Edible Front Yard: Where To Start?

We all like the idea of growing our own food, but without the need to become farmers. You know, as a hobby that puts some extra food on the table. But making the vegetable garden is hard as it is, not to think about claiming your backyard back from your kids who have made it their playground.

How's that gonna look? Before you become your kid's number one enemy, consider using your front yard. Yes, we know, you're not supposed to do that. But have you asked yourself what our front yards are really for? Just grabbing the mail? That would be a waste.

Spicing up your front landscape with some edibles can really make it stand out. Pleasant to look at, tasty to eat. Maybe some neighbors will condemn 'this kind of behavior', but if you do everything right they might become your biggest supporters.

Prepare the terrain

Of course, everybody wants to make a healthy and blooming edible garden. But in your case, failure might cost you even more, because you have that 'neighbor element'. You're trying to persuade them that edible gardens can also be beautiful and if yours turn out not to be they won't wait to tell you 'we told you so'. That's why you need to make a thorough preparation. When you are preparing to grow your veggies, there are many things you should consider.

Since you're in your front yard, you're probably gonna plant them on your lawn. You need to dig up the turf and, no matter what anybody tells you – don't spray it with pesticide. After you have removed the weeds and raked your soil free of clods and rocks, you need to see if that soil needs some additional nutrients. Since is not very common to grow edibles on your front lawn, you need to test the soil beneath it. And if everything is okay, it would still be good to incorporate some organic compost.

Make a smooth transition

So, back to the neighbors.

You have to be prepared that some of them won't look for approval on your new garden. Especially if you live in a neighborhood that is governed by a homeowner association. They tend to make some peculiar rules. But rules are there to be broken, right?

You just need to take them on your side. And for that, you need to be patient and make the smooth transition, so they can gradually get used to the new look of your front yard. Instead of getting rid of your ornamental foliage right away, it's best to slowly swap them with certain edibles. You should use plants such as Swiss chard, kale or lettuces because they are pretty lush and look much like ornamental plants. That way you will supply yourself with your first fresh products for your dinner table, incognito.

Best of both worlds

Move on with your 'stealth' approach. If you want to persuade your neighbours that your new garden is beautiful you can't say 'wait for a couple of months and you'll see' – you need to make it beautiful right away. And you can easily achieve that if you choose carefully what you're gonna plant.

Use vegetables that have interesting texture and coloration such as 'Russian Red' kale, 'Violetto' artichokes and 'Purple Ruffles' basil. You can spice it up with pretty much any pepper variety. Although this is a pretty good substitute for flowers, this doesn't mean that you don't need actual flowers. It would be best to mix your veggies with flowers because some vegetables will definitely reach their maturity before the others, so you'll need to fill in the blank area. Flowers are best for filling these blanks, especially edible ones. Additionally, they will attract beneficial pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds and make your garden even more productive.

It would also be a good choice to include verbena, purple coneflower, salvia, lavender and bee balm. Plant them in clusters of three or more to gain more attention from your pollinators and don't forget to include a birdbath (they also need water!). If the neighbors are not moved by your colorful plants, butterflies and hummingbirds will certainly find a way to their heart.

Keep it up

Now that you have finally convinced your neighbors that edible garden in your front yard can be beautiful, you need to keep it that way. Otherwise, you'll give them the pleasure of saying 'We told you so' in the end. So, you need to maintain it in order to rid of the possibility of it becoming plagued with disease or insects. You need to keep it clean from the weeds and dying plants, but also from your garden tools. Maybe your garden glows, unused pots or bags of soil can be left lying around in your backyard, but when it comes to the watchful eyes of your neighbors the equipment you used a week ago still sitting there is not a pleasant sight. But don't turn something that has begun as a pleasurable hobby into a difficult choir.

You need to make tending to the plant's needs easy for yourself. Maybe you can't control weather conditions, but you can check out some of the fascinating Hoselink oscillating systems that will make sure you're veggies are never thirsty. And don't forget to share. Maybe you've raised these plants in your own sweat, but food always tastes better if you have company at your table. The last drop that will completely make the neighbors your allies will be the drop of the fresh vegetable juice going down their throats.