The Edible Landscape: Creating a Beautiful and Bountiful Garden with Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers

by Emily Tepe

As the fresh food revolution sweeps the nation, more and more people are seeking out delicious offerings from local growers. We have had our fill of tasteless, woody tomatoes from the far reaches of the globe and have begun tasting again-thanks to farmers' markets and co-ops-the real flavors we remember from childhood. Inspired by these events, people have started growing food in the most unlikely places, including rooftops, abandoned parking lots, and tiny balconies and backyards on average city streets. Individuals and families are taking up the trowel and discovering that gardening can be fun, fulfilling, and, ultimately, delicious. Far from sacrificing their ornamental flowers, creative gardeners can discover the joy of growing food in beautiful, thoughtful gardens overflowing with both color and flavor. Creating an attractive and productive garden in your small space might seem impossible, but throughout this book, you'll see examples of some wonderful things that can be done, from interesting plant combinations to unique structures and planting beds. If you can banish the thought that vegetables and fruits must be grown in rows and open up to the idea that a tomato plant can be a striking addition to your landscape plan, "The Edible Landscape "will help you explore some ideas for transforming your yard into a feast for both the eyes and the table.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book description mentions the "most unlikely" places for gardening, such as balconies, rooftops, etc; however, many city dwellers are already likely to be container gardening on their balcony or patio.

I have found there is always a tension between making a garden look lush and beautiful, and using the garden for harvesting food. This book leans towards "looks," and tends to idealize what a working garden might look like. Almost every picture shows the garden at its peak; but doesn't show what it might look like when first planted, or after harvesting.

I enjoyed scanning this book, but found it more suitable for browsing rather than reading cover to cover.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

March 22, 2022
This book has a lot of good information, with some excellent examples. I wish it had more pictures of what some of the arrangements actually look like.

[Kait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got to this after Emily Creasy's Edible Landscaping, but still found a ton of helpful information. Plants are much more geared to those which will work for me (zone 4) and I liked the way she wrote about aesthetic choices and looking at the garden/yard as an ecosystem, though she didn't use that word. Creasy's EL is a great encyclopedia, but this is a better place for me to start: manageable concrete advice with an emphasis on beauty. I am planning on using lots of the advice here, both this year and next.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, probably like many gardening books, is best used as a reference book you can use throughout the season, and it just wasn't super useful to read it as a library book. Also, it dwelled a lot on aesthetics, while I wanted to know more about the functionality of what should be planted together, what should go where, etc. I got a few good ideas from it though and may revisit this in future years.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I was looking for! A concise book on edible landscaping with gorgeous, inspiring photos. Lots of great design ideas to blend edible plants into stunning gardens. One section features a short description and photo of individual species, it's attributes, and optimal growing conditions. The appendix is a set of easy-to read charts giving the size, texture, form, and landscape use for each plant. This book is worth owning.

[Radha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lighthearted reading for a quick summary of edibles

With a weekend to spare while thinking of your planting plan, browse this book for bright colored pictures of the edible plants. Sizable interest for gardeners in snowy regions. Handful of visuals for what happens to plants that are snowed in.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on making your landscape edible. I loved it. I kept it out from the library for as long as I could and got wonderful ideas from it. I really like the way they draw out the designs; it is very doable and easily understandable. Will probably have to get it again or buy.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

More great inspiration for incorporating edible plants into your ornamental landscape.

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! I'll use the info I gleaned from these beautiful pages!

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

really wonderful book focusing on the heuristics of non-anxious gardening and the benefits of having diverse landscaping, changed my perspective a lot

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book to get me started

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and need to check it out again when I'm at a place in life when gardening feels more do-able.

[Patrice Doten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous photos and illustrations, super helpful diagrams, and lots of useful information. I got some great ideas from this book that I’m looking forward to implement in my garden.

[Maggie]

Inspiring photos and ideas. Gorgeous illustrations of planting arrangements.

[Claudiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has good & practical advice and high quality photos about veggies, fruits, herbs, composting, soil and design of your "edible landscape" and garden and also some ornamental flowers. Also- has a good Appendix about "Selected plants for northern landscapes". I really liked it. It's a quick read. *It was a First Reads Giveaway*

[Bridget Gambaiani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve seen the author speak and if you get the chance she gives a great presentation, but this book is the next best thing. It inspired me to think about my garden a little differently. I also really appreciated reading a book that was more geared to gardening in northern climates. Now I’m itching for spring so I can put these new ideas into action.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the concept in this book. I had never thought of landscaping this way but will definitely incorporate some of the ideas in my own yard.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, typical gardening info in this one, but I liked it for the design ideas, which is something I struggle with.