5 Best Plants for Edible Backyard Landscaping

Grab our Seed Sowing and Succession Planting Spreadsheet

With planting dates tailored to you!

Plus you get exclusive deals and weekly tips

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

This post was most recently updated on April 13th, 2020

Edible landscaping and gardening is simply using fruit trees and other edible plants to decorate your garden. Edible landscaping has a number of benefits, the big obvious one is saving money on groceries, since most of the plants used are edible so you won’t need to buy as much food from the grocery store.

Please read: This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose or prevent any disease. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

This post contains affiliate links, this means at no extra cost to you, we make a commission from sales. Please read our Disclosure Statement

Edible landscaping, when designed well, also saves time on yard work and helps to give you control of your food supply.

It is also a good eco-friendly way of eating, because growing your own fruits enables you to cut down on the use of fuel and all the nasties that come with commercial agriculture.

Edible gardening also exposes your family to nature, teaching both you and your children invaluable life skills.

There are a number of fruits and plants that can be used for edible landscaping. Edible plants and fruits are very much capable of living with the ornamental ones in your flower garden, you don’t have to have a separate food only garden for them!

When you are looking into landscape gardening and landscaping you should consider combining the edible plants with the ornamental plants.

RELATED: 100 perennial plants for your food forest

If you are new to gardening, or want some support and knowledge getting a garden started, check out our Productive Gardener Course TODAY

Edible plants that can help with landscaping and gardening

1. Cucumbers

Cucumbers are warm season crops. You should include cucumbers in your edible garden because they can be served as both vegetables and fruits.

In addition cucumbers can also be used as appetizers or in salads and also in cold soups. The cucumbers that are commonly used in a backyard garden are often the smaller varieties that mature quickly.

You are supposed to plant the cucumber seeds in hills of compost, about five to six seeds in hills that are about seven or eight inches high and four to six feet apart. This is because they are very heavy feeders bug don’t like having soggy wet roots.

They should be planted close to the strongest plants or a wire fence in the garden so they have a structure to climb up.

RELATED: How to use wood ash in your garden

2. Fig Tree

Many people love fig trees in their yards and if you consider planting figs you will never need to buy figs again.

Figs are small trees that grow easily from cuttings. You can ask around and see if someone has a variety that grows well in your area that you can take a cutting from.

Figs are usually plentiful during the harvest season; birds and also other wildlife enjoy having figs.

They are also very delicious as they have succulent fruits that are very healthy, perfect lightly grilled and drizzled in honey. You can also add figs to your salads, to your deserts, and you can also use it as a marinade for your meat specifically pork and fish. 

RELATED: the 7 layers of a food forest

 

3. Beans

You may also consider bean plants for edible landscaping.

The leaves and flowers of the bean plants are usually very attractive to animals; they are actually more attractive than bean pods. Especially the stunning scarlet runner which has bright red flowers.

Beans can be grown in flower borders by putting chicken wires at the bottom of the plants or growing them near a tall tree or wire fence.

As much as insects are attracted to the leaves they do not usually destroy the whole plant entirely. The bean seeds remain intact for harvesting.

The beans can also be on decorative structure like a pergola, bean teepee or a climbing frame, which can make your garden more attractive and appealing to the eye and add shape to your garden.

Beans are also nitrogen fixers so they will help feed your soil.

RELATED: Free Gardening Resources

4. Egg Plants

You can also consider using egg plants as a means of edible landscaping and gardening.

If your area is warm enough to grow eggplant outside they put on a beautiful display.

Egg plants can be damaged by aphids if they are planted close together, however if there are flowers planted in between the damage is not as severe.

Egg plants have very beautiful leaves and flowers, and then go on to have wonderful aubergine colored shiny fruits.  

RELATED: How to eat seasonally in spring

5. Growing Peppers

Some people also opt to have peppers in their gardens.

Both sweet peppers and hot peppers are lovely additions to edible landscapes. Often peppers are usually sold as ornamental plants, even if you don’t like to eat the fruit.

Their leaves are shiny and deep green which contrasts beautifully with the bright red, orange, yellow or purple of the resulting peppers.

