What do you think?
Rate this book
Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist: How to Have Your Yard and Eat It Too
Edible Landscaping at its Best!
Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist is a how-to manual for the budding gardener and experienced green thumb alike, full of creative and easy-to-follow designs that guide you to having your yard and eating it, too.
With the help of more than 200 beautiful color photos and drawings, permaculture designer and avid grower Michael Judd takes the reader on a step-by-step process to transform a sea of grass into a flourishing edible landscape that pleases the eye as well as the taste buds. With personality and humor, he translates the complexities of permaculture design into simple self-build projects, providing full details on the evolving design process, material identification, and costs.
Chapters
The book's colorful pages are filled with practical designs that Judd has created and built over years of workshops, homesteading, and running an edible landscaping business. The book's designs can be easily grafted to the micro-habits of the urban landscape, scaled up to the acreage of homesteads, or adapted to already flourishing landscapes. Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist is a tool to spark and inform the imagination of anyone with a desire to turn their landscape into a luscious and productive edible paradise.
Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist is a how-to manual for the budding gardener and experienced green thumb alike, full of creative and easy-to-follow designs that guide you to having your yard and eating it, too.
With the help of more than 200 beautiful color photos and drawings, permaculture designer and avid grower Michael Judd takes the reader on a step-by-step process to transform a sea of grass into a flourishing edible landscape that pleases the eye as well as the taste buds. With personality and humor, he translates the complexities of permaculture design into simple self-build projects, providing full details on the evolving design process, material identification, and costs.
Chapters
The book's colorful pages are filled with practical designs that Judd has created and built over years of workshops, homesteading, and running an edible landscaping business. The book's designs can be easily grafted to the micro-habits of the urban landscape, scaled up to the acreage of homesteads, or adapted to already flourishing landscapes. Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist is a tool to spark and inform the imagination of anyone with a desire to turn their landscape into a luscious and productive edible paradise.
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 16, 2013
6 people are currently reading
496 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
August 21, 2015
I like it but the name is bigger than the content.
I bought this book seeking for a tool that will help me do my freelance work as an edible landscaper who use fully Permaculture principals. The book is nice with a touch of humor, clear illustrations and a step by step guide.
At the other hand the book is lacking several tools that is essential to this work. It doesn't give tools for brainstorming or creative imagination, checklists, pattern design and plant lists, but rather narrows the options, making all gardens have the same elements of Herb Spiral, Swales, Hugelkuturs, Cub Ovens, mushroom growing logs or wood-chips and finally Rain gardens. The author targets the main solutions of problems for suburban houses.
It's a practical book for beginner's and home gardeners but not made really for professionals who need to give different gardens different touches and uniqueness. The book for that still Gaia's Garden and or of course the PDM. I'm sure that the author is aware of this 2 books so he wanted to fill another void in the market of Permaculture books. An easy to grasp and implement Permaculture book for everybody to say oh let's get into Permaculture, it's easy and beautiful rather than hard and chaotic.
I bought this book seeking for a tool that will help me do my freelance work as an edible landscaper who use fully Permaculture principals. The book is nice with a touch of humor, clear illustrations and a step by step guide.
At the other hand the book is lacking several tools that is essential to this work. It doesn't give tools for brainstorming or creative imagination, checklists, pattern design and plant lists, but rather narrows the options, making all gardens have the same elements of Herb Spiral, Swales, Hugelkuturs, Cub Ovens, mushroom growing logs or wood-chips and finally Rain gardens. The author targets the main solutions of problems for suburban houses.
It's a practical book for beginner's and home gardeners but not made really for professionals who need to give different gardens different touches and uniqueness. The book for that still Gaia's Garden and or of course the PDM. I'm sure that the author is aware of this 2 books so he wanted to fill another void in the market of Permaculture books. An easy to grasp and implement Permaculture book for everybody to say oh let's get into Permaculture, it's easy and beautiful rather than hard and chaotic.
January 18, 2020
Summary:
Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist provides an easy, informative and practical read of some key permaculture practices that help in creating productive and efficient gardens. The author provides great "how to" descriptions of these concepts ranging from growing your own mushrooms to making your own pizza oven. It's layered with some humour, cocktail recipes and is just such a smooth and informative read. The only drawback I could think of is that it's hard to do a lot of these things in an urban setting (but not impossible). I'm keen to try some myself and have started making a herb spiral.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in permaculture design.
