It’s spring and time to spruce up your outdoor environment. A big fan of front yard edible gardens, I consider them the most important design project you’ll take on this season.
You really don’t need a lot of space to create a front yard garden. Here’s mine, next to the driveway to my garage.I’ve managed to include figs, butter lettuce, red oak lettuce, beets, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, kale, rosemary, parsley, zucchini, thyme, mint, lavender and sage in this tiny space.
Start seedlings, like these tomatoes, inside. Plant outside after two weeks.
Yellow Flowers will soon turn into gorgeous, red, tasty tomatoes.
This will be the first tomatoe to my plate this season.
Snails and slugs love to eat cantaloupe and cucumbers, so either use an organic slug repellant orwatch your seedlings disappear.
Kale tastes great when it’s fresh- I swear!
Eggplant is a little hard to get started. I started mine inside for a few weeks, in eggcartons.
But if it makes it to a full grown vegetable, it’s delightful when it’s fresh.
Squash is easy, it basically grows itself. Not only is it yummy, the pretty yellow vegetables look gorgeous in your summer kitchen.
My grandmother had huge mint patches when I was a kid. Everytime I walk by mint, it makes me think of her and smile. I make mint tea almost every night.
We use a lot of parsley at our house, so we’re constantly putting new seeds in the ground.
In Southern California rosemary, thyme and oregano grow year round and come back yearafter year. These three plants started 5 years ago as a 6″ potted trio from Trader Joes.Rosemary, salt and pepper are great on roasted potatoes and chicken, so is thyme.Meat sauce is heavenly with fresh oregano.
My compost bin, right in the front yard. Wonder what’s growing in there?
The lemons start in February and go through until July. I miss them when they’re gone.
Fresh orange juice is on the menu everyday at my house.
So if I’ve peaked your interest at all, please find a little spot, even a small potted garden if you’re in a condo or apartment, and try out your gardening skills.
It’s pretty easy, tons of fun and good for you!
Plus, front yard, edible gardens have more benefits than just delicious tasting, fresh food. They incourage you to get outside, getting crucial things like fresh air and vitamin D production from sunlight. You exercise your mind and body while tending to it. It keeps you social, as folks love to stop by and discuss what you’re growing. Your friends will love receiving bags of fresh produce from your garden. Finally at $1.25 a piece for a medium sized organic tomatoe, you will save a fortune on produce the entire summer.
