Grow Your Own, Nevada! Spring 2012: Edible landscaping

Turn Your Landscape into an Edible Ecosystem!

EDIBLE LANDSCAPING

Jana VanderhaarVerdant Connections LA

www.verdantconnections.com

OverviewWhat is Edible Landscaping?

Why Choose Edible?

A New Vision

How does it Work?

Edible Landscape Examples

Get Inspired!

Resources

A convenient way to grow vegetables, berries, fruits, herbs, nuts and ornamental plants together, in attractive ways to maximize aesthetics and minimize pests.

Basically, you’re treating edibles as ornamentals!

WHAT IS EDIBLE LANDSCAPING?

WHY EDIBLES?• Best of Both Worlds – mixing food producing plants with ornamentals in your existing landscape: no need to tear out what you have or create a farm to grow food

• Saving water resources for food that you eat

• Using herbs, vegetables and flowers to reduce pests

• Great way to have fun and enjoy your garden to the fullest!

Edible Landscaping – A New Vision

Respect the Soil

Save Energy

Conserve Water

Economical Lawn Alternatives

Reuse & Recycle MaterialsAttract Beneficial Insects

Living, Growing and Being Local

Diagram from http://www.soilfoodweb.com/ Visit this website for microscope images of soil bacteria, fungi, nematodes, mycorrhizae, etc.

Respect the Soil Soil Food Web

Respect the Soil Build It!

Soil Building Ingredients:

wood chips, worm castings, coffee grounds, pine needles, leaves, weeds (without mature seeds), aged animal manures, kitchen scraps, nut shells, juicing pulp, compost, straw, newspaper shreds, grass clippings, animal bedding, etc.

Basically, anything decomposable!

Attract Beneficial Insects

To Reduce Pests

One Example:Aphid Infestation

Attract Beneficial InsectsTo Reduce Pests

Ladybug Beetle

Ladybug Larva

Lacewing

Praying Mantis

Soldier Bug

Syrphid Fly

How do You Attract Beneficial Insects?

Create Habitat Insectary Plants:Parsley, fennel, dill, cilantro, lovage, red clover, chervil, mint, sunflowers, and more!

From “The Book of Outdoor Gardening” by Smith & Hawken

Helpful List of Plants that Attract Beneficial Insects, Create Beauty in Your Garden, and You can Eat, too!

From “The Book of Outdoor Gardening” by Smith & Hawken

Helpful List of Plants that Attract Beneficial Insects, Create Beauty in Your Garden, and You can Eat, too!

Reuse & Recycled MaterialsOld becomes the New

Drip Layout

Drip irrigation for shrubs and trees

Conserve WaterDrip Irrigation in the Edible Landscape

Conserve EnergyUse Trees, Structures &Vines to Shade

How Does It Work?Garden 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

Integrating Edibles in Your Plan

Production Garden & Chicken Coop

Compost Area

Fruit Trees to Shade DrivewayThyme

GroundCover

Mint, Oregano, ChivesAs Ground Cover

Semi-Dwarf Fruit Trees near Patio

Planter with Perennial Edibles such as asparagus, strawberries & Rhubarb

Herbs nearKitchen

Some Easy Edibles to Try

Compost Area

Leafy Greens

Culinary Sage

Chard

Asparagus

CabbageFruit Trees

Berry Shrub

Edibles in Containers

Great Basin Community Food Coop in Reno

Edible Landscape Demonstration Garden

The Edible Landscape at the Great Basin Community Food Coop in Reno is a work in progress.

Here you can see the proposed planting plans for the existing planters, mixing fruiting trees and shrubs with herbal perennials with production gardens for summer and winter crops.

The medicinal garden will have a collection of plants that can be used for salves, teas, and tinctures.

These plants are also very drought tolerant and thrive in our high desert climate.

Edible Landscape – Hug High in Reno

Residential Edible Landscape Example - Reno

Year One – A Grass Blank Slate

Year Two– Irrigation, Raised Beds near House, Pathways & Food Forest

Year Five – In-Ground Garden &Hoop House for 4 Season

Gardening

Remember to build soil, look at plant requirements, and incorporate its habit

Plan now for years to come – don’t do it all in one season

Be creative… Think outside the beds!

Talk with others and get the best tips by sharing!

GET INSPIRED!

What Edibles will You Grow this Year?

Share your ideas atwww.growyourownnevada.com/

ResourcesWEB• Edible Landscaping by Rosalind Creasy -

http://www.rosalindcreasy.com/edible-landscaping-basics/• Mother Earth News – Organic Gardening and Guide to Wise Living

http://www.motherearthnews.com/• Grow Your Own Nevada – Web for Nevada growers put on by UNR

http://www.growyourownnevada.com/• Urban Homestead – Ideas for Self-Suffi ciency in Urban Areas

http://urbanhomestead.org/urban-homestead-definition• National Gardening Association: Great website for tips on what to do in the garden or what to

buy from local farmers. Make sure you look at the zone you live in for planting tips. http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/

• Robert Kourik Garden Roots Blog – He’s the author of Designing & Maintaining your Edible Landscape Naturally (see books below) http://robertkouriksgardenroots.blogspot.com/

BOOKS• Edible Landscaping: Now you can have your gorgeous garden and eat it too! 2010. Rosalind

Creasy, Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, 407 pp.• The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping: Home landscaping with food-bearing plants and

resource-saving techniques. 1982. Rosalind Creasy, Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, 379 pp.

• Designing & Maintaining your Edible Landscape Naturally. 1986. Robert Kourik, Metamorphic Press, 370 pp.

• The Book of Outdoor Gardening. 1996. Smith & Hasken, Workman Publishing, New York, 513 pp.

• Sunset Western Garden Book of Edibles. 2010. Sunset Publishing Co, 304 pp.

Jana Vanderhaar, RLA, Verdant Connections Landscape Architecture

jana@verdantconnections.com

www.verdantconnections.com