The main message I took from this book is that harvesting water is crucial to an efficient and drought-tolerant garden.
Some notable points:
- Herb spirals are a spiralling bed to plant herbs in, that due to its shape, creates microclimates that allow the gardener to plant a variety of herbs in one patch despite differing needs of the plants.
- Creating swales to capture rainwater are imperative for water efficiency and preservation.
- Creating swales involve marking a line "on contour". Which is done marking a line along a slope that holds the same elevation, this can be done by using an "A frame" to move across a slope maintaining the same level. This will often result in a squiggly line.
- Once your line is marked, you dig upwards of it and pile the soil on the down slope side. You can then plant into this soil and water pools into the basin you've created and harvests the water into the bottom of the bed. You can mulch into the basin with something coarse to make it more visually appealing.
- Another water harvesting technique is to create a rain garden which involves digging a hole, filling it with soil up to 45cm deep and leaving a drop of 15 cm. Position the hole where water will run to and it will capture and sink the water into the soil.
- You can then plant into the rain garden, often with drought tolerant plants as the rain garden is often dry due to its fast draining nature.
- You can inoculate freshly cut logs with mushroom spores by drilling holes, putting in spawn plugs and then waxing over them to seal them. Place the logs in a shade place and once the fungi gets to a critical mass as the log decomposes, you'll get to harvest delicious mushrooms.
- Groups of perennial companion plants are called "guilds" and are the essence of food forest design.
- A food forest can consist of up to seven layers, but you can work with less.
- Hugelkultur is an ancient practice of creating raised garden beds by covering wood with soil. The buried wood acts like a sponge, captures water and nutrients and decomposes over time while you grow nutrient rich food on top.
- You can combine hugelkultur with swales to create super efficient garden beds.
Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist provides an easy, informative and practical read of some key permaculture practices that help in creating productive and efficient gardens. The author provides great "how to" descriptions of these concepts ranging from growing your own mushrooms to making your own pizza oven. It's layered with some humour, cocktail recipes and is just such a smooth and informative read. The only drawback I could think of is that it's hard to do a lot of these things in an urban setting (but not impossible). I'm keen to try some myself and have started making a herb spiral.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in permaculture design.
The main message I took from this book is that harvesting water is crucial to an efficient and drought-tolerant garden.
Some notable points:
- Herb spirals are a spiralling bed to plant herbs in, that due to its shape, creates microclimates that allow the gardener to plant a variety of herbs in one patch despite differing needs of the plants.
- Creating swales to capture rainwater are imperative for water efficiency and preservation.
- Creating swales involve marking a line "on contour". Which is done marking a line along a slope that holds the same elevation, this can be done by using an "A frame" to move across a slope maintaining the same level. This will often result in a squiggly line.
- Once your line is marked, you dig upwards of it and pile the soil on the down slope side. You can then plant into this soil and water pools into the basin you've created and harvests the water into the bottom of the bed. You can mulch into the basin with something coarse to make it more visually appealing.
- Another water harvesting technique is to create a rain garden which involves digging a hole, filling it with soil up to 45cm deep and leaving a drop of 15 cm. Position the hole where water will run to and it will capture and sink the water into the soil.
- You can then plant into the rain garden, often with drought tolerant plants as the rain garden is often dry due to its fast draining nature.
- You can inoculate freshly cut logs with mushroom spores by drilling holes, putting in spawn plugs and then waxing over them to seal them. Place the logs in a shade place and once the fungi gets to a critical mass as the log decomposes, you'll get to harvest delicious mushrooms.
- Groups of perennial companion plants are called "guilds" and are the essence of food forest design.
- A food forest can consist of up to seven layers, but you can work with less.
- Hugelkultur is an ancient practice of creating raised garden beds by covering wood with soil. The buried wood acts like a sponge, captures water and nutrients and decomposes over time while you grow nutrient rich food on top.
- You can combine hugelkultur with swales to create super efficient garden beds.
