Edible stuff in the front yard

Being from a country where people considered their land plots as source of food rather than entertainment, I have hard times reconciling myself with gardening decorative plants. I personally plant only what I can eat. Although I would not mind my spouse devoting herself to planting flowers and whatnot, this is not something that I see myself doing.

My question, rather, is, what varieties of plants that produce FOOD can be planted in the FRONT yard.

Some things come to mind.

  1. Sunflowers -- beautiful flowers that make nice seeds
  2. Corn -- tall grass with some view blocking properties that looks nice and is also obviously edible. Adds a rustic look to the area
  3. Fruit trees -- great flowering in the spring and great looking crops in the fall.

I am thinking of setting up a nicely decorated compost pile in the front yard next year, and growing squash in it.

Any other ideas for food plants that look nice int he front yard?

i
Reply to
Ignoramus31046
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I like rhubarb and strawberry plants in the front. Strawberry is a nice groundcover, and rhubarb has pretty foilage. I've seen people grow tomatoes as a border plant. Most herbs are very pretty. I've grown chives & garlic in my front "flower" bed. Sage is a pretty shrub. Peas growing on a fence or wire are also very pretty in bloom.

Maybe you should ask what you shouldn't grow in a front yard ;-)

I, personally don't know of any unsightly food plants. If you are creative, you can make a very fun and pretty display. You could plant spinach in clumps btween bush beans, and have an alternating display, or something similar. Along the house, put taller plants in back, gradually getting shorter as you plant forward. There are so many possibilities!

Reply to
tmtresh

Do I hear a sniff of disdain here? Flowering varieties of peas and squash. Opium poppies--usually not illegal unless you harvest them. Dandelions--make wine of the flower heads. Morning Glories if you enjoy hallucinogenics (read up on them first.) Flax, for the oil (and the flowers). zemedelec

Reply to
Zemedelec

Assuming you're in a part of the country that experiences winter, I would recommend against annual crops in the front yard. Your front yard will look like bare soil (or weeds) for more than half the year and your neighbors may be upset (depending on your neighbors).

You might consider perennial crops. Fruit trees are common and can be used as screens in the summer. Berries, particularly those that grow on shrub-like bushes, can be attractive.

If appearances are a problem, you could plant a hedge at the front of your yard to block the view of your crops. In that case the area used by the hedge serves a function of a fence. It can reduce road noise. If the hedge produces berries it can also feed wildlife.

When we first started farming, I had a similar bias toward food crops over decorative crops. Then one year we grew winter squash and gourds. Very similar crops. The winter squash brought in $.25/lb. The gourds brought in $.99/lb. People are willing to pay for decorative items, but food in this country is supposed to be cheap.

We now grow both food and pick-your-own flowers. The flowers are very popular, and bring in more than the veggies in dollars/acre.

Ignoramus31046 wrote:

Reply to
dps

Yes, I will have strawberry in my front yard.

What can you do with rhubarb, food wise?

how about potatoes

makes sense, thanks.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus31046

Okay, can you enlighten me about poppies. I would like to grow poppies that I can use for pies and such, tyhat you make with poppy seeds. Is that legal?

i
Reply to
Ignoramus31046

Dandelions produce excellent 'chards' if planted thickly in pots and kept in total darkness. Just dig up the roots and pot them up, having removed all green tops. Days rather than weeks!! A first class addition to green salads. Best Wishes.

Reply to
Brian

Everything is edible in my front yard and all around the house as far as that goes, at least to my goats when they happen to escape their pasture. Visit my website:

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expressed are those of my wifes, I had no input whatsoever. Remove "nospam" from email addy.

Reply to
Roy

Wow! I almost think you're joking! Rhubarb is one of my favorite foods :-) My favorite is rhubarb crumble. Anyway, mixed with sugar & cooked, it absolutely divine. Many people also make pie from it. There are many recipes that mix it with strawberries. Use the stalks. Throw the leaves in the compost pile (they are poisonous). Google for "rhubarb pie", "rhubarb crumble", or "rhubarb crisp."

Potatoes are pretty plants, similar to tomatoes (same family). I guess it depends on how you plant them. You'd want it to be in a place that can easily be dug up. (and probably not too many plants together) Or, you could plant them in some sort of raised box, which I think would look very nice..

Come to think of it, you could even make cabbage look good, surrounding by some different, smaller plants. (and there ARE ornamental cabbages, though I don't know if they are edible)

Kohlrabi is also a very interesting plant. Some may think it is ugly, but planted in a designed, complimentary setting, can be quite the unusual addition.

Oh, and don't forget that some flowers are also edible, such as pansies.

Reply to
tmtresh

-snip-

Just curious, but where is that? I'm a native USAn & I still like to make most of the plants I put in have some culinary or medicinal use.

-snip-

You asked someone else what Rhubarb was good for-- I like it just as a sauce with a dab of ice cream, but it also makes a great cobbler -- If you like marmalades at all, here's a simple recipe that is scrumptious-

1lb rhubarb 1 lemon 2.5 cups sugar slice rhubarb thinly - don't peel zest entire lemon and mix with rhubarb mix in sugar & let sit on counter overnight

In the AM, add the juice of the lemon & bring quickly to soft ball stage-- Jar & seal. Good immediately-- better in a month or so.

-snip-

I'm in zone 5-6 & was pleased to find that my flowering Almond not only has gorgeous pink flowers in early spring, it also bears a bunch of almonds. My peach tree is out back, but would look nice next to my Almond. Neither takes any where near the care that my apple trees do & both bear more fruit.

