A beautiful and well-maintained landscaped yard is always a welcome sight for the neighborhood. It even increases your property’s market value. But did you know you can also grow food in your garden or in the middle of your lawn with beautiful flowers and shrubs? It’s called edible landscaping, and you can do that even with Seminole’s subtropical climate. Be sure to check with your home owners association (if you have one) as there may be some limitations on what can be done in the front yard belive it or not.

How will you incorporate edible plants into your garden, and will they survive even in extreme weather? Don’t worry, there are ways for you to plant vegetables and other foods in your garden efficiently, and we will help you. This article will give tips on edible landscaping if you live in Seminole, Florida.

How To: Edible Landscaping in Seminole

Transforming your yard space into a beautiful garden that’s also productive is going to be one of the best decisions you’ll make when it comes to landscaping. When the plants start producing food, you will have fresh produce and save money on groceries. Learn from these simple tips:

Understand Your Climate

Whether you’re planting shrubs or vegetables, you need to know the specific climate conditions in your area to grow your plants successfully. Check the rainfall patterns, average temperatures, and the length of the growing season; these can help you pick the most suitable plants.

Pick the Right Plant

You need to match your plants to the climate and the overall conditions of your yard and if you have grass with sprinklers nearby, you already have an edge – including soil moisture and light exposure. You can consult some publications from the University of Florida with information on which fruit trees and plant cultivars are appropriate for your region. The university also has the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide to help you select suitable vegetables for each season. 

You can consider fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruits, figs, and bananas. Vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants also suit the Seminole climate. When it comes to herbs, plants like mint, basil, and rosemary are known to thrive in gardens in the area. You should also consider native plants because they adapt to local conditions quickly and will require less care than non-native plants.

Plan and Design the Layout of Your Garden

Who says edible landscaping can’t be attractive? You can have a beautiful and bountiful garden by planning and designing your garden correctly. Make sure to maximize your yard’s space. You can use your edible plants either as borders or focal points. Grouping plants with the same water and light requirements makes sense in optimizing their growth. 

Also, make sure to use your garden’s vertical space. You can grow climbing plants on fences or trellises. Beans, passion fruit, or cucumbers would be good starting plants for this purpose. Adding fruit trees to your garden layout is also suitable for adding shade to your yard and enjoying different fruits during harvest. Try to choose the dwarf varieties if you have a smaller space.

Prepare Your Soil Properly

Since the soil in Seminole is often sandy, you need to do soil preparation ahead of planting or landscaping. Add organic matter to improve its fertility, drainage, and water retention. If you’re unsure what to do, hire a professional to test your soil. They should be able to tell you how to amend the soil condition so it is optimal for growing plants.

Water, Fertilize, and Do Pest Control Wisely

After planting all the trees, vegetables, herbs, and shrubs, the next thing you need to think about is watering, fertilizing, and pest control. These should be done in a way that it’s efficient and appropriate for Seminole. 

You can optimize your garden’s water usage by using an efficient irrigation system. For Seminole, drip irrigation that can deliver water directly to the roots of the plants is more advisable. This way, you can minimize water loss through evaporation. You can use mulch to help retain moisture and lessen the watering frequency. Mulch will also help reduce weed growth, hitting two birds with one stone!

When it comes to fertilizers, make sure to use them according to what your plants require. Since you’ve already improved your soil’s condition, nutrients are already there for your fruits and vegetables, so you don’t need a lot of fertilizers. As for composting, you can do this with trimmings from your yards or food scraps in the kitchen. 

Pest control is another thing you need to consider. Make sure to prevent pests that could potentially ruin your edible landscape. But it is advisable to use organic pest control methods such as companion planting. In addition, make sure to plant various flowering plants to attract good insects to your garden. They will help with pollination, essential if you want fruitful landscaping.

Conclusion

Now that you have an idea of edible landscaping and how to incorporate it into your yard, start planting those vegetables and fruit-bearing trees. You can check your local gardening resources or join clubs for more help. 

And if you’re interested in edible landscaping but don’t have the time to do it alone, you can contact Lawns & Palms. We have a team of ground experts who can turn your empty yard into a scenic and bountiful one!