May 9, 2015
Heck yeah edible perennials! This book is fun. Its tone is modern and chatty. Illustrations everywhere in color. Cuss words, recipes, common sense, why-didn't-I-think-of-that ideas, oh-THAT'S-why answers to questions you always wondered, and social justice. The sections are: herb spiral, rainwater harvesting, shroom encouraging, food forests (with a good section on a productive black walnut guild), weird and unusual fruits, hugelkultur, and outdoor cob pizza ovens. So, stuff I've seen elsewhere, but I like this guy's instruction on it all. I checked it out from the library but you may feel free to buy it for me for my birthday. And if you just want to dig in with half a dozen really good projects, not get a giant overview of everything at once, but not focusing in on one thing alone because you are ADHD and need to do five things in order to focus on any, then this is the book for you.
February 6, 2021
Great layout, with good images (both photographs and diagrams, which is super helpful for seeing the "how to" in addition to the final product).
Somehow, when just one of these chapters could be a dozen different books, this feels like a complete enough guide that you can go and build a food forest and/or Hügelkultur without needing to go find several other resources for how to "really" do it, although if it's of great interest to you, you may want more details on how it works or more ideas on what to plant where.
This book gives guidance and how-to's for 6-7 permaculture gardening techniques. You probably won't like all of them (my mother adamantly refuses to grow mushrooms), but it's a good variety.
... Planning out a small-area food forest seems to be the most approachable for an average gardener, or incorporating some uncommon fruits.
... Most of the techniques require some amount of construction, if that's what you'd call excavation and building shaped piles of dirt. For best results, you're going to want to plan ahead by at least a year... Really commit to sheet mulching for a full season, then plant the following year. If you're renting or just don't want to commit quite that much, this book might not be the best resource for you (but do check out permaculture food forests!!)
If you are committed in terms of land area and effort (and possibly funding), this is a great resource.
As always, I appreciate the few recipes included, and may actually try some of these out.
Editing to add that the tone is very approachable / palatable. Enjoyable read
Somehow, when just one of these chapters could be a dozen different books, this feels like a complete enough guide that you can go and build a food forest and/or Hügelkultur without needing to go find several other resources for how to "really" do it, although if it's of great interest to you, you may want more details on how it works or more ideas on what to plant where.
This book gives guidance and how-to's for 6-7 permaculture gardening techniques. You probably won't like all of them (my mother adamantly refuses to grow mushrooms), but it's a good variety.
... Planning out a small-area food forest seems to be the most approachable for an average gardener, or incorporating some uncommon fruits.
... Most of the techniques require some amount of construction, if that's what you'd call excavation and building shaped piles of dirt. For best results, you're going to want to plan ahead by at least a year... Really commit to sheet mulching for a full season, then plant the following year. If you're renting or just don't want to commit quite that much, this book might not be the best resource for you (but do check out permaculture food forests!!)
If you are committed in terms of land area and effort (and possibly funding), this is a great resource.
As always, I appreciate the few recipes included, and may actually try some of these out.
Editing to add that the tone is very approachable / palatable. Enjoyable read
September 5, 2021
I enjoyed this book. It wasn't actually what I expected, but I think that's because I didn't actually know what 'permaculture' meant. As a gardener looking for more 'natural' and 'eco-friendly' ways to do the thing I love, this was a fun introduction to the concept. I liked the chatty tone, the clear instructions, and the teaching about why this or that thing is useful and helpful.
It does read more as a series of projects one could take on as opposed to a series of principles or values or techniques to use when planning a landscape, most of which aren't possible for me personally to achieve in my v tiny urban yard, but I agree with the principles and there are exciting, small-scale ways I can implement some of the ideas Judd talks about.
I am finding permaculture as a whole such a beautiful and fascinating concept. As someone whose religion teaches that people are to actively care for the earth so that interdependent flourishing can ensue, I feel like I am starting to find language and ideas that reflect the values I've learned from Scripture in new ways.
It does read more as a series of projects one could take on as opposed to a series of principles or values or techniques to use when planning a landscape, most of which aren't possible for me personally to achieve in my v tiny urban yard, but I agree with the principles and there are exciting, small-scale ways I can implement some of the ideas Judd talks about.
I am finding permaculture as a whole such a beautiful and fascinating concept. As someone whose religion teaches that people are to actively care for the earth so that interdependent flourishing can ensue, I feel like I am starting to find language and ideas that reflect the values I've learned from Scripture in new ways.
Read
August 9, 2025No star rating since I skimmed rather than reading straight through.
