We spend lots of time in the kitchen, which has a splendid view of our back yard. This year, as part of my edible landscaping project, I’ve decided to shape the back garden to maximize planting spaces, make the best use of the sunny areas and have an easier time during harvest. I’ve incorporated raised beds, trellises, herb spiral and ponds, and I love the resulting oasis beyond my kitchen window.

Read more

One day, I was looking for instructions on building raised garden beds with river rock borders, when I stumbled upon an image of a front yard river bed. It caught my breath, so beautiful was seeing a flowing river in the middle of an ordinary city lawn, with plants growing among the rocks. It’s almost as if a rift opened in the lawn with a glimpse of a forest spring. From that point on, I was inspired to implement this idea. Here’s how to build a river bed on your lawn.

Read more

Last week, we went for a walk in an affluent neighbourhood nearby, to explore. After our own edible landscaping project completion, I was curious to see what people do with their front yards, especially those people who have more land to sculpt. To my disappointment, most front yards were lawns, with barely even a flower to be seen. Some even had fake grass (this one is beyond me). This year, when I finally had a chance to shape my own space, I’ve decided to not only create spaces to grow food, but make the entire front yard into a flowing garden around a river bed.

Read more

It’s wonderful to be able to stroll along a row of bushes, plucking a ripe berry from a branch and popping it in your mouth. When I was a child, I would raid our cottage raspberry patch, collect gooseberries and currants, and roam the strawberry ground. As part of our edible landscaping project, I have incorporated blueberries, currants, strawberries and raspberries where only grass used to be.

Read more

Often, we have quite a bit of space available on the sides of houses – space occupied by unsightly bulging appliances, window wells, utility meters, and seeded with dying grass. I see a great opportunity to convert these unused areas into bountiful growing space. Reclaim this land to grow your own food.

Read more

After long winter months dreaming about the wonders of growing my own food, I have finally completed my edible landscaping project. Where nothing but a useless lawn, more brown than green, has been taking up space, I now have a beautiful dry river bed snaking between two vegetable and herb beds in full sun. And in the back yard, there are three layers of planting spaces with raised beds, herb spiral, and trellises. I now spend most evenings outside, grounded in taking care of the plants and reveling in all their splendour. Come along, I’ll show you around.

Read more