There has been a trend the last handful of years to forego traditional boxwood shrubs, barberry bushes, arborvitae, grass lawns, and Bradford trees (they can hardly be called “pears”) in favor of edible nutritious plants that integrate into your life.
Today I wanted to explore why this is, and why you should do the same.
What is “foodscaping”?
Foodscaping is quite literally landscaping with edible plants.
This is a step further than a vegetable garden in the sense that landscape design and beauty is also prioritized alongside functional food plants!
The beauty of it is that you can have a stunning landscape that looks pretty that also provides food for your family and friends, while using lower inputs like less water and maintenance.
There are a number of foodscaping companies that have emerged in recent years, and a growing market demand in many parts of the US!
II have also been commissioned recently to design a few foodscapes for people.
Why a Foodscape?
To understand why a foodscape is a good idea, it’s important to know why not a traditional landscape.
Traditional landscapes not only require an ungodly amount of irrigation, money, time, and upkeep to stay in good condition, but they also yield no returns for all of those inputs. The most I’ve heard people say is that it offers a place for their suburban children to play but the irony is that their kids are rarely outside.
Could it be that if we had more inviting outdoor spaces, our children would be tempted to spend more time outside? If say, they could get regular supplies of fresh berries or have spaces to hang out, would they be more inclined to enjoy this yard that is seemingly designed for nothing but playing ball?
What about the chemical inputs? Fertilizers and weed killers are not only harmful to the ecosystem, but we’re absorbing those toxins through our feet! I wouldn’t want children to play on it either.
Landscapes these days are also dominated by invasive non-native plants that are unpleasant to interact with (take the English yew or Japanese barberry for example) and don’t even get me started on the Bradford “pear” trees which seem to be the default hideous tree in every neighborhood.
A foodscape offers many benefits:
Low effort design. Foodscapes are generally dominated by perennial crops that don’t require the high inputs of traditional landscapes.
A productive yield. Foodscapes do require occasional maintenance, but it rewards your efforts with fresh local produce!
Pollinator supporting plants. Especially the native flowers like Echinacea and Yarrow!
Productive landscapes offer a higher property value.
Spaces for humans. Areas of the landscape can be not only designed more intentionally for children to explore, but a food-producing landscape is more appealing for getting people to interact with it!
How do I start a foodscape?
I wouldn’t necessarily go tearing up your entire yard right away (unless you have the time and money).
First, I would make a plan. What part of the yard is right for what kinds of plants? Where should trees go and how can I combine them with shrubs and herbs? What perennials do well here? What will we actually eat?
Next I would slowly replace a few plants at a time. Start with the invasive plants and each year add a few edible perennials! Take it one step at a time.
I would also keep these objections in mind:
“HOA wouldn’t like it” - It is more than possible to design an aesthetically pleasing landscape with edible plants.
“I don’t have time to garden” - Yes you do. Perennials are very little work, and I promise you can find time to set down your phone for a few minutes and do a little pruning!
“It will look messy” - It only looks as messy as you let it look. There are plenty of examples of stunningly pretty foodscapes, you can do it!
For those of you who don’t want to design and build your own foodscapes, you’re in luck! There are actually companies who specialize in this kind of design, here are a few:
The Foodscaper - A foodscaping landscape company
Foodscaping Utah - A nonprofit that helps people in Utah create foodscapes
Foodscaping Co. - A group that creates foodscapes across Oregon
Custom Foodscaping - A foodscaping landscaper that services the St. Louis metro area in Missouri
Community Foodscapes - An Atlanta GA based foodscaping company
Nashville Foodscapes - Nashville TN based foodscapers
Columbus Foodscapes - An Ohio based foodscaping company
Bear Creek Organics - A Pennsylvania-based foodscaping farm
Allure Naturescapes - A Georgia-based permaculture designer and foodscaper
Garden Girls - Texas-based Foodscaping company
Green Abundance By Design - Based in Massachusetts
Edible Abundance - TN based foodscapers
And many more can be found at this directory: https://www.thefoodscaper.com/findafoodscaperdirectory
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