A Beautiful and Edible Landscape-A Guest Post by Joshua Fuder

Herbs and shallots among evergreens and annuals.

Many of us have community areas of our gardens.  Those spaces can give us an opportunity to show how people can incorporate food crops in a home landscape.  This week our guest blogger, Joshua Fuder, gives us some ways to do this.  Josh writes:

During a vacation in France last year I had an awakening of sorts in terms of my philosophy on garden design and plant selection. A number of the gardens and public parks that we visited incorporated vegetables like Swiss chard and kale in with annual flower plantings. As an avid gardener and even more avid eater I wondered why I wouldn’t incorporate more vegetables and herbs into more traditional ornamental plantings. I’ve always appreciated the beauty of the edible plants but never considered their value in an ornamental sense.

Gardeners in Georgia might consider incorporating edibles for a number of reasons:

  • Sun Exposure-Ornamental beds are often the best or only location in homeowners yards that
    A Beautiful and Edible Landscape
    Rosemary, sage, and shallots among evergreens and annuals.

    receive sufficient (at least 6 hours) sunlight for vegetables and herbs.

  • Convenience-Ornamental plantings are often close to the areas of the yard that we use most so if your edibles are incorporated you may find using fresh ingredients easier. It is also easier to stay on top of weeds and insect issues if you are visiting the area more frequently.
  • Reduced Grocery Costs – Many edibles, especially herbs can add to your monthly food bills if you buy from grocery stores.
  • Improved Health – Fresh vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals when properly prepared and gardening can be great exercise.

The key to creating a visually appealing edible landscape is the artful combination of annuals and perennials. Most edibles are going to substitute for the use of annuals but there are some options for shrubs, vines, and small trees.

A Beautiful and Edible Landscape
Golden purslane under lilies and dahlias mixed with shallots.

Annual Color: Rainbow chard, purple mustard, kale, lettuce can all add dramatic affect with their foliage and mid-rib color variation. Calendula and nasturtium are both edible flowers that can add color to salads and nasturtium leaves can be used in pesto. Basil comes in many varieties and colors, consider the dwarf boxwood variety to create more formal lines. Taller plants like corn, okra, and Jerusalem artichokes can be planted at the back of a garden to create height and screening.

Groundcover: Thyme, oregano, and savory make great evergreen ground covers. Goldberg Golden Purslane and New Zealand spinach (or tetragonia) have succulent leaves and a sprawling growth habit. Strawberries will also sprawl out and cover an area as well.

Shrubs and Perennials: Blueberries have become a major cash crop in Georgia but are beautiful plants that have spring flowers, summer fruit and fall color. Pomegranate, figs and jujubes are all great plants that grow well in our area. American Hazelnut is deciduous shrub/small tree that grows well in our area. Rosemary is a great addition with its evergreen, needle-like foliage. Garden sage is also evergreen and has a wonderful softness to its leaves like a ‘dusty miller’ or lambs ear.

Edible Vines and Climbers: Structures like arbors and trellises are a great way to add interest in your

A Beautiful and Edible Landscape
Jerusalem artichokes in back – herbs and shallots in front

garden and there are some great substitutions for the climbing rose or clematis you may have in mind. Muscadines are extremely hardy and have few problems compared to many of the bunch grapes. If you want an annual plant that is easier to control you can consider Malabar spinach which has delicious greens and beautiful red stems. There are all types of beans that will grow rapidly and cover a structure. The Chinese Red Noodle bean will produce one to three foot long burgundy beans that will amaze.

Trees: Apples are well suited for northern Georgia and can maximize a small space with a few espaliered trees. The serviceberry (juneberry) is a great alternative to a crapemyrtle and the birds will love it. Mulberries are delicious and very easy to grow, just make sure they are planted in an area where you won’t mind a mess. ‘Montmorency’ and ‘Balaton’ are varieties of Pie or ‘sour’ cherries that are great small trees that perform well in our area as well.

Joshua Fuder is a UGA Extension agent in Cherokee County, Georgia.  Joshua has grown many different types of fruits and vegetables.  He grew vanilla, coffee, pineapple, and black pepper while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Vanuatu (an island nation in the South Pacific).

Happy Gardening!

 

Strawberries in the Georgia Community or School Garden? You bet!

Strawberries can be a welcome addition to the Georgia community or school garden.  And, spring is the time to plant!

StrawberriesTraditionally in north Georgia strawberries are grown in a matted row system where initial plants are set two feet apart at spring planting.  That summer the runners are allowed to fill in the rest of the bed.  This set up is perfect for raised beds or bed plots.

Treat your strawberry bed as a perennial bed.  You will need an area that is in full sun and contains well drained soil.  Avoid planting where you have been growing peppers, tomatoes, or potatoes.  These plants are susceptible to verticillium wilt and so are strawberries. The UGA publication Home Garden Strawberries is a great resource.

Varieties of Strawberries

Varieties recommended for early fruiting for north and middle Georgia are Earliglow, Sweet Charlie, and Delmarva. For south Georgia look for Chandler, Camarosa, and Sweet Charlie.  Early season varieties are best for school gardens as you should get fruit before school lets out for the summer.  

For mid-season fruiting look for Allstar.  Purchase plants that appear to be disease-free from a reputable supplier.  This can be a local store or a mail order supplier.   You will probably have more varieties to choose from if you use a mail order supplier.

The placement of the plant crown is very important. Picture from Home Grown Strawberries by UGA.

