles. Edible plants can border a pathway, climb a fence or arbor, even grow in pots on patios. Your imagination is our limitation. We can build raised beds, terraced beds, container gardens and rain gardens. Beautiful edible plants can be interspersed among existing flower beds. We can even help you care for your gardens the natural way. Compost bins are nature’s way of making the best fertilizer your plants need -- we’ll build them and teach you how to use them. Rainwater can be harvested off of roofs, stored, and used to irrigate the garden when needed. Gardens are places to be enjoyed, and we can build fences, patios, walkways, stone walls, benches or barbecue pits to enhance the beauty and function of your garden areas.

RATES

The initial consultation is free and includes a visit to your home, evaluation of garden sites and other projects, discussion of your needs and interests, and presentation of a written garden plan. We will then present a personalized estimate which will include labor for preparing garden beds, (removal of plants and/or sod, building raised beds or terracing if needed, tilling and preparing seed bed, sowing seed or planting transplants), any additional building projects, and cost of materials. Discounts given for senior citizens. We can then set up a maintenance schedule that suits your needs. We are here to answer any gardening questions you have by phone or email, free of charge. If we don’t know the answer we will research it for you.