As more and more people become interested in growing food in their own yards, the line has begun to blur between edible garden plots and ornamental landscaping. While the results are stunning, not everyone has the time or resources to completely overhaul their pre-existing layout.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of ways to adopt this new trend in an established yard with minimal effort.
Consider Your Space
While it would be nice if there was a foolproof recipe for success for every yard, the solutions you implement need to be realistic for your space. Consider conditions like sunlight amount and soil drainage before you start looking at planting.
If you have a small space or the soil is poor, consider container planting! There are plenty of vegetables and herbs that will be perfectly happy in a pot, and with the addition of a free-standing trellis, you’ll have a lot of growing space!
Make Easy Swaps
As sad as it is, it’s not uncommon for trees and shrubs to become distressed and need to be removed. Next time this happens, approach it as an opportunity.
Instead of replanting an oak, consider a nut tree or a hardy fruit tree like apple or pear. If you’re in need of a new shrub, berry bushes are the perfect replacement! By making simple swaps over time, your yard will be full of fruitful plants before you know it.
Companion Planting Works Double Duty
If you already have a large garden to tend to, and you just want to make it a little easier on the eyes, consider trap cropping. Trap crops are planted to distract common pests from the food that you’re wanting to harvest.
Conveniently, many trap crops like nasturtiums, sunflowers, marigolds, and zinnias are gorgeous additions to any yard. Simply research what companion plant is best for the crop you’re trying to grow.
While it’s fun to experiment, making changes to your yard can be intimidating, especially if you tackle it all at once. By making changes little by little, it’s easy and fun to adopt the latest garden trends!
