Ornamental vs. edible: Garden Corner explores what to plant in your garden

Published 3:24 pm Tuesday, April 28, 2015

By Noma Edwards

Master Gardener

I recently visited with a group of gardeners who were discussing their spring planting plans and as the visiting progressed it became evident that some of us were leaning toward mixing more edibles into our ornamental garden beds.

That led to an interesting discussion about the evolution of gardening in recent years and how it has impacted how we prepare food.

If you think about it, it has only been in the last half century or so that American gardens have become more ornamental than productive. Our ancestors grew practically everything they needed in gardens that ranged from city plots to homestead farms. To plant a garden of just flowers was considered wasteful, though pioneer women carried the seeds for foxgloves and hollyhocks as carefully as they did the cherished beans and potatoes.

We have all heard the stories of heirloom furniture being left along the Oregon Trail by pioneers seeking to lessen their loads, but we have never heard of seeds being left behind. They were the precious future crops of these hardy folks, but they were also the colorful reminders of homes and families left behind.

Perhaps one of the reasons we are seeing the change from edible to ornamental gardens is because we can now buy nearly anything and everything at our local supermarket. Food comes from every part of the world to supply our gourmet demands. I can remember as a child looking forward to the autumn crop of apples and today we find apples available year-round, many coming from New Zealand.

No longer do we have to wait until June for strawberries. The local grocery nearly always has a supply available, though they may cost a tidy sum and taste rather bland. Hence, we don’t bother growing our own strawberries.

So, back to my gardening friends and our discussion about the evolution of gardening. We all agreed that we should be planting more real food in our gardens, though the word “should” made us all uncomfortable.

We also agreed that guidelines could save many gardeners from some of the headaches we have all endured in the past with our planting mistakes. Take for example, the year I planted numerous Brussels sprouts plants and harvested bushels of the little critters, only to discover that my family hated them. I could have invited Ciscoe Morris over for a Brussels sprouts supper, but the two of us would have been dining without my family.

Which leads me to the following thoughts on planting edibles in your garden:

First, grow only what you like.

This may mean that a family meeting be held and possibly a vote taken, but if you expect everyone to eat what you have labored over all summer, you need to at least make sure they like the end product.

Adding a “children’s garden” may also help in the eating of veggies later, and there is the always-popular “pizza garden,” which might include tomatoes, garlic, onions, basil, and maybe you could slip in some zucchini.

Second, grow what is expensive for you to buy.

There are several fancy lettuce combinations available now that are quite expensive in the market. It makes sense to plant a few rows at different intervals this spring and harvest gourmet salads throughout the summer.

Asparagus is another pricey example.

Third, grow the food that you cannot buy in stores.

It’s hard to imagine that there is anything that you cannot buy these days, especially if you visit the wonderful farmer’s markets that flourish from spring to fall, but there are numerous heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers that we seldom or never see any more.

Check out the Seed Savers heirloom seeds catalog some time if you are curious, www.seedsavers.org or call (319) 382-5990.

You will find 16 different potatoes including the “All Blue,” “All Red,” and “Purple Peruvian.” Talk about a colorful potato salad!

Have fun making those garden plans and if you decide to just have a beautiful flower garden without adding anything edible, then simply enjoy it and lose the guilt.

Our gardens are meant for pleasure and we only have so much energy to pour into them.

I think our ancestors would truly understand.

Happy Gardening.

Noma Edwards is a Master Gardener and regular columnist for Fall City Neighbors. Contact her at noma.edwards@gmail.com.