This looks like a reasonable guide to suburban home projects. It features common elements like an herb spiral, rainwater harvesting, food forest design, info on less common edible fruits, hugelkultur mounds, cob pizza ovens, etc. I found the chapter on fungi/growing specialty mushrooms (p.39-) most interesting.
The biographical part 'my story' (p.141) was a weird addition. It kind of tried to borrow indigenous wisdom on the basis of one particular trip to Mexico near Guatemala. It included the author getting quite sick while trying to introduce a hygienic solution for human waste. It ends with the formation of an NGO and various other small overseas projects in an attempt to be influential. (This arc would have appealed to me as a teenager.)
This looks like a reasonable guide to suburban home projects. It features common elements like an herb spiral, rainwater harvesting, food forest design, info on less common edible fruits, hugelkultur mounds, cob pizza ovens, etc. I found the chapter on fungi/growing specialty mushrooms (p.39-) most interesting.
The biographical part 'my story' (p.141) was a weird addition. It kind of tried to borrow indigenous wisdom on the basis of one particular trip to Mexico near Guatemala. It included the author getting quite sick while trying to introduce a hygienic solution for human waste. It ends with the formation of an NGO and various other small overseas projects in an attempt to be influential. (This arc would have appealed to me as a teenager.)
April 22, 2021
This is a lovely book for anyone wanting to get started with some simple outdoor projects. The author has the rare ability to write practical technical advice clearly, simply, and informally. It’s such an easy and fun read that I read it right from start to finish, which I never usually do with reference books.
It makes a topic that can be a little dense and intimidating so much more approachable, so much so that I think it helped me get started IRL. We’ve just made a hügelkultur planting bed, and I’m working on a plan for a permaculture guild with our black walnut tree. Maybe someday, we’ll even be the earthen oven people on our block.
It makes a topic that can be a little dense and intimidating so much more approachable, so much so that I think it helped me get started IRL. We’ve just made a hügelkultur planting bed, and I’m working on a plan for a permaculture guild with our black walnut tree. Maybe someday, we’ll even be the earthen oven people on our block.
March 27, 2021
Good book if you are new to permaculture as the author presents several projects and easy ideas to incorporate into your yard. The author's tone is very casual and sometimes he seems to forget to let us in on the inside jokes he cracks. More careful editing would strengthen the entire work. Plentiful photographs, kinda weird illustrations, and loose organization. I would have loved more thorough lists of companion plants, nitrogen fixers, and compost plants.
February 2, 2024
Great read! Fast, fun, great pictures. Enough to get you started with edible landscapes but not overwhelm with too much information. Lots of personality!
If you're looking for a quick guide to basic permaculture principles for your lawn, this is it. If you're looking for an in-depth, step-by-step manual, this is not it.
If you're looking for a quick guide to basic permaculture principles for your lawn, this is it. If you're looking for an in-depth, step-by-step manual, this is not it.
November 3, 2017
Interesting book with great tutorials and information about edible landscaping. I'm particularly interested in building the herb spiral and hope his step by step instructions lead me to have something as beautiful as he has in the book.
May 10, 2020
Excellent Guide
I am interested in edible landscaping for my family and this was a great primer on methods as well as suggestions for plants and various types of “natural” gardening.
I am interested in edible landscaping for my family and this was a great primer on methods as well as suggestions for plants and various types of “natural” gardening.
April 2, 2022
I found this book inspirational and accessible. I yearn for low-maintenance, sustainable, edible landscaping, but this is the first book I’ve read that had lots of pictures and friendly explanations and references to additional resources. I also love the author’s background in food security.
September 22, 2018
Good book
I enjoyed the book with lots of illustrations for easy reading. Most of the projects were simple and easy to follow. For SKY garden enthusiasts.
I enjoyed the book with lots of illustrations for easy reading. Most of the projects were simple and easy to follow. For SKY garden enthusiasts.
May 31, 2019
Pretty simple but good.
May 27, 2020
A fun read with lots of inspiration for future projects.
Read
September 17, 2020I MUST make shiitake- infused vodka. Jon is skeptical.
August 7, 2021
Loved it! Will be trying many of his ideas!
April 26, 2022
You know those kids art and science books that are a collection of 50 activities to flip through and try? This is the grown-up version of those. Very accessible for the average suburbanite.
