Feeling the recession? Try gardening with ornamental vegetables!
While we may be feeling the pinch of a tough economy, we can turn to gardening for comfort, pride, and lunch! Gardening can feed the spirit and replace negative energy with positive vibes. It is not only rewarding, but if we incorporate gorgeous veggies, right into our existing ornamental gardens it can help put fresh organic food on the table. Don’t worry if you don’t have room or the desire for an entirely separate vegetable garden. And don’t give up beauty for function. Numerous vegetable are also highly ornamental and fit nicely into our mixed gardens right among our beloved perennials and shrubs. They can also be used in containers in company with colorful annuals. Now during the winter you can begin planning your garden for next year. Select plants that will not require chemicals for pest or disease control and rely on organics to feed the soil rather than using synthetic chemicals. Look for vegetables with outstanding foliage color, texture, and or form. Some of my favorites include: Redbor Kale (Brassica oleracea Redbor Hybrid) this gorgeous kale can reach 2’ in height and has amazing finely-curled red-violet leaves which are not only a designer’s dream (photo) they are also sweet and tender. I’ve used it in combination with Perilla f. ‘Magilla’. Bull’s Blood Beet (Beta vulgaris ‘Bull’s Blood’) a beautiful beet reaching about 12-15” that I’ve adored using in mixed gardens. 
’s particularly nice with, the also edible peppery, soft yellow flowers of Moonlight Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus ‘Moonlight’). Bull’s Blood beet bears deep reddish-purple leaves that are very sweet and delicious and the young leaves look incredible in salads. Of course it produces an edible globose “beet” as well! Red/Ruby Orach or Mountain Spinach (Atriplex hortensis) grown since the 19th century, can reach 4-6’ tall or more and makes a nice vertical accent among tall perennials like giant coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima). The zesty flavored leaves can be used like spinach although plants tolerate heat and cold temperatures better than spinach. Red Orach is an annual but plants can reseed and come back for many years. Dark Lolla Rossa Lettuce (Lactuca sativa varieties) this brilliant deep red ruffles lettuce looks as stunning in the garden as it does on the plate. There are so many attractive varieties of lettuce to tuck in among your perennials from speckled to oak leaf forms be creative and have fun. And if you are looking for a striking unusual edible vine that blends nicely on any decorative arbor, trellis or obelisk go for Red Malabar Spinach (Basella rubra). This again is not a true spinach but a cool looking heat –loving Asian vine with red stems and tasty, succulent leaves for stir-fries or salads. Don’t forget some of our prettiest flowers are also edible and add an amazing flourish to any dish. There are also some striking herbs for our ornamental gardens. Let me know if you would like me to write about these plants in future blogs. In the meantime, enjoy all the beauty, as well as mental, physical and emotional benefits of gardening , while also providing delicious organic food for yourself and your family.
Sources: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds www.rareseeds.com Kitchen Garden Seeds www.kitchengardenseeds.com Seeds Of Change www.seedsofchange.com Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply www.growOrganic.com
What a perfect topic! And yes, please write more about the fabulous edible plants you mentioned. I’m busy planning my veggie garden for this year and I love your suggestions. I’ll be looking for seeds ASAP. Thank you!!
There are so many options to landscaping with edible plants or fruits. No need to hide your garden in the backyard anymore. It is okay to plant edibles in the side or front yards!
Glad you like the veggie suggestions. Can’t wait to share more with you. And yes I agree edible plants and fruits can be the stars of any garden space including the often less than creative foundation plantings.
We have written a number of posts at Fennel and Fern about vegetable gardens which look as good as they taste. Check out a few here:
http://fennelandfern.blogspot.com/2008/07/inspiration-board-do-my-eyes-deceive-me.html
http://fennelandfern.blogspot.com/2008/07/inspiration-board-potager.html
http://fennelandfern.blogspot.com/2009/01/inspiration-board-potager-lettuces.html
Hope these are helpful!
Hi Tracy,
I found your page through Garden Rant. I write about gardening, too, for Washington Home & Garden. I’m planning a garden for this spring, partly to save on the cost of produce and partly so I can have a better sense of what I’m writing about.
Will your suggestions fare well in DC soil? Do you have any thoughts or suggestions for a first timer?
Thanks!
Nikki
Editor, aspiring green thumb
http://www.whgmag.com/151-nikki/
i was lead here by garden rant and you have excellent info, thanks!
i began incorporating veggies in my regular small urban garden last year & plan to expand on that theme this year, thanks for the tips! and will certainly parooze the comments too, tks fennel and fern! i’d like to learn better succession planting to manage gaps too.
and yes please recommend herbs. i’ve allowed my neighbours lemon balm (i wish her oregano would make it over!) to flourish where’s its landed but want to blend some low ‘ground cover’ types into my lawn that won’t grow if possible. thanks so much for all the info sharing.
GardenRant led me here as well.
This blog post particularly interested me. It provides information and inspiration for several projects that have filled my pre-garden-season time lately – planning a school garden, planning my own garden, and proposing that my business (which is in the food industry) replaces its lame landscaping with edible plants.
Thank you, thank you.
More, please!
So glad to get such wonderful feed back on the ornamental veggie blog. I hope everyone will check out the Fennel and Fern commnet/ links which demonstrate some beautiful vegetable/potager ideas. Also I had a question on whether my recommendations would tolerate Washington D.C. soils. And they definately should. Of course most plants prefer well-draining soil high in organic matter for best growth. See my book The Well-Tended Perennial Garden for information on soils. Also there was a question on recommendations for beginners. I always recommend beginners start slowly and work with a few new plants at a time to get their feet wet and improve their success. Also this gives the gardener time to really enjoy something new. Another blog on ornamental edibles should be up soon. Thanks for writing.
[...] Well-respected garden author Tracy DiSabato-Aust (”The Well-Tended Perennial Garden” was her first big hit) suggests that those feeling the recession try growing ornamental vegetables [...]