Gardening 'outside the box': Edible landscaping makes most of yard space

FARGO — When Esther McGinnis lived in the Twin Cities, the configuration of her yard didn't allow her to grow a traditional garden, so she decided to get creative.

"I just started sticking tomatoes here and cucumbers there because I had to have a Greek salad," she said.

She planted her veggies and herbs among her flowers, creating a landscape that was both beautiful and edible.

Now that McGinnis is a North Dakota State University Extension horticulturist and Department of Plant Sciences assistant professor, she's been teaching others to grow their gardens "outside the box" with a method called edible landscaping.

"It's really simple. It's a matter of incorporating edible plants into the ornamental landscape," said McGinnis, who has been with NDSU for two years and is also director of the North Dakota Extension Master Gardener Program. "You could have vegetables in the middle of your flower garden. It's making the most use that you can out of your yard."

It's a technique that has really become popular over the past five years, McGinnis said, both because yards are getting smaller and because people are more concerned about where their food comes from and whether things like pesticides and herbicides are used to grow the produce.

"I think people are a little afraid of vegetable gardening because they may not have done it in the past," she said. "With an edible landscape, you can start small. Pop in a few vegetables here. Pop in a shrub that produces berries there."

J.D. Shotwell, who runs Shotwell Floral with his parents, John and Annette, said the increasing cost of produce is driving more people to garden, but it doesn't have to be complicated.

"People can do simple things these days," he said. "There are a lot more plants these days that are made for patio pots. You don't have to put them in the ground. If somebody has a balcony, there's a tomato plant for that."

The selection isn't as large for potted edibles, he said, and vining plants like cucumbers, pumpkin and squash take up more room, but people don't have to have a large garden to grow various types of produce.

"It's a great thing for kids as they're growing up," Shotwell said. "It's a great way to show them where food comes from."

Edible landscapes can be easier to care for, McGinnis said, because they're typically smaller than traditional gardens.

"You can tailor it to your own specifications so you can make it as complicated as you want or as simple as you want," she said. "It's essentially just swapping out landscape plants and putting in something you can harvest."

There are no city codes prohibiting gardening in the front, rear or sides of people's yards in Fargo, Moorhead or West Fargo, but gardens are not allowed on boulevards in any of the cities.

When planting edibles next to ornamentals, McGinnis said it's important to know what the plants look like, and only harvest the edible plants because some ornamentals can be poisonous.

Some people are growing plants from seeds in their homes right now, Shotwell said. The prime time to buy transplants, he said, is between Mother's Day and Memorial Day.

"The key thing for those beginners is to never be afraid to come in and ask," he said. "It can be complex and it can be overwhelming but it can be very simple, too, with the right direction."

To set up an edible landscape, McGinnis said:

• Identify the space you want to plant and tailor your selections for that space.

• Plant vegetables in full sun.

• Plant lettuce and leafy greens in light shade.

• Focus on areas of the yard with good soil. If you're not sure, NDSU will test your soil for a fee. Contact the Soil Testing Laboratory at (701) 231-8942.

• Or start off small by planting fruits, veggies and herbs in containers. (Eggplant and peppers may do better in a container where they get warmer than if planted in the ground.)

Planting pointers

• Select varieties that have more aesthetic appeal.

• Dinosaur kale (also called Tuscan kale) makes a nice backdrop for ornamental annuals.

• Loose-leaf lettuces come in red and green varieties. They're great for beginners and only take 45 days to mature, so they can be planted at the end of April, picked by early June, and replanted. But once the lettuce starts to bloom, it develops a bitter taste.

• Some edibles, like scarlet runner bean, lavender and alliums (which include onions, shallots and garlic) produce colorful flowers.

• Use a trellis for vining plants like cucumbers.

• Plant herbs like dill, lemon thyme, sage, rosemary, basil and chives.

• Swiss Chard boasts colorful stems.

• Pansies, Lavender, Nasturtium and Borage are all edible flowers.

• Fruit trees and berry shrubs make nice additions to edible landscapes.