Maximize Small Spaces by Blending Ornamental Design with Delicious, Homegrown Food
Guest Contributor: Cassey Anderson, Horticulture Agent, Colorado State University Extension
Do you want to get more bang for your buck in a small garden space? Have a restricted front yard with rules against vegetable gardens? You may consider edible gardening – incorporating edible foods into an ornamental landscape. Some plants are better candidates for gardening than others, but many can be successful! When planning an edible landscape, you can follow many of the principles of garden design including texture and color and landscaping principles such as repetition and order.
In general, there are three primary categories you can include in an edible landscape: tree fruits, small shrubs and perennials, and annual plants.
Tree Fruits
Tree fruits can give us a wonderful visual show in springtime and then produce fruit in late summer and early fall. Most fruit trees need a site that has full sun with plenty of space for the mature size of the tree preferably away from walls and fences. It is important to also recognize that tree fruits will require management and maintenance of the fruit and there is a potential for a fair amount of mess if the fruit is not harvested.
Depending on your area, some good choices can include:
• Apple – can grow large, be pruned into ornamental shapes such as the “espalier” pictured. Very tough and tolerant of a wide variety of conditions
• Pears – grow similarly to apple
• Plums – Two main types: European and Japanese, each has slightly different cultural needs
• Elderberry – somewhat between a shrub and a tree can be used for both flowers and fruit
• Fig – not hardy in all areas but where it is it can be a very visually pleasing tree that produces amazing fruit
• Cherry – sour cherries are a better choice for colder areas than sweet cherries, but the tree is quite tough and can be very productive. The bark of the cherry tree can be very ornamental
When selecting your varieties, work with your local Extension office for cultivars that do well in your area, or if the tree you’re seeking even does well in your climate, it can vary quite substantially. Also, check for the root stock used. The root stock is a different variety than the tree you’re looking to get plants form and can offer benefits such as increased hardiness, disease resistance, or size limitation, it is the root stock that allows us to have dwarf fruit trees in small spaces. You should also investigate whether the tree you select requires a pollinator or not. Apples, pears, and Japanese plums require cross pollination. Sour cherries, peaches, and European plums are self-pollinating.
Tree care and maintenance
To get the best fruit production you will need to prune your trees. Different varieties require different types of pruning and the way you prune will be dependent of your goals, the mature size of the tree, the species, and the aesthetic you are seeking. You may also need to consider pest management. Ensure that you correctly identify any pests you may be concerned with, scout frequently and set a threshold for how much damage you can tolerate. For example, in an apple tree you may get an insect called a coddling moth. The larval form burrows into the apple and causes distortions. You can decide to tolerate this and just cut the impacted areas of the apple out, you can exclude the pest, or you can treat with insecticides. Whatever you decide, making a decision before the issue comes up is the best plan.
Shrubs and Vines
Shrubs can be easier to grow and are smaller than fruit trees with often a more reliable fruit production year over year.
Some great choices include:
• Currants (red currant pictured above) – attractive flowers and leaves with red, gold, white, or black varieties
• Gooseberries (reddish-pink fruit pictured above)– similar to currants, may have thorns so could act as a deterrent hedge
• Rhubarb – very large and ornamental leaves
• Grapes – can act as an arbor or shade a patio very elegantly
• Hardy Kiwi (pictured above) – can grow very aesthetically along a wall with a trellis, these are not fuzzy like imported kiwi, and do require a male and female vine
• Raspberry and Blackberry – you can “weave” these into a wire fence system and make an informal “hedge”
• Strawberry – select June bearing or everbearing cultivars that do well in your area
• Herbs can act as a “gateway” to edible landscape plants, and many have the benefit of being perennial. Select from:
o Oregano
o Thyme
o Sage
o Rosemary
o Basil (annual)
Do be aware that if you live in an area with Japanese beetle you may need to consider the severity of your infestation before planting grapes, raspberry, and blackberry as these are all incredibly popular for the insect.
Annual fruit and vegetables
One of the easiest and lowest effort ways to incorporate edibles into your landscape is through the use of annual plants. These are a few options to consider:
• Lettuce (pictured, left)– huge variety of colors/patterns etc. that can be planted in rows, borders etc.
• Kale – colorful and wide variety of shapes, sizes, and textures
• Swiss Chard (pictured, right) – bright and multi-colored stems
• Tomato – attractive fruit, that if trellised appropriately can be grown attractively
• Ornamental peppers (pictured) – colorful fruit, compact plants that can fit in small spaces or container gardens
• Eggplant – attractive leaves and flowers that also give you lovely glossy fruits
• You can even incorporate edible flowers for a very easy to harvest and aesthetically pleasing option. Some flowers include:
o Nasturtium (pictured), violet, rose, daylily and more
o Do note if planting flowers, you want to know where the plant has come from and be sure that you are 100% positive of your ID as some can look like non-edible varieties
There are, of course, many other plants that can be incorporated into an edible landscape, but the above selections tend to be easily available and reliably productive. Be sure to check cultural requirements for each variety such as water and fertilization needs, sun or shade tolerances, and when they can be harvested. Some can be harvested once in a season; some may require more frequent attention through the growing season.
If you do treat other parts of your ornamental landscapes with any pesticides you will want to read the label carefully to see if they are safe to use with edible plants, and either stagger treatment or hold off when growing edible plants in the area.
Edible landscaping can be an incredible way to subtly incorporate edibles into your landscape particularly if you don’t have a lot of space but still want to get something out of your garden space! If you want to dive deeply into edible landscaping, consider checking out the book “Edible Landscaping" by Rosalind Creasy.
As always, reach out to your local Extension office to get more information for varieties and cultivars that work best in your area, and let’s get some edibles into our ornamental landscapes!
Gardening in Colorado? Check out Grow & Give www.growandgivecolorado.org and in particular our Colorado Vegetable Guide https://growgive.extension.colostate.edu/colorado-vegetable-guide/ for more crop information on all of the above plants.
What if every gardener planted just one extra plant to share?
One small donation can have a tremendous impact. Just imagine, if every gardener planted one extra plant to share, collectively, we would have an abundant source of fresh, healthy produce available to be distributed to families experiencing food insecurity in our own communities! The free Fresh Food Connect mobile app connects you to a local hunger relief program, then manages and tracks your donations of homegrown produce throughout the season. Download the app today!