Care of Strawberries

The most important part of planting strawberries is the placement of the crown.  The top of the crown needs to be above the soil line.  Otherwise, you will probably have rot.  Set the plants two feet from the bed edge and from each other.  Remember, runners will fill in.  Remove flowers the first year to encourage more blossoms, and fruit, next year.

Weeds are the number one problem with strawberry plants.  Mulch between plants and use hand pulling or hoeing to remove stubborn weeds.  Strawberries need 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water a week.

Birds and rodents love strawberries as much as we do.  Raised beds deter rodents.  Some gardeners use netting.  A problem with netting is birds and small animals getting caught in the net.   Some gardeners report success with loosely hanging aluminum pie pans around the beds to deter birds.  The best practice is to pick the fruit as soon as it is ripe, before other hungry eaters find it.

During the second spring, after you have picked all of your berries, get ready for next year.  By this point runners have filled in and if you don’t thin the bed you will have too many plants for that area.  You need to get rid of about two-thirds of the plants in order to have healthy plants for next year.  Pot up the extras and have a fund raising plant sale!

As always your local UGA Extension agent is a great resource for you.

Happy Gardening!

 

 

 

Planting Blueberries in the Georgia Garden

Blueberries About to Ripen
Blueberries About to Ripen

Blueberries are a tasty addition to any community garden.  The fruit is high in antioxidants,  and the plants are easy to manage.  Fall is a great time to get them in the garden.

Since blueberry bushes are perennials shrubs, it is advantageous to plant them in a community part of the garden.  Along a fence that gets plenty of sun is a possible spot.  This way no one is taking up permanent plot space with the bushes and everyone can enjoy the fruit. D. S. NeSmith, a research horticulturist from UGA, has a great publication on Home Garden Blueberries.

For community gardeners the best type of blueberries to plant is the rabbiteye type.  The most important thing to know about growing rabbiteye blueberries is that you need to plant more than one variety for cross-pollination. If you choose your varieties from slightly different ripening times, you will have a longer harvest.  For early season rabbiteyes look for Alapaha, Climax, Premier, Vernon, or Titan.  For mid-season types try  Brightwell, Powerblue, or Tifblue.  Ochlockonee, Baldwin, and Centurion are all late season varieties.  Titan was released in 2011 and it is the largest fruited rabbiteye variety available to date.   Vernon also has large fruit.

Blueberries along a community garden fence.
Blueberries along a community garden fence.

Choose a planting site that gets at least a half-day of sun.  Anything less and the plants may grow but you won’t get a large amount of fruit.  Blueberries like our typical acidic soil and need a soil pH of 4.5 to 5.2.    The standard spacing for rabbiteyes is 5 – 6 feet between plants as they can get large.   Before planting till the soil deeply, 8 to 12 inches, and make sure your site doesn’t tend to stay wet.  The best time to plant is in the fall through the very early spring. This gives time for the roots to develop before the heat of the summer.  Mulch will be needed and it is important to keep weeds and grass away from the plants.  Your local UGA Extension Agent can answer any questions you have about blueberry planting.

If you are interested in incorporating blueberry bushes into your community garden do some planning before you plant.

Is the entire community interested in blueberries?  What is the best site?  Who will care for them?  How you will divide the fruit?  Remember that deciding these things early prevents problems later on.

Happy Gardening!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bountiful Blueberries

Blueberries About to Ripen
Blueberries About to Ripen

This is a good blueberry year.  The rain we had in the early spring and the cold winter temperatures helped make the berries plump and delicious.  They are fun to snack on as you work in the garden and fun to take home for later.

Many gardeners are frustrated when the birds get to the berries first.  One recommendation is to put netting over the plants.  This is not a perfect solution as it makes it hard for you to harvest the blueberries.  And, it is extremely sad to deal with a bird caught in netting.  Some gardeners tie aluminum pie pans to the bushes.  The sun reflecting off of the pan and movement of the pans with wind can help deter birds.   Experienced gardeners will advise to just keep the bushes picked.  As soon as the berries are ripe harvest them; don’t leave the blueberries on the bushes ripe for very long.  This seems to be an invitation for birds.

Now that you have an abundance of delicious berries what can you do?

Best defense against the birds - keep the blueberry bushes picked!
Best defense against the birds – keep the blueberry bushes picked!

To store them frozen, freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  After they have frozen, pack the berries in containers or freezer-type plastic bags and return them to the freezer.  You can take them out of the containers a few at a time.   Wash the berries just before you use them.  This way you can enjoy blueberry muffins and cobblers all winter!  You can also put up some blueberry jam.  Canning supplies are found in some big box stores as well as many local hardware stores.   Preserving Food: Jams and Jellies has great information for the beginning jam maker, including a berry jam recipe.

For summer eating, nothing is as good as a Blueberry Crisp.  This recipe is from a Cobb County Master Gardener Volunteer, Beth St. Jean, and is published in Farm to Table which is a collection of recipes from the Master Gardeners of Cobb County.  It is the perfect use for blueberries!

Blueberry Crisp

  • 3 T all-purpose flour
  • 2 T granulated sugar
  • 6 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1  1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Stir together in a large bowl the flour and sugar.  Gently toss in blueberries and lemon juice.  Spread berry mixture in bottom of ungreased baking dish.  Set aside.  To prepare the topping, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and cinnamon.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle mixture evenly over the berry mixture.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and edges are bubbly.  After cooling for 45 minutes, may be served with ice cream on top!

If you don’t have blueberries in your community garden yet, we will discuss how to do that in a later post closer to the appropriate planting time.  Meanwhile, know that your local UGA Extension Agent can help you with any blueberry plant questions or problems.

Happy Gardening!