June 3, 2023
Lots of great ideas for starting or expanding your permaculture. The chapters have easy to follow instructions that are very workable. I’m looking forward to putting several into use soon!
May 29, 2024
Inspiring. It makes me want to run some permaculture trials in the yard!
October 1, 2025
An easy read with a lot of great suggestions. Made me want to run out and start planting!
May 22, 2019
I've been making a habit of checking out gardening books from the library before buying them, so I know what I actually want to have around as a permanent resource. This book has definitely made that list. Other books talk about some of these same principles - swales, herb spirals, rain gardens, tree guilds - but this book actually goes into detail with step-by-step instructions and pictures on how to MAKE many of those things. I also appreciate that the author lives in Maryland, about an hour west of me. So our climate is the same.
I really enjoyed his chapter on uncommon fruits - I'd been reading that pawpaws are one of the fruits that do well with black walnuts, and his description of pawpaw fruit REALLY makes me want to grow one! They're an uncommon fruit largely because they're too delicate to ship, but they apparently taste delicious! And they're native, which is always a plus. I'd love to stick with native plants as much as possible.
His chapter on mushroom growing was also interesting and VERY detailed. (I quite enjoyed that he included "a good beer" in his list of supplies at one point.)
It's a short book, and it only covers a few topics, but it is EXCELLENT for those few topics he touches on. Definitely want a copy of this in my personal library!
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
I really enjoyed his chapter on uncommon fruits - I'd been reading that pawpaws are one of the fruits that do well with black walnuts, and his description of pawpaw fruit REALLY makes me want to grow one! They're an uncommon fruit largely because they're too delicate to ship, but they apparently taste delicious! And they're native, which is always a plus. I'd love to stick with native plants as much as possible.
His chapter on mushroom growing was also interesting and VERY detailed. (I quite enjoyed that he included "a good beer" in his list of supplies at one point.)
It's a short book, and it only covers a few topics, but it is EXCELLENT for those few topics he touches on. Definitely want a copy of this in my personal library!
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
October 3, 2014
Great introduction to my study of permaculture. Lots of doable projects for a beginner. Great suggestions for plants without being overwhelming in number. Pictures were bright and beautiful. I quickly read the book from cover to cover in one day and was left with a feeling of excited anticipation to begin the foundations of our new permaculture garden.
There were detailed instructions for the projects I was already interested in (cob oven, hugulculture raised bed) and a new one I've now added to my project list (a spiral herb bed).
There were detailed instructions for the projects I was already interested in (cob oven, hugulculture raised bed) and a new one I've now added to my project list (a spiral herb bed).
April 27, 2015
Good, practical book of permaculture projects. It's a lot less intimidating than many others I have read. Excellent balance of text and photography. I don't share the author's obvious enthusiasm for creative alcoholic drinks, but those recipes are a minor part of the book. This spring I would definitely like to try growing some mushrooms and putting a dying tree to work in a hugelkultur bed or two.
June 8, 2015
This was the handiest permie book I've seen in awhile. Many of the more serious guides are whole design plans without the application of changing what you have little by little. This guide gets you started on some changes you can make - with practical how to's and enjoyable asides. This gets you into the philosophy of permaculture while fulfilling your desire to have spiral gardens, mushroom growing, and fancy cocktails right now.
May 2, 2014
Not all exclusive by any means, but full of rather intriguing ideas, with well explained plans for execution that are not too complex. Uncommon fruit trees, grafting, growing mushrooms, herb spirals that arrange herbs by sun preference, designing a garden to collect rain water or drain it away from house and allow for drier plants, etc
June 20, 2014
Great simple intro to permaculture. Lots of photos and drawings--makes you want to get out in the garden. Simple ideas for small space that can be expanded. Checked this out from the library--am buying my own copy.
May 15, 2016
This has been my favorite gardening book for someone who wants to convert their yard to an edible landscape. The instructions are simple, empowering, and gardening methods are explained with knowledge and humor.
September 2, 2016
An awesome guide to achievable projects that add beauty and purpose to your yard. Written for beginners and experts alike, this book will inspire you to get out in the yard and start taking advantage of the amazing world of permaculture and edible plants!
February 16, 2017
This book has some great ideas for applying permaculture to your edible yard without being overwhelming. If you want some ideas without being bogged down then this book does a great job of giving you some specific projects with complete instructions so that you can apply permaculture to your yard.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews