Edible Garden Design

Edible garden design is an exciting trend in gardening. Many fruit, vegetable, and herb plants are beautiful, so there’s no need to limit them to rows in a squared-off backyard plot.

The design principles for an edible garden are like those for any garden and include considerations for color, texture, structure, soil, and sunlight. But, there are a few other things to consider.

• Not every plant in the "edible" garden needs to be edible. In fact, you can incorporate herbs, vegetables and fruits into almost any existing garden.

• Do not mix poisonous plants with the edibles, especially if they could be confused.

• When considering non-traditional edible plants, ensure that the specific varieties you select are edible before tasting them. Remember that sometimes only a part of these plants (leaves or seeds or flowers) may be edible.

• Watch your use of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers to make sure all products are approved for edibles. Avoid plants that are known to be pest or disease prone to reduce the need for chemicals.

• Make sure you can reach your edible plants for harvesting.

• Several structures are particularly suited to the ornamental edible garden. Consider espaliered fruit trees, container gardens, raised garden beds, and garden trellises for peas, vine tomatoes, and grapes.

Here are some useful resources to help you design and grow your edible garden.

• 2011 Wisconsin Garden Journal, themed "Ornamental and Edible Gardens." (book available for purchase)

• "Grow Fruits and Vegetables Anywhere," an article by This Old House with a slideshow of edible gardens.

• "The Ornamental Edible Garden," an article by Canadian Gardening, containing edible garden design, plant suggestions, and tips for natural pest control.

• Edible Flowers from Colorado State University Extension. Also includes a list of toxic flowers.

• A list of poisonous plants for people by Proven Winners.

• Fruit and Vegetable articles by University of Wisconsin Horticulture Extension

To help you get started, here are some ideas for plants to use in your edible garden.