MOUNT VERNON — Looking for ways to grow more food for the family, and save dollars at the grocery store? Looking for ways to improve the look of the landscaping?
Consider mixing fruit and vegetable plants among the landscaping plants for a yard that’s part edible, all beautiful, all useful. Think of those open, plantable spaces in the yard as places to save money and grow good food.
Blueberry bushes are a perfect example. Blueberries are pricey at the grocery store, but the delicious round fruits are considered an antioxidant “super food.” Fortunately, they’re easy to grow here and one plant can yield six to seven pounds of fruit. As an added bonus, the shrubs send out beautiful white flowers in the spring and the leaves turn red in the fall, making it an attractive plant in the landscape.
For Central Ohio conditions, the Monrovia plant company suggests Northern Highbush blueberry varieties, such as HardyBlue, Patriot or Spartan, or the Half-High varieties Northblue and Northsky, which require a pollinator. Plant — close together — two different varieties that bloom at about the same time.
If more trees in the yard are desired, consider planting a fruit tree. Dwarf varieties of peach, pear, cherry and apple need to grow for a few years but, once established, should supply the family with fresh fruit they’ll enjoy picking right from the tree.
The trick to combining food-producing plants with landscape plants is to stop thinking that straight rows are necessary for vegetables. Instead, think of plants in clusters, in groups, think visual interest and companionable colors. And, as with landscape plants, place taller plants in the back, shorter ones in the foreground.
Purple basil varieties, for example, will add pizzazz among flowers and shrubs, as will deep purple and white varieties of eggplant, gold and yellow tomatoes and red and orange peppers in different shapes and sizes.
For covering a trellis or arbor with a vining plant that will provide privacy and interest, plant a grape vine or an easy-to-grow kiwi plant, or beans or cucumbers. Squash plants can grow vertically, and their colorful fruit looks delightful when hanging instead of trailing in the soil. Just use a sturdy trellis that is well-attached to a support, as cucumbers and squash can be heavy.
Troy Cooper, program coordinator, horticulture at OSU Extension-Knox County, suggested companion planting ... tomatoes next to garlic and onions, tomatoes next to basil, or tomatoes next to marigolds that will help protect them from pests.
“Tomatoes planted next to basil enhance their flavor,” said Cooper. “They’re a good combination because they pick up the flavors.”
He also recommended patio varieties of smaller tomatoes that can grow in hanging pots or upside down, the fruit dangling enticingly within reach. For a showy display, mix and match colors and sizes: Romas with cherry tomatoes, Yellow Pears with heirloom green and purple varieties.
“Don’t be afraid to plant anything,” said Cooper. “Try something new, mix and match, and utilize the space you have. We have this stigma that you have a vegetable garden and you have a flower garden and they’re not supposed to mix. But that’s not the way it has to be.”