Other types of landscaping edible plants include herbs such as parsley and basil which are delicious and add a nice bright green foliage. If allowed to flower, parsley has a very tall umbrella flower that bees adore.

Curly kale, colored chard and decorative lettuces also look wonderful in a garden border.

Do you include food plants in your landscaping? What edible plants do you use? Let me know in the comments below.

If you would like help getting the most out of your garden, I would love to help you, find out more here

RELATED: Free Gardening Resources

If you like tips on frugal living, self sufficiency and consuming less, sign up to our newsletter below, I would LOVE to have you

For further reading, I also recommend all of these books. I own every one of them and they are amazing resources!

 

 

 

 

when to pick radishes promo image
growing oca
Food forest plants
Grow food from scraps that you would usually throw away with these handy kitchen hacks. Easy to grow foods that you can try to grow at home #piwakawakavalley
Here are some salad greens that you can plant now and have salad greens next winter! Perennial, self sowing and super tasty you should try these wild greens #forrage #piwakawakavalley
Here is the information you have been looking for! How to grow green beans, what is the difference between green beans and scarlet runner beans and are beans a good plant for beginner gardeners? Check out these helpful tips to get you started #vegetablegarden #getgrowing #piwakawakavalley
Are you new to gardening? Here is the beginners guide to growing cabbage for your vegetable garden, in step by step fashion, everything you need to know about planting cabbage in your backyard #vegetablegarden #piwakawakavalley
Are you new to gardening? Here is the beginners guide to growing peas for your vegetable garden, in step by step fashion, everything you need to know about planting peas in your backyard #vegetablegarden #piwakawakavalley
Tips On Growing Vegetables In Pots 3
Growing potatoes in pots, a beginners guide to growing your own potatoes. You can grow spuds in pots, containers or tyres with great results. Find out how today! #piwakawakavalley #potatoes #vegeteablegarden
Learn these great gardening tips, from a seasoned gardener. Growing potatoes using the back to Eden method of gardening is by far the easiest way to get a good crop of potatoes for beginner gardeners. Follow this step by step guide to growing a good crop of spuds in your vegetable garden this season
Kale is one of the easiest vegetable plants for beginners to grow! Here are step by step instructions on how to grow it in your vegetable or herb garden, or even in pots or containers. Get the full easy instructions in this beginner gardener guide #vegetablegardening #piwakawakavalley
Spinach is one of the easiest vegetable plants for beginners to grow! Here are step by step instructions on how to grow it in your vegetable or herb garden, or even in pots or containers. Get the full easy instructions in this beginner gardener guide #vegetablegardening #piwakawakavalley
Lettuce is one of the easiest vegetable plants for beginners to grow! Here are step by step instructions on how to grow it in your vegetable or herb garden, or even in pots or containers. Get the full easy instructions in this beginner gardener guide #vegetablegardening #piwakawakavalley
Are you new to gardening? Here is the beginners guide to growing carrots for your vegetable garden, in step by step fashion, everything you need to know about planting carrots in your backyard #vegetablegarden #piwakawakavalley
Are you new to gardening? Here is the beginners guide to growing lavender for your vegetable garden, in step by step fashion, everything you need to know about planting lavender in your backyard #vegetablegarden #piwakawakavalley
Are you new to gardening? Here is the beginners guide to growing broccoli for your vegetable garden, in step by step fashion, everything you need to know about planting broccoli in your backyard #vegetablegarden #piwakawakavalley
Have you put off growing herbs in your garden because you don't know where to start? Here is some tips for beginners to growing your own herbs at home. #herbs #gardening #homesteading
Do you want to grow a garden, but aren't sure where to start? Our seed sowing guide for beginners with give you the tips on tricks you need to sow your own seeds

 

Edible landscaping, when designed well, also saves time on yard work and helps to give you control of your food supply.It is also a good eco-friendly way of eating, because growing your own fruits enables you to cut down on the use of fuel and all the nasties that come with commercial agriculture.

Do you need more delicious goodness fresh from the farm?

 

Sign up for our weekly Fresh From the Farm Newsletter

All goodness, no spam.

Get exclusive content, discounts and updates.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Leave a comment