If you get lots of sun there I like my Lovage plant & it takes little care-- Borage never did so well for me, but it is fun to eat the flowers--- and speaking of flowers, be sure to throw in some nasturtiums. The flowers & the leaves are a great addition to summer salads.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

I disagree. Many people plant annual flowers, and flowers such as daffodils and tulips don't keep they're foliage year-round (or even all summer). When vegetables stop producing, or are ready to be pulled (radishes, etc), you can readily plant more. The ground doesn't have to be bare for long. Vegetables can be very complimentary with flowers or other perenials. And with things like lettuce and herbs don't have to all be cut at once. It's good for show to leave the bulk of such plants. Even if he did cut them all at once, they'd readily grow back. There is no reason food plants can't be planted as display plants or even in the same bed as non-food plants (as long as you can tell them apart, you wouldn't want to eat non-food plants) I think it's kind of funny how strict some people are with 'flowers in front, vegetables in back'.

For the record, I don't have food plants in my front yard only because I can't find any small plants that grow in full shade-- I'd love any suggestions. My backyard is mixed-- strawberries, roses, peas, cotoneaster, lilac, raspberries-- soon to plant my annual veggiesand maybe some geraniums.

Reply to
tmtresh

Whatever won't be in violation of local ordinances when the neighbors complain. : )

I'm only half-honest with that, I live in an area where the favorite past-time is for neighbors to call the city on each other. Nevertheless, last year I grew a bunch of jalapeno, habanero, and other pepper plants in a "flower bed" (wink-wink) in my front yard, and nobody cared at all. If anything, I think that the red and orange peppers were pretty enough that people thought it was neat.

(Of course, you can't get away with that in all areas: Your peppers might just disappear off of the plants before you have a chance to get to them!)

steve

Reply to
Steve Wolfe

Northern Illinois, my front yard faces south, a bit to the west.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus31046

Peppers Herbs Peas

Anything, actually. You can make a vegetable garden that looks attracticve and is productive.

Reply to
nina

What can you do with rhubarb, food wise?

I cannot believe you mean it!!

Tens of acres of rhubarb are grown in dark sheds to produce the blanched stalks and are as deliceous as any fruit. The plants are only used once and replanted each year. Others have provided recipes of which there are no end. The actual leaf is known to be poisonous and as students we could detect no difference bettween the chemistry of stalks and leaves. Technically both are equally poisonous but our guts have yet to find out!! Best Wishes

Reply to
Brian

In article , ignoramus31046@NOSPAM.31046.invalid says...

Reply to
bill

Before you jump in, a few points to consider:

Have you thought about pollination? Your fruit trees and many of your vegetables need to be pollinated in order to bear crops. In many areas, honey bees are in decline, and you may need to depend on wild and solitary bees. A variety of flowering herbs and ornamentals provide much needed food sources for these bees during the summer months.

Have you thought about pest control? Fruit trees, especially apples, are magnets to a variety of pests that can cause a lot of damage to your crops. There are small, beneficial wasps that are predators to these pests (and do NOT sting humans). Again, they need nectar sources throughout the year. For example, I grow aruncus (goatsbeard), that is not edible but attracts an astonishing variety of these small wasps when it blooms. Dill, parsley, and fennel are also good for this purpose, as well as providing food for humans and butterflies.

Birds eat a lot of insect pests, but they too need other food sources, such as ornamental shrubs that produce berries, and they need cover in trees and evergreens to nest in.

Have you thought about economy of scale? I don't grow corn, because the farmer down the road from me does a great job of it, picks it fresh several times a day, and in season I can buy if for $1.50 a dozen. Same thing with potatoes--they are dirt cheap and quite good at the farmer's market. I do grow peppers, even thought I can also buy them as well, because I like varieties it's hard to find locally. Think about how you want to allocate not just your money, but your time and efforts. I tried for years to grow apples, with limited success. It takes a lot of time and attention to get the disease and pest management scheduled properly. I now buy the bulk of my apples, but my trees are still valuable in that they provide wormy apples that keep the resident groundhog fat and satisfied and out of my vegetable garden. The drops also feed a variety of large wasps in the fall that have been patrolling my vegetables all summer. On the other hand, my Asian pears are a great success. They take little care, the fruit is absolutely delicious, and very expensive at the market.

Consider finding out what types of shrubs and flowers are either native or easy care in your area, that are beneficial to wildlife, and planting some even if they are not directly edible. Your goal should be to create a micro-ecosystem that feeds you as well as the birds and the bees.

And it's ok to grow things just because they are beautiful. We need food for the soul as well as the body.

Good luck with your endeavors, Sue

Reply to
SugarChile

Any herbs will be beautiful, as well as some peppers and even eggplants have lovely flowers and fruit. Lemon grass, garlic chives...etc.

Reply to
escapee

Of course it all depends on where you live and the particulars of your yard. There is no reason that the things grown in the back yard won't grown in the front yard. I grew tomato plants among the roses one year. There are some beautiful leafy vegetables. You can grow Swiss chard "bright lights." If you don't care what the yard looks like, then simple grow what you want. Otherwise, look though a seed catalog like Johnny's Seeds and pick out things that look good that you like to eat and will grow in your area under the conditions that you have.

Reply to
Vox Humana

I simply never tasted rhubarb. Are its stalks sweet?

i
Reply to
Ignoramus31046

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