Edible Landscaping, when you have a homeowners association, is all about distraction. When you look at the above picture, do you see my crops? Would you notice them if I hadn’t told you?

That’s what I’m talking about.

Behind my pansies, behind the fence, is fifty strawberry plants and five asparagus in a mulch bed made entirely from trash.

Hiding Food in the Front Yard

1. Have ridiculously showy beds
Whether in sun or shade, people notice color and flowers. If you glam up the surroundings, no one will ever see your squash and herbs. And if they do, they won’t care.

2. Choose ornamental-looking edibles
Corn is always corn. Tomato bushes are always tomato bushes. But, greens, some herbs, and bush beans can be interspersed in borders and look like they belong there. Squash and cucumbers and sweet potatoes make great annual ground cover. Strawberries make a great evergreen ground cover.

3. Get rid of a few inedibles
Maybe those extra dwarf nandinas can vacate and leave room for sage and kale? Plants are meant to be pretty, but they also are meant to feed us. And in the suburban environment where space is at a premium, switching inedibles for more delicious plants is a great way to increase our gardening space.

So, while you’re deciding what to put out in the coming weeks, make a few extra seedling pots to keep your daylilies company out front.

Ivory