Microgardens can be created on roofs, balconies, small patios, fire escapes and small landscaped areas, using edibles as decorative and ornamental features instead of strictly edible plants, says urban gardener Melinda Myers.
Growing your own edible garden is a great way to get kids outside and nurture their appreciation for where food comes from. Landsburg Landscape Nursery in Minnesota designed this vegetable garden within an enclosure, giving it an even more kid-friendly “secret garden” appeal.
If your patio isn’t far from the kitchen, why not grow something flavorful so you can snip fresh seasonings and add them to dinner? River Valley Landscaping put cooking herbs in the ground and containers for plantings as pretty as they are practical.
The landscape design in this backyard is playful and encourages exploring with a slim, circular lawn. The surrounding beds are full of flowers and edible plantings, like herbs.
This 8,000-square-foot home is carefully integrated into the surrounding landscape, which includes more than 130 live oak trees. The bedrooms are buried into a hill and beneath a green roof of edible herbs.
From late winter through early spring, ‘Beauty’ Japanese plum brightens the landscape with delicate white flowers. The white blossoms fade to form tasty red plums in midsummer, earlier than other plums. This small edible fruit tree grows 12 to 15 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide. Plums make a nice addition to the home garden. 'Beauty' plum needs another plum for cross-pollination; ‘Shiro’ makes a good choice. Hardy in Zones 4-10.
