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Why Did I Start Edible Landscaping?

And what methods made it possible?

When I first moved back to this house (having lived here during my college years) after getting married and giving birth to loinfruit #1, I already dreamed of producing my own fruits, vegetables, and eggs to reduce my reliance on big agriculture. The land, however, was painfully bare and sterile after years and years of pesticide use and “lawn maintenance.” The result was sandy soil badly eroded in spots, with very little organic material to hold water and feed the the micro and macro-organisms required for healthy soil and plant life. I could dig a five feet circumference anywhere and would be lucky to happen upon one or two worms.

So I let the landscapers go and started the process of healing the earth with natural (and coincidentally frugal) methods that required no pesticide, herbicides, or artificial fertilizers. I began a project creating an edible perennial landscape on this almost-acre, slowly reclaiming the land originally lost to the “lawn.” I feel good about what I’m feeding my family, and what I’m doing for the planet. These days I can’t dig in most areas without coming across masses of worms, the soil has turned rich and dark, and the literal fruits of my labor bountiful.

I made many mistakes in this pursuit, but the still maturing results were worth it.

I followed a couple of rules.

Mulch for weed suppression, moisture retention, and fertilizer. The mulch is given freely from both my town compost facility and tree trimming companies looking to dump their wood chips. A thick layer (2 – 4 inches) of mulch does two things to suppress weeds. The first is obvious in that it smothers any not strong enough to break through the top layer of wood chips. The second is that the breaking down of said wood chips requires nitrogen, which coincidentally is one of the most important “nutrients” for plant growth. Robbing nitrogen from the top layer of soil means that seeds of pest species cannot establish themselves.

A wonderful side effect is that once the mulch has begun to break down, it calls over all manner of microbes and creepy crawlies, of which begin providing nutrients back into the soil after digesting them. For the same reason, I also use the spent straw and shavings from my duck coop to mulch as well. A thick mulching also helps the soil retain water so my landscape requires less waterings during the summer. Make sure you don’t volcano the mulch around your plants and trees though, as that leads to rot and diseases.

I do still weed generally twice a year—early spring and early fall, but it’s much less than having to do it every week.

I mow over leaves and grass clippings instead of having them hauled away. By chopping the leaves up with the lawnmower, it allows them to break down and be taken back into the soil, replenishing nutrients and providing food for the organisms that maintain the health of the earth. Up to 25% of the nutrients can be given back just by leaving the grass clippings on your lawn and nothing else.

Backyard poultry for pest control and fertilizer. Please note that free ranging comes with biosecurity and predator risks, and the only way this can work without loss is via supervised ranging (still an illness risk), or a covered, predator proofed tractor. Chickens, ducks, muscovy ducks, and quail are all wonderful pest controllers in their own right. I much prefer muscovies for a variety of reasons including low noise level, egg production, the in-discriminant nature of what weeds and creepy crawlies they eat, and the fact that they generally leave my edible fruits and vegetables alone (they are more insectivorous.) We have had invasions of gypsy moth caterpillars that have denuded trees on Long Island and other than a small infestation that was quickly taken care of by my ducks, my produce have been unharmed. Another positive contribution has been that muscovy duck droppings will not burn roots the way high nitrogen chicken feces do (and they smell much better too), providing free fertilizer as they patrol my garden.

Layered non-homogenous planting. In order to both maximize space and the health of my plants, I don’t plant the same varieties or even the same species more than a couple of times throughout the whole property. Homogenous planting means that if a virus, fungus, or other pest establishes itself, the entire crop (and possibly landscape) would be lost. Not only does layering provide a varied diet for my family, but species variation means that certain pests would not be able to establish themselves and/or finish their life cycle, and even if one plant was lost, another with a different set of resistances would survive. Lastly, variety among what I plant means that I can plant them closer to each other so long as they are companionable, meaning that they don’t compete for sunlight and nutrients and may even provide different nutrients another plant needs back into the soil. It also allows for an ecosystem to develop where predators of common garden pests can be kept in check. Understand that I don’t want to eliminate all the pests as that would mean the predators won’t be able to establish, but I want them kept in balance so the damage is minimized while maintaining a healthy population of those higher up on the food chain.

Using clover as a cover crop for the lawn. We now seed with clover (white dutch) every year in areas where there is still “lawn” that I have not yet cultivated. Clover is a nitrogen fixer, preventing erosion and providing nutrients into the soil. It also acts as an important food source for wildlife and pollinators such as bees. It works wonderfully as a low groundcover placeholder and increases how lush and full my lawn looks.

Focus on perennial edible species. While we are very used to seeing the annual vegetables in our groceries which make up a large portion of our diet, the pulling, tilling, and replanting every year is not healthy for the land. Perennial fruits and vegetables keep the ground from eroding away and hold onto nutrients better. They can look beautiful if you apply landscaping principles to them, and it’s less work as far as maintenance goes.

2021 Update: After almost a decade in this home, we closed a chapter and sold the property, purchased and moved to another location (still on the south shore of Long Island) in pursuit of new dreams. I am now restarting my endeavors at a lovely 125+ year old brick building that was originally deeded as an inn and saloon. The space isn’t as large, but after all the lessons I have learned from the house before, I am maximizing its potential using all the same principles. Thank you for sticking with me and I hope you will enjoy these new adventures!

Annual, Biennial, or Perennial?

Do you know the difference? 

Annual refers to vegetation that must be started from seed (usually) each and every year. These plants, for whatever reason, do not go into dormancy and return on its own the next year. A plant that is perennial in one zone may be an annual in another. Tomatoes are one example of annuals in my climate.

Biennial refers to vegetation that live two years and is characterized by dying after it has set seed. Much of the brassica family, which include cabbages and mustards, are biennials.

Perennial refers to vegetation that can survive longer than two years. There are short lived perennials and long lived perennials, the latter of which can last decades. Fruit trees and berry bushes, as well as some vegetables and tubers are considered perennials.

Woody or Herbacious?

How can you tell?

Woody plants are characterized by naturally perennial vegetation that produce wood stems from which new growth will develop. Trees and shrubs are usually woody plants.

Herbacious plants can be annual, biennial, or perennial and are characterized by vegetation which stem and leaves that do not form woody tissue. If biennial or perennial, these plants will die back to the ground every year during its dormant state. Vegetables like the annual tomato, biennial kale, or perennial edible chrysanthemum are herbacious plants.

Dear Juneberry… 

The inspiration for the title of this blog came from a berry tree that encompasses everything I could really ask for in terms of an edible landscape–the juneberry. It’s more often known by its alternate names of serviceberry, or saskatoon. A native, non-invasive berry tree that blooms beautiful showy blossoms during the spring, followed by producing huge crops of sweet, dark berries ripening in my birthday month of June. I recognized the flavor from my childhood immediately–a Japanese bubblegum that I thought was blueberry flavored, but turns out was actually serviceberry.

I hope this blog brings you as much joy as my juneberries have given me! Thanks for reading!