Guest post by Nicole Cross at Plain Graces
It’s that time of year again, and many of us are planning our gardens or landscaping. We coordinate our flowers to bloom at certain times of the year and we fuss over how their hues will bring out the house’s trim. I know several people who spend hours fussing about at the nursery center or researching what plants to buy.
I am all for a beautifully landscaped yard or lush flower beds, but I think that people often neglect using edible plants in their landscaping. A friend introduced me to the idea of a “foundation garden”. Her family frequently extends their garden into different parts of the yard, along the foundation, and hides them among flower beds.
The plants masquerade as ornamentals, but are valuable food sources. Vegetables often sport a cheaper price tag than annuals or perennials. Why throw away all your money? You should be able to get more than beautiful scenery for your sweat.
I was inspired by their foundation garden two years ago. So last spring I followed her lead. I chose plants of varying heights and thought about their blossoms, fruits, and durability. Let’s face it, I didn’t want a sprawling and smelly tomato plant in my front yard cuddling up to my roses.
Here’s what I did:
- I added fertilizer, ground bone meal and compost to the dirt near the foundation of the house. Sometimes, the soil near your foundation isn’t fertile enough to support proper growth.
- I decided to use hot peppers for height and color. The little peppers popped with greens, reds, and yellows. Very beautiful and interesting.
- I filled spaces with leaf lettuces and colored Swiss chard.
- I used crawling acorn squashes in spots that I wanted to keep down weeds, but didn’t want to spray with weed killers.
- I seeded asparagus among my phlox and crocuses. That way I could utilize the space for something beside flowers. The asparagus ferns also added texture and interest later in the summer and fall.
- In shady corners of the house, where nothing grows, I attempted to use cauliflower and broccoli. They were protected from the heat and frost. I picked my last cauliflower in October!
- I implemented herbs. I planted chamomile, inserted lavender and added basil among my roses. Thyme and rosemary also graced my planters near my front steps.
I found that these simple additions to my flower beds and foundation plantings really added up. I harvested about 15 squashes, made batch after batch of spicy salsa, and dried countless herbs. They helped me feed my family of five without us resorting to tilling up more of our yard or spending a lot of money on flowers.
Plain Graces is a place where the graces of everyday, plain items become deliciously blessed. She is a mother of three boys and runs a daycare in her Nebraska home. She has a background in education and includes posts on story telling, baking, crafting and the occasional Monkee snippet.
Do you have an idea for a guest post? I am always looking for high-quality, original (i.e. not published anywhere else online) content with tips and ideas Money Saving Mom® readers can use. If you would like to submit a guest post, please follow the Guest Posting Guidelines.
