When you hear of landscaping, what's the first thing that pops on your mind? It's lush gardens filled with ornamental plants and flowers, right?

However, did you know that landscaping isn't only limited to flowering plants? You can also use vegetables, fruits, and herbs for landscaping!

It's called Edible landscaping, and it's a growing trend within the gardening world. After all, edible landscaping combines aesthetics with functionality, perfect for producing homegrown food!

Image Credit: Markus Spiske | Unsplash.com

If you're looking for a way to level up your garden space, why not try edible landscaping? And this guide will teach you exactly how!

What's edible landscaping?

Edible landscaping is a gardening approach where you integrate edible plants into your landscape design. With edible landscaping, you can enjoy the view of your garden as well as love the produce it provides like fruits, vegetables, and herbs!

It's also known as foodscaping, and you aim to combine the practicality of homegrown food production with garden designing. With this, you can make the most out of your garden space and enjoy fresh produce anytime you want!

Why choose foodscaping?

A beautifully designed landscape brings delight to anyone, but what exactly is in edible landscaping that makes a difference?

Here are some benefits you can reap when you create your own edible landscape!

Guaranteed safe and fresh produce

Who doesn't want to have their hands on the freshest produce for their meals? And with edible landscaping, you can have fresh produce anytime!

It's because edible landscaping gives you fruits and vegetables straight from your garden. You can pick produce at their peak ripeness, ensuring you maximum flavour and nutrition!

Lower grocery bills

It's undeniable that grocery bills take up most of your expenses. After all, you eat three times a day, seven days a week!

But did you know that with edible landscaping, you can significantly reduce your grocery bills?

It's because you'll also rely less on store-bought produce! So, you can use the extra money for your savings or more important expenses at home!

Quality time for the family

You can't do gardening alone, that's a fact. So, why not make it a family activity instead?

When you work together with your family in your edible landscape, you can do things faster and easier. Plus, your family can learn more about gardening, nutrition, and the environment, making it a valuable educational tool for everyone!

Steps to create your edible landscape

Now that you know what an edible landscape is along with its benefits, you're probably wondering how you can make your own foodscape.

Here are some steps to take in creating your own edible landscape at home!

Design your landscape

You should begin by designing your garden layout. What would you want it to look like?

You should also consider factors like sunlight, soil quality and available space when designing. This way, you can create a layout that maximises both functionality and aesthetics.

Pick your plants

What's a garden without the plants?

After designing your layout, you can select the plants that'll go into your edible landscape.

Remember to choose a variety of plants that'll bear fruit at different seasons. This way, you'll never run out of produce as the seasons change! You can also add grass to conserve water and provide greenery all year-round.

Integrate your ornamentals

What makes an edible landscape attractive is that it marries ornamental plants with edible ones. So, you should also choose which ornamentals should go into your garden!

You can decide whether to make ornamentals your focal point or accents to your garden. By doing this, you can create a harmonious and aesthetic landscape at home!

Try vertical gardening

If you don't have a huge space, why not try vertical gardening for your edible landscape?

You can apply vertical gardening techniques such as trellises, hanging baskets, and wall-mounted planters for your plants. This way, you can maximise your garden space, allowing your plants to grow healthy!

Maintain proper care for your plants

The work doesn't end after you plant in your garden. You need to properly maintain them!

So, you should regularly maintain your plants. You need to water them, as well as give the plants fertilisers to ensure their growth. Plus, you need to control pests so that they won't eat your plants!

Be patient for the harvest ahead

Plants, just like humans, require some time to be ready for harvest. So, you should be patient in maintaining them!

And when your edible plants are ready for harvest, you can enjoy picking your own fresh produce! You can try all sorts of delicious recipes with your produce, delighting everyone in the family and ensuring their nutrition!

Your garden isn't only limited to trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. With an edible landscape, you can add a twist to your garden, and provide your household with an abundance of fresh